Between worlds
by Xenobia
Summary: Norm and Jake work for peace between the Omaticaya and the humans allowed to remain at Hell's Gate. Unfortunately, the RDA is still manufacturing artificial lifeforms. Het, Neytiri/Jake, Norm/Ni'nat, OC's , rated "M" for later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

"Between worlds"

Chapter 1

* * *

*Disclaimer: I do not own Pandora and I make no profit from writing fanfiction based on the "Avatar" film.

* * *

**Author's Note:**_ There is still a lot to be learned about Pandora and I suspect new species, customs and technology will be revealed when they make the follow-up movies (it's inevitable). Online research and books have helped me in my attempt to be accurate but there are also differing opinions concerning things that aren't publicly confirmed by James Cameron. I will do the best I can with what I have, because I love this universe and the characters. Readers should know that the first chapter of this story is seen from the POV of an original character I made up, for reasons that will become obvious. It's stage setting. Chapter two and beyond will see much more of Jake and Neytiri. _

* * *

Katherine Hart was one of the few select humans allowed on Pandora, after the events that led the Na'vi and humans to war. She originally came to Pandora to work with Grace Augustine but when she arrived, she learned that Grace passed away, most of the human colony and militia were driven out and the Avatar program was all but dead. Norm Spellman filled her in on the details and he vouched for her and a few select members of her team to the Na'vi, allowing her to stay on Pandora to conduct her studies.

Her team had brought four avatars and drivers with them. Unfortunately, one of the drivers never woke up from cryogenics. Something went wrong with his capsule during the trip and he suffocated in his sleep. If the death of Sebastian Thomas wasn't bad enough, the avatar he was meant to drive also suffered abnormalities during the journey. It never reached full maturity and unlike the other avatars waiting in their incubation tanks, Sebastian's was stunted. Rather than the average nine-foot plus stature it was meant to achieve, the avatar had only matured to seven feet tall.

Katherine had been on Pandora for three days, so far. The remaining team had only moved the avatars from the ship this morning before fueling up and leaving to return to Earth. She stood with Doctor Roy Jacobs in the avatar room, debating with him over what should be done with Sebastian's stunted avatar.

"He looks fully mature," she said thoughtfully as she walked the length of the incubation tank. "He has adult features and his queue is completely grown. He just hasn't reached full Na'vi height."

Dr. Jacobs nodded. "True, but without a DNA match for a driver, this avatar is useless. We can't do anything with it and it costs resources to keep it under life support. We should pull the plug and dispose of it."

Katherine sighed. Her colleague was right, she knew. It was a terrible shame to let the avatar die, though. Perhaps it wasn't sentient but it was still a life form. She placed her palm flat on the glass of the incubation tank and stared regretfully at the alien features of the engineered Na'vi. She'd grown used to their feline-like characteristics and she found them rather beautiful. Sebastian was an attractive man with piercing gray eyes and blond hair. His avatar inherited his sculpted bone structure. If Sebastian had been born a native of Pandora instead of Earth, this was how she imagined he might have looked.

"I know it sounds bad," soothed Dr. Jacobs, "but he won't feel anything. You know these avatars are completely un-sentient on their own."

"Still, it's a shame," she answered. "Our exploration possibilities are so limited as it is, without losing one of the avatars."

"The Na'vi have strict rules concerning our work anyhow." The middle-aged doctor shrugged. "We missed out on a lot by arriving late, but you're lucky Grace recommended you."

Katherine smirked. She was very much aware of how fortunate she was to have this opportunity. She and Norm were the youngest members of the science team.

"I wish I could have had the chance to work with her," Katherine murmured.

Norm Spellman came in through the security doors at that moment. His avatar was lying on one of the examination tables, waiting for his next drive. "Looking good," he said as he glanced down at his avatar. "I wasn't sure they'd get him patched up enough." He pulled the hospital gown aside carefully, shooting an uncomfortable glance Katherine's way as he tried to ensure he wouldn't accidentally flash her with his avatar as he looked it over.

She chuckled and dutifully turned her back, understanding that his discomfort stemmed from the fact that this was his other body. While not a driver herself, she understood that he spent half of his time in the avatar body and he probably considered it no different from dropping his pants in front of her.

"They did a good job," Norm said in a relieved tone after checking the gunshot injuries the doctors had patched up. "I'll take a test run after lunch." He covered the avatar back up and turned to face Katherine and Dr. Jacobs. His eyes settled on the stunted avatar in the tank and he frowned, his mild features curious.

"So what happened to this one? Too much time in Earth gravity to grow to his full size?"

"We're not sure," answered Dr. Jacobs. "Sebastian Thomas didn't have any siblings, much less a twin brother. We won't have the luck your team had with Jake Sully. Where is Max Patel, by the way? We could use his input about this."

Norm glanced at the digital clock on the wall. "He should be getting back from his rounds any minute. You guys haven't spoken with him about this yet?"

"We only got the avatars transported from the ship today," answered Katherine. "We haven't seen Max yet."

"Well maybe you should wait for him to have a look at this guy before you do anything," suggested Norm as he studied the floating avatar. He looked around at the other three they'd brought with them. "The rest of them look normal. Maybe this one just needs more incubation time."

Katherine felt oddly relieved by the suggestion. She looked at the almost human-sized avatar in the tank and watched his ears and fingers twitch gently. It was only reflexive but still, she wasn't in a rush to put him down.

* * *

"Huh. I think I see what the problem is."

Katherine sipped her cup of coffee and approached Max, who was bent over a microscope on the counter. "What is it?"

"The DNA mixture isn't balanced right," obliged Max. "Here, see for yourself. They put a little too much human in there."

When he stepped aside, she looked through the microscope at the sample. "That's a costly mistake. I thought that they had it perfected by now."

"Well, it's too late to do anything about it," Max sighed. "I guess Dr. Jacobs is right. This one is essentially useless and we're better off cutting the life support."

Katherine pulled back from the microscope and rubbed her eyes tiredly. "Are you _certain_ he won't feel it?"

Max gave her a sympathetic look. "The avatars don't have any capacity for individual thoughts or feelings. They're blank slates. Don't worry though; it's standard procedure to sedate them when situations lead to this sort of thing. We have no evidence that its necessary but I like to keep things humane, just in case."

The door opened and Norm's avatar walked in, wearing an exopack specifically designed for Na'vi usage. Katherine stared up at him, a little shocked by how tall he was. Seeing the avatars stretched out on the table or floating in the tanks didn't really give one the proper perspective of how much bigger they were than human beings. Norm's avatar body was clad in brown cargo pants and a black t-shirt. Adding an oddly humorous touch to the outfit was a baseball cap specifically tailored to fit over his head. His long braid dangled over one shoulder as he approached.

"So, what did you find out?" Norm asked. Large amber eyes shifted between the two other scientists and the stunted avatar in the tank.

"They got the mixture wrong when they made it," answered Max. "We can't use it without a driver anyway but I wanted to see what made his growth stop."

Norm ran his tongue over his teeth in thought and Katherine caught sight of his sharp canines before he spoke again. "That's weird. There hasn't been a mistake like that in avatar production for a long time. Where did Dr. Jacobs go, anyway?"

"He's going over the brain scans," answered Katherine. "Evidently our friend has a decent brain. Too bad that won't help him."

When both men gave her thoughtful looks, she tried to reassure them. "You don't have to worry about me getting in the way. I'm here to do botany work, not put my nose into Avatar politics."

Norm smiled at her. "Why not? It never stopped Grace." He sighed and rubbed his arm, wincing. "They should have linked you to an avatar too. It would have made your job a lot more simple."

"I was supposed to assist Dr. Augustine." Katherine's eyes drifted to the doomed avatar. "If we knew the situation here earlier, I probably would have gotten one myself. We've just got to work with what we have." She smirked up at him. "So I guess that means I'll need to rely on you bringing some samples back, since you can move more freely around this moon."

Norm grimaced. "So you want me to be your go-to guy until the Omaticaya lift restrictions on you, right?"

"Looks like it," she replied without apology. Noticing that the expression of discomfort hadn't faded from his blue, striped features she gestured at the examination table. "Maybe you should sit down."

He nodded and turned to walk to the gurney. His tail swung around as he moved and Katherine jumped as it snaked up underneath her lab coat from behind. "Hey!"

Norm turned his head to look at her and she could have _sworn_ he blushed. His cheeks darkened interestingly and he snatched his tail and pressed his lips together. "Excuse me," he apologized, "I'm a little out of synch, since I had to wait a couple of weeks for them to patch up my avatar."

"It's fine," she said dryly. She combed her chestnut colored hair out of her eyes and shooed him toward the gurney. "Have they looked at you since you linked?"

Norm sank carefully down onto the examination table and shook his head. "I was going to get a checkup after talking to you guys. I'm okay, it's just a little stiffness." His breath fogged the transparent visor of the mask over his face.

"Don't push yourself," Max advised seriously. "That body took some pretty serious hits in the fight, Norm."

"I've got it," insisted the anthropologist stubbornly. He twisted gingerly in his seat, working his tightened torso to loosen it up.

Max nodded. "If you say so. Well, we shouldn't put this off. Would you get ready to power down the incubator while I get the sedative?"

"I can do that," agreed Norm. He shot a faintly regretful look at the avatar they were about to euthanize and he stood up.

Katherine moved out of his way as Norm walked to the control panel and began pushing buttons. She couldn't contain a sigh as she looked into the tank. She stared at the avatar with ambiguous hazel eyes and silently apologized to it, even though it wouldn't have understood her even if it could have heard her. Max approached with a syringe full of yellow liquid and he opened up the umbilical cap to prepare for injection.

Katherine wondered how the avatar would react when the medication was distributed. She guessed it wouldn't do anything but she'd never witnessed a cut-off before and she mentally braced herself. He couldn't feel anything. She had to remember that. She knew Max and Norm well enough to respect their experience and knowledge of the avatars. She watched Sebastian Thomas' avatar quietly as Max started to push the needle into the umbilical reservoir. She frowned severely when she thought she saw him turn his head.

"Wait," Katherine demanded, holding a hand out palm-up to Max.

He paused and looked at her with puzzled, dark eyes. "What's the problem?"

"I just...thought I saw something," she answered, staring intensely at the avatar. "Movement. Not just reflexive motion, either."

Norm and Max exchanged a quiet look between the two of them before the latter answered her. "Katherine, maybe you should leave the room while we do this. You know avatars can't function without drivers."

"I know that," she argued, "but I still saw something."

"Your mind's playing tricks on you," insisted Norm. "Look, you're just getting yourself worked up."

She was about to open her mouth to argue with him when the door slid open and Dr. Jacobs hurried in, holding up a flat-screen holographic.

"Don't cut the cord yet," he insisted breathlessly, "there is a lot more going on with this avatar than we thought!"

Max pulled the needle out of the access point and stared at the older scientist. "What's up?"

"Look at these brain scans," announced Dr. Jacobs as he thrust the image screen at Max. "They aren't dark, as they should be. We've got activity as if the avatar is linked to its driver."

Max, Katherine and Norm gathered around as Jacobs flicked through the scans one at a time. Sure enough, the images were lit up in several places, indicating activity that indicated a live brain.

"Whoa, that can't be right," breathed Norm, looking from the image to the avatar he'd just been ready to cut off from life support. "The only parts that should be lit up are the ones that control vital organs! It...kind of looks like he's dreaming. "

It didn't escape Katherine's notice that Norm referred to the avatar as a "he" instead of an "it". She could see the doubt and uncertainty in his eyes. She looked at the undersized avatar and moved closer to the tank, watching him intensely. Her eyes widened when she saw movement under his eyelids. Norm was right; he was showing signs of REM sleep.

"Unbelievable," Max muttered as he came up beside her and evidently noticed it too. "They must have screwed up more than just the DNA mix. This guy isn't an empty shell, he's alive."

* * *

They studied him for several days before finally coming to an alternate decision, after he continued showing signs of increased awareness. Shutting down the incubation tank was out of the question, since the being inside of it was for all intents and purposes alive. The problem was they had no way of knowing if he was as mature as he was going to get. Removing him from the tank might kill him. Leaving him in there in a state of sentience could do the same thing. The tanks were designed to work like a mother's womb, nurturing the avatars from an embryonic stage to maturity. The umbilical cord provided nutrients, oxygen, carbon dioxide, hydrogen dioxide and xenon. The liquid inside the tanks balanced out the gravitational force to allow proper growth. Premature removal was risky at best, but if the avatar's lungs were mature, it could drown in the tank if left in for too long.

"I think we should take him out," Norm suggested. "I can put him back in fast if he starts crashing."

"But your injuries are still healing," reminded Jacobs.

"He's not full-grown," argued Norm. "And Na'vi aren't as heavy as you might think. I should be able to handle it."

The scientists looked at one another, inwardly debating the situation.

"We've got to do something soon," Max pointed out with a glance at the avatar. He froze. "Uh...he's looking at us."

The others turned to follow his gaze and Norm jumped a little. "Maybe it's just another reflex."

"I don't think so," countered Katherine as she stood up. The avatar's amber gaze followed her as she approached. There was confusion and panic in those eyes. The pupils were dilating tellingly and the avatar pressed his hands against the glass and began to move about restlessly.

"We have to get this open and let him out," Katherine stated with certainty. She might not have Norm and Max's experience but she could tell the male inside the tank wouldn't last long without breath. "Hurry! He's going to drown!"

Norm and Max moved quickly. While the former started turning the seal lock on the tank, the latter began entering codes to activate the draining process. Norm shook his head and snarled.

"We can't wait for it to drain! You guys make sure there aren't any wires on the floor while I get this thing open!"

Katherine and Jacobs scrambled to check the equipment while Max helped Norm with the seal as best he could. With a grunts and growls of effort, the two of them got the tank open and a flood of clear liquid came out to spill over the floor. Realizing that the avatar they were trying to rescue would need a Pandora atmosphere to breath in, Katherine ran to the exopack storage and pulled out one of the Na'vi breathers. To her surprise, the avatar seemed to be breathing the oxygen just fine after coughing up a bit of water. The men seemed just as baffled as she was and Norm groaned a little as he lifted the soaked, naked avatar and carried him over to one of the gurneys.

Max immediately went to the supply cabinets for towels and a hospital gown while Roy started checking the patient's vitals. The avatar struggled, hissing and spitting with animal fear as Norm fought to hold him down. Between snarls and coughs, he strained against the taller avatar's hold on him. Norm tried speaking to him in both English and Na'vi, trying to assure him that nobody was going to hurt him. Katherine approached as Max dried the liquid from the avatar's body and she added her own soft reassurances to Norm's.

"Can you understand us? It's all right. We're only trying to help you."

Her adrenaline was pumping from the intensity of the moment and she took a hasty step back as the avatar snapped his teeth at Dr. Jacobs when he pressed the stethoscope on his chest. His dark, damp hair was loose, but for the queue dangling over the side of the gurney. The wet strands clung to his face as he bucked against his captor and Norm cursed in effort to keep him down.

"He might be undersized," grunted Norm, "but he's strong. We're going to have to put him out."

Dr. Jacobs left off trying to check the heartbeat and went for the medication supplies while Katherine, Norm and Max tried to calm the avatar down and keep him restrained. He worked with practiced efficiency as he measured out the ideal dosage based on approximate weight and height before returning to administer the shot.

"Easy," Katherine soothed as her associate injected the struggling avatar in the thigh for lack of better options. The patient snarled through clenched teeth and panted. His eyes met hers and his struggles began to lessen. She wasn't foolish enough to think he was settling down because of her words. His eyes became unfocused and his lids grew heavy. She stroked his hair and kept murmuring to him as he drifted out of consciousness.

"Are they always so strong when they first wake up?" Katherine asked in shaken surprise when he lay still.

"Well, not exactly," Norm answered between pants. He sat down on the gurney beside the patient's and pulled his hat off, running his fingers through the loosened strands of hair pulled free from his braid in the struggle. "But you've got to remember, we have to synch to our avatar bodies and get used to them when we first wake up. This guy isn't some driver...he's using his own body."

"His Heartbeat and lungs both sound good," announced Dr. Jacobs. "It's a little fast, but after the fight he just put up that's no surprise. Blood pressure is normal, body temperature is a little low but that's to be expected after stasis. He seems to have good muscle tone. Everything's proportioned right, he's just two or three feet too short."

Max scratched his head. "But he's breathing Earth based gases. Katherine, can you hand that mask over? I want to test something while he's out."

"You're going to expose him to Pandora air?" She wasn't thrilled with the idea and it showed in her tone.

"We've got to start studying him," Max said. "I'm only going to turn it on long enough to see how his body reacts. This kind of thing has never happened before and the more we understand about him, the better we can take care of him."

She couldn't refute that logic, so she passed the mask over to him and watched as he placed it over the avatar's face and turned it on. The patient's breath hitched and she tensed, but Max held up a placating hand and reminded her that it took more than a couple of breaths to do harm. The avatar's breathing evened out and Norm's eyebrows went up.

"So he can breathe in _both_ atmospheres?"

"Something tells me someone did a little playing around when they started growing this avatar," Max said with a frown. "There are too many alterations for it all to be just a coincidence. What's the name of the scientist that was assigned to growing him?"

"Dr. Collins," answered Katherine after thinking for a moment. "Bishop Collins. He left on the transport ship back to Earth this morning, after we finished moving the avatars into the bio lab."

"I'm going to try and pull up his research files," Max said with a frown. "We should get some staff ready and have the other drivers link to theirs for tests, too. I don't know all of the people on the Earth team and none of our people were there when these guys were made. When our shorty here wakes up, I want to do more testing on him...if we can get him to cooperate. For now just get some blood, saliva and hair samples from him while he's out." He took the mask off of the unconscious avatar and the breath caught again as the being re-adjusted to the chemical balance in the air.

"I don't know how cooperative he's going to be," Norm said doubtfully as Max prepared to leave the avatar room. "He was pretty feral. He might operate on an animal level of intelligence at best."

"He woke up for the first time inside of a tank, surrounded by strangers," argued Katherine. "I don't know about you but I'd be pretty damned spooked in that situation, myself."

"His brain scans looked healthy," Max reminded them. "If this is the first time he's ever been awake then his mind is in an infant stage. With any luck, he'll start adjusting and learning fast. We'll probably have to teach him how to walk and talk, among other things."

"Other things?" Norm repeated with an uncomfortable grimace.

"Instincts are going to help but someone's going to have to show this guy where to go to the bathroom, how to eat, how to clean himself up...that sort of thing." Max glanced at the patient before continuing: "Like I said, I need to know what was done when this guy was made."

Norm sighed. "Great."

* * *

Katherine checked in on the "faulty" avatar often while she was helping the small team work with the new drivers and their avatars. She was anxious to get outside the compound and start collecting samples for research. According to Dr. Augustine's files, it was estimated that only half of the plant life on Pandora had been analyzed and studied before Grace passed away. She couldn't leave the compound yet however, and the avatar drivers needed some time to get used to their pseudo Na'vi bodies before they could be of use. The colony had a handful of choppers for air transport but they were grounded now, until a meeting could be conducted with the Omaticaya Na'vi in the region.

Jake Sully led the clan with his mate, Neytiri. Katherine and her colleagues who were allowed to stay were filled in on that, too. She didn't completely understand how the Na'vi managed to transfer his consciousness completely into his avatar but she suspected she'd learn more about it later. As she understood it, he would be coming to meet the new people on the base by the end of the week. Until then, restrictions were heavy.

Beginning to feel stir crazy, she decided to take a walk outside and visit the garden and activity areas. She was just walking past the examination room where they were keeping the sentient avatar when she saw him moving out the corner of her eye. She stopped and looked in through the reinforced glass window, watching him stir. One of her fellow lab staff members was walking by and she caught her by the arm.

"Go and tell Dr. Patel or Dr. Jacobs," Katherine instructed, "the patient is waking up. We'll probably need people in here in case his restraints don't hold, too."

* * *

Unfortunately, they were forced to sedate him again. This time they avoided putting him completely down, so that further tests could be run. They gave him enough medication to keep him docile and Dr. Jacobs began to examine his reflexes while Katherine spoke softly to the avatar to ease his anxiety. Two orderlies stood by in case further restraint was needed. Max was still busy looking through the data banks but he called the examination room to see how it was going.

"I found some hidden files," explained Max. "I'm working on decrypting them now. I don't know what this Collins guy was up to but it wasn't protocol. Just keep trying to communicate with the avatar and run what tests you can."

"Can do," Katherine promised. She heard a threatening hiss behind her and she turned to see the patient glaring up at Jacobs with his ears laid back. Even under the influence of the sedative, he wasn't cooperative. "I'd better get back to work," Katherine told Max. "I'll let you know if we find anything significant."

"Katherine, I need you over here," Roy called. "Damn!" He yanked his hand away as his patient's teeth snapped at it again.

Katherine hurried over to the table and resumed talking to the avatar. She doubted that he could understand a word she said but he seemed to calm down a little.

"Looks like you've got a way with him," commented Roy as the patient gazed up at her and listened to her voice.

"I can't imagine why," she answered, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "Shh, it's okay," she finished, addressing patient.

Dr. Jacobs shrugged. "He's a mass of basic instincts right now. Having a pretty female cooing over him probably helps."

Katherine looked up with a frown. "I don't suppose you've noticed I'm the wrong species?"

"I wouldn't be so sure." Roy grinned. "The Na'vi are a lot like us when it comes to the basics and he isn't exactly a typical avatar. Besides, I don't think he knows the difference between a Na'vi woman and a human, right now."

"I could have done without that observation," she grumbled. The avatar strained again and she turned her attention back to him. "Easy now. You only have to put up with this for a little while longer. You're okay."

He settled again, swallowing and breathing heavily. Roy finished checking the reflexes and he hesitated as he looked at the instrument tray. "I think we should rule out drawing more blood for now. It would be safer for everyone to do it while he's unconscious or when we can make him understand it's for his own good."

"That's probably a smart choice," she agreed dryly, noticing that one of the patient's wrist restraints was already ripped from his earlier struggles.

* * *

Sebastian's avatar was more cooperative the next day—at least with Katherine. She started by offering him food and attempting to show him how to use a spoon in the morning. She didn't know how he would react to her taking a bite of his food so she demonstrated how to use the spoon without actually putting it in her mouth.

"There, now you try it," she encouraged, gently taking his right hand and guiding him to grip the spoon handle.

He narrowed his eyes suspiciously at her.

"Go ahead," she told him.

He sniffed at the food and frowned. It then occurred to her that avoiding taking a bite might not have been the way to go. Maybe he thought she was trying to poison him.

"Here," she sighed, trying to take the spoon from him. She moved too fast and he recoiled away from her. "It's okay," she murmured, smiling gently. "Trust me, you could probably twist my head off in two seconds flat. I'm not a threat to you."

She didn't know why she kept bothering trying to explain to him, other than the faint suspicion that he might understand her words on some level. He was definitely more lucid this morning. She coaxed with her hands, urging him to give her the bowl. He slowly handed it over and she spooned up a bite of the oatmeal and put it into her mouth. She chewed and swallowed it, making "Mmm" noises to ensure him that it was tasty. She considered getting a fresh spoon for him but that might just convince him she had some nefarious reason for refusing to share eating utensils. Instead, she wiped the spoon off with one of the napkins before offering the bowl to him again.

"Now, will you try it?"

He took the bowl from her awkwardly and he mimicked her earlier action, scooping up a mouthful of the food. He watched her as he brought the spoon to his lips and slipped it into his mouth. His face immediately took on a sour expression and he gave her an accusing look. Katherine impulsively began to ask him what was wrong but she got her answer when he spit the oatmeal out and grimaced like a sullen child, laying his ears back flat against his head.

"No, don't spit it...oh, here." Thankful that she's had the foresight to bring a napkin, she wiped at his chin and lips to clean away the dribbling oatmeal. "I guess that means you aren't an oatmeal lover."

He allowed her to finish wiping his face and he kept looking at her with that insulted, disgusted expression on his face. Katherine sighed but she felt a grin trying to surface and she ducked her head to hide it as she reached for the cup of water she'd left on the tray. She offered it to him and helped him bring it to his lips, watching his throat work as he swallowed thirstily.

"Better?" She asked when he finished drinking his fill and sighed. Apparently it was, because the scowl had faded from his lips and he looked at the bowl before handing it back to her.

The door opened and Norm came in. He was in his avatar body again and he was wearing a pair of jogging pants and a muscle shirt. He yawned and avoided coming closer for the moment, looking between Katherine and the patient.

"No more restraints, huh?"

"As long as he behaves," she agreed. "They're monitoring him and if he starts having a conniption again, they'll have to restrain and sedate him."

"Has he tried to walk yet?" Norm took a careful step closer and his tail swished.

The patient saw the movement and he stared, looking Norm up and down curiously. He slowly reached down and under the sheets covering him to the waist, drawing his own tail out and holding it up. He also reached for the long braid hanging from the base of his skull and he gave Norm a curious look, his ears moving forward slightly with interest.

"Yeah, that's right," Norm said with a little nod. He held up his tail and presented it to the smaller avatar. "I'm like you. Well, kind of."

To Katherine, he whispered: "I thought it was worth a try to see if he'd get along better with me in my avatar form. He was out of it yesterday but it looks like he's starting to figure things out, now."

"That's sensible. He hasn't gotten out of the bed, but he's only been awake for a little while," answered Katherine. She gestured at the forgotten bowl of oatmeal. "I tried to feed him but he spit it back out." She noticed that Norm was carrying a piece of native fruit from the gardens outside and she looked at it curiously. She hadn't had a look at the food trees outside yet but she knew they weren't edible to humans without first being processed.

"Here," Norm offered, handing the fruit to her rather than the patient. "He likes you so you try giving this to him. He might stomach it better than oatmeal."

The fruit fit in one of Norm's larger Na'vi hands but Katherine had to take it in both of hers. It was roughly the size of a cantaloupe and its skin was purple and bumpy. It gave a little when she squeezed it and she offered it to the patient.

"How is he supposed to get his mouth around that?" she asked.

"The skin's pretty soft," Norm assured her. "He'll probably drip some, though."

The smaller avatar examined the fruit in his hands for a moment before slowly raising it to his lips. His tawny gaze slid to Katherine in a way that suggested he might decide to spit it out directly on her, if it turned out to be a disappointment like the oatmeal. Katherine scooted her chair back as a precaution and smiled at him as he bit down. Some of the juice dribbled over the skin and down his neck but he evidently liked the fruit. He began to eat with a sharp appetite and Katherine exchanged a grin with Norm.

"I was going to eat that myself but I can pick another one." Norm explained.

"Have you heard anything from Max about the files he found?" Katherine impulsively dabbed the juice from the patient's face as he ate and he glanced at her sidelong without pausing in his meal.

"As a matter of fact, yes. He wants to talk to us in an hour. It sounds like whatever he found is a big deal."

She gazed at Norm thoughtfully, wondering what had been done to the unusual avatar munching on the fruit beside her. "Do you think it's good news or bad news?"

Norm sighed and brushed back a few loose wisps of black hair from his forehead. "By the sound of his voice, I don't think it's good news." He looked at his shorter counterpart on the bed and gave a brief nod. "Maybe we should name him."

Katherine nodded with agreement and when Norm just stared at her expectantly, she raised an eyebrow. "What? You want _me_ to name him? I'm the botanist here. I don't even know what I'm doing nursing this guy...this isn't my specialty."

"Nobody forced you to look after him." Norm's mouth twitched.

She sighed. No, nobody ordered her to take care of the avatar. Her fascination with the Na'vi people and her compassion for him were responsible for her volunteering. She shrugged and considered the patient. He was just finishing up with the piece of fruit and he began licking the juice off his fingers.

"Well, his driver's name was Sebastian. If things hadn't gone sour that's what we would be calling him anyway, right?"

"Yeah, I guess. It's not very creative but it will do."

She smirked and dabbed at Sebastian's face again with the napkin. "I happen to like the name and he was a decent guy."

It was then that she noticed the avatar was staring at her with a puzzled look on his face. She paused in her action and considered the expression carefully. "Sebastian? Is that name okay with you?"

His lips parted and his brows furrowed. To Katherine, it appeared as though he was trying to recall something. Norm evidently got the same impression because he spoke her growing suspicion out loud.

"Do you recognize that name?"

He lowered his eyes and frowned uncertainly. Katherine couldn't be sure whether he was considering the question or whether he simply couldn't comprehend it. She felt like they were onto something but she couldn't imagine what. Maybe his driver _did_ somehow link with him before his death but if so, what could have been accomplished? Linking with an immature avatar was like slipping into a coma, from what she understood.

* * *

"Sebastian Thomas didn't die by accident."

Everyone stared at Max as he handed out small holographic screens with his report uploaded into them.

"You're sure about this?" Ramona Adams stared at the lit up text on the screen she held and a frown creased her brows.

"I double and triple checked," answered Max, his gaze sweeping the small team of scientists. "Someone tampered with his cryogenic capsule while he was in stasis and I'm betting it was Dr. Collins. If you skip to the next page, you'll see a summary of things I found in his files. He was using the avatar program to try and create a life form that could adapt to either atmosphere. From what I've dug up so far, he was trying to find a way to permanently lock a driver's conscience into an avatar."

Norm's eyes flickered and unfocused. "Like what the Na'vi and Eywa did for Jake." He looked at Katherine, who returned his look and guessed he was thinking of the avatar's behavior when they she named him earlier. "They tried to do the same thing for Grace but she was too weak."

"But we don't have the technology or the means to do something like that," Ramona pointed out. "Unless Dr. Collins got his hands on a sample from the Tree of Souls before taking the trip here."

"He couldn't have," Norm said with a shake of his head. "We were the first outsiders ever allowed there and we sure as hell didn't send any samples back to Earth. Even if he did get a sample, he couldn't have done anything with it. He must have figured out a way with the link capsule."

Max looked between Katherine and Norm and he scratched the beard growth on his jaw. "What's going on, you two? Did something happen with the avatar this morning?"

"We thought he should have a name," explained Katherine readily. "And I thought it made sense to name him after the pilot intended to operate him. When I called him 'Sebastian' he acted a little strange."

"Strange how?" pressed Dr. Jacobs.

"Like he recognized the name," answered Norm.

Max wore an expression that warred between trepidation and disbelief. "Are you sure about this?"

"We both saw it," confirmed Norm. "He didn't say anything but he acted sort of like a pet hearing its own name. I don't think he understood anything else we said but he knew 'Sebastian' when he heard it."

"Then Dr. Collin might have pulled it off," Max uttered. He sighed. "If he did, then it was the transference that killed Thomas' human body. Collins might have put him back in his cryo capsule and sabotaged it to cover up what he tried to do. Maybe he didn't think it worked."

"What if Sebastian and Dr. Collins were in on something with Selfridge and Quaritch?" hypothesized Norm. "They tried to use Jake to get an advantage. Maybe they had something like that planned for this guy, too. Collins obviously put some extra work into this avatar to make it more adaptable, right?"

"I don't think the avatar driver would have been in on it," argued Katherine. Roy nodded in agreement with her as she went on. "I knew Sebastian and so did Dr. Jacobs and Dr. Adams. Granted, we weren't best buddies with him but it was obvious he admired the Na'vi culture and he couldn't wait to learn more about them."

"Which could indicate a mission just like the one Jake had, before his change of heart," Norm countered.

"I really don't think that's likely in this driver's case," Roy insisted.

"I've got to agree with both of them," Ramona added. "I didn't get a chance to get to know him that well before we deployed, but he seemed like a nice guy. Really cute, too."

"I don't think his looks are what's important here," Max grumbled. "You've admitted you didn't get to know him all that well. I think we need to keep a close eye on his avatar. There's got to be a reason Dr. Collins tried something so risky and I don't think it was to bring peace and love to the Na'vi. After everything that's happened here, we've got to be extra careful. The Omaticaya tolerate us but one slip up could change their minds."

"There might be one way," suggested Dr. Jacobs slowly. "Avatars can form a link with each other and the native life on this moon, can't they? Couldn't one of our drivers use that to read his mind?"

"It's not an exact science," Norm sighed. "Trying to force your way into someone's mind like that would take major willpower. Sharing communication isn't the same thing."

"But you could link to him and see what you find," suggested Max. "Maybe you can pick up on something."

Norm looked dubious at the thought. "I've only ever formed a bond with a pa'li, Max. I could try Tsahaylu with this guy but I'm not sure what would happen."

"The drivers we know and trust are with the Omaticaya right now, helping them with the new Hometree. The three newcomer pilots we have here don't have the experience. You're the only one, Norm."

"I knew you were going to say something like that," complained Norm.

"I'm just asking you to link with him for a few minutes," Max argued.

Norm sighed. "All right, I'll try it. We should give him a couple of days to get used to me first, though."

* * *

-To be continued


	2. Chapter 2

"Between worlds"

Chapter 2

* * *

_**Author's note:**__ I had no intention of releasing any chapters of this story, before finishing my other WIP. I really do enjoy this world too much. _

*Disclaimer: I do not own Pandora and I make no profit from writing fanfiction based on the "Avatar" film.

* * *

They focused on helping Sebastian learn basic things like personal hygiene, walking and eating. He was mistrustful and sometimes aggressive with most of the staff, so Katherine and Norm ended up doing a lot of it. The first time he tried to walk upright, Sebastian stumbled and fell. Luckily, Norm was with him in his avatar body and he was able to help him catch his balance before he hit the floor. Katherine did most of the feeding, taking advice from Norm on the best combinations of native foodstuffs to suit Na'vi taste and requirements. Sebastian was able to stomach human foods but he seemed to prefer Na'vi cuisine.

Katherine had trouble getting him to agree to settle down and go to sleep, the first night after naming him. He'd managed to take a few shaky steps and he stubbornly kept trying to improve. She chastised him patiently and brushed the long, unbound locks of hair out of his face when he stumbled and barely caught his balance against the wall.

"That's enough," Katherine insisted, keeping her tone firm without being harsh. She looked up into his eyes and willed him to understand what she was trying to communicate. "You need rest, Sebastian. Please, come with me to your bed and lie down."

She felt her face grow warm as her own choice of words made her thankful that Ramona wasn't around to hear them. She took his hands in hers and walked backwards toward the examination bed, whispering softly to him and smiling encouragingly. He took slow, uncertain steps and followed her, his glittering eyes switching between her face and his own feet. It only took a few steps to get to the bed and she reached up and put a hand on his shoulder, urging him to sit down on the edge. She hastily averted her gaze as the back of his hospital gown parted enough to expose his backside, though logically she knew he didn't yet have the capacity to feel bashful about it.

"There you go," she soothed as he sank down on the cushioned surface.

She took his queue in hand and pulled it aside for him as she pushed gently against his chest to guide him to lie down. He resisted at first and she pleaded softly with him until he relaxed and complied. She found herself again marveling at how similar the avatar's exotic facial features were to his deceased pilot's human ones. She absently let the lengthy, braided length of his queue slide through her hand as she pulled the sheets up over him with her other hand. Just as the braid slipped past her palm, she felt something curl around her fingers.

Katherine looked down to see that the tendrils of Sebastian's queue had stretched out from the bottom of his braid and wrapped around her fingers. She was a little startled but not alarmed. Guessing that it was a reflexive response, she grasped end of the braid and gently tugged. The tendrils didn't let go and Sebastian was staring up at her with sleepy golden eyes.

"Sebastian," she said hesitantly, disliking the idea of trying to forcibly pull the seemingly delicate tendrils away, "I need my hand back, please." Her hesitancy wasn't due to distaste rather than concern over harming the caressing protrusions. She had read that they were sensitive and she didn't want to inadvertently hurt him.

It took a moment for the relentless hold to let up. The filaments retreated, allowing her to pull her hand free. Sebastian looked a bit _too_ innocent to her and Katherine experienced a quiet moment of suspicion. She pushed the feeling aside, deciding that the teasing comments she'd gotten from her colleagues concerning the avatar's attachment to her was to blame for it. Knowing that he wouldn't be able to answer her if she offered a bedtime snack and a drink, she straightened up and started to go toward the door.

Katherine heard the sound of cloth rustling behind her and she stopped, sighing. "No. Stay in bed."

She turned around to see Sebastian in the process of pulling the sheets aside. His attempt to follow her was unreasonably endearing. The unpleasant realization that she might have to sedate him to keep him in the room and in bed made her frown. Her sister—were she alive—would have accused her of mothering him like a stray kitten. Katherine possibly would have agreed with her if it weren't for the fact that Sebastian's male grace and attractive features blew away any motherly instinct she might have harbored.

Katherine quickly went back to the bedside and pushed on his shoulders before he could swing his legs over the side and try to get up. He growled softly but his ears stayed in the neutral position, indicating that the sound wasn't aggressive so much as frustrated.

"Come _on_," she pleaded as she got him lying down again with painful effort. Their faces were only a few inches apart. "Don't do this to me, okay? Just...let me bring you something to eat so that I can get some rest too."

~God knows I won't get any work done after wrestling with you! You might be a small fry compared to the other avatars and Na'vi but you're still a head and a half taller than I am...not to mention four times stronger.~

Katherine ended up half-sprawled on top of him, with her lab coat twisted around her waist and one pant-leg partially hiked up her calf. She armored herself against instinctive reactions to the contact and stared hard into his eyes.

"I _mean_ it, pal. Settle your blue butt down."

She was panting softly from the effort of trying to overpower him with her puny human body and she could have _sworn_ she saw his mouth twitch with what could have passed for amusement. Whether he understood some of her words or the tone of her voice got through to him, she couldn't guess. Whatever the cause, he abruptly stopped resisting her and Katherine nearly sprawled flush against him as a result.

She cleared her throat and pulled her head back just before their lips would have touched. Trying to retain her dignity, she eased off of his long limbs and stood up, pulling her clothes back into place.

"Good." She nodded. "Now just relax and stay here. You don't really deserve a snack after that stunt but I don't want you to get hungry during the night."

This time, she didn't turn her back on him. She walked backwards towards the door, making placatory motions with her hands to discourage him from getting up again. She felt foolish, telling him to stay over and over again like a dog. His left ear twitched and his tail swished sinuously over the side of the bed as he watched her. By the expression on his face, he found her behavior puzzling. At least it seemed to be enough to distract him from trying to get out of bed again.

Just as her back pressed against the door and she prepared to turn around to enter the unlocking code, the door slid open and Katherine very nearly stumbled backwards through it. She cursed and caught herself on the threshold, twisting around to find Ramona standing in the darkened hallway.

"Chuck wagon, incoming," announced the zoologist cheerfully. "Max said your new friend needs a little extra to eat right now and I figured you might have your hands full." She assessed the situation with interested brown eyes. "It looks like he was right. That avatar really _does _have a thing for you."

Katherine looked at the tray Ramona was carrying. On it was a small bowl filled with some kind of round nuts and a cluster of small fruits that resembled grapes, but for the thick skin on them. A cup of water sat next to the bowl. "Thanks. He should be fine with you giving it to him. The guys are wrong...he only puts up with me because I'm female."

"Oh?" Ramona looked at the avatar with interest. "Hmm, he really does look a lot like Sebastian, if you don't count his coloring and hair length. Nice."

"Just feed him, okay?"

Ramona smirked and started walking into the room. Katherine started to take her exit but she heard a soft, warning hiss. She turned around and stared at Sebastian. His ears were only partially laid back and he wasn't fully baring his teeth at the zoologist but clearly, the assessment that any female could easily approach him wasn't entirely accurate.

"He only puts up with you because you're female, huh?" Ramona took a cautious, slow step back toward the door. "What am I then, a rock?"

Katherine couldn't decide whether she should be pleased or dismayed by the discovery that she was wrong about her gender being the only factor. She looked at Sebastian's mistrustful expression and wary amber eyes. Ramona was the only other female he had come into contact with since waking, so either there was something about her voice or stance he didn't like or the others were right after all.

"I'll feed him then," sighed the botanist.

Ramona leaned in close to Katherine before going and she whispered in her ear. "By the way, I spiked his fruit with a little sedative. Don't feed him the two pieces on the top if you don't want to dose him."

Katherine's mouth twisted with guilt, but she nodded. Sebastian needed his rest and she would never make it out the door if he kept insisting on coming after her.

* * *

Over the next couple of days, Sebastian got the hang of walking, feeding himself and using the bathroom without needing a chaperone. They altered a pair of drawstring sweat pants for him so that he could have something other than oversized or undersized hospital gowns to wear and Max set people to work on tailoring more clothes for him. Katherine brushed his loose hair every day and smoothed out any flyaway strands on his queue. Norm instructed him on how to brush his teeth, which resulted in quite a mess the first time when the avatar squeezed the whole tube of paste out onto the bathroom floor.

Sebastian's cooperation with staff members he'd gotten familiar with increased a bit, but Katherine and Norm were still the only ones he showed real trust in. They began to walk with him through the research building, careful to keep him away from equipment and speak to him regularly. Deciding that Sebastian trusted him enough not to chew his face off if he tried to link with him, Norm prepared to give it a try. He interrupted Katherine's lab work to ask her to be there, in case Sebastian needed calming down.

"Hey, Sebastian."

Norm's smile was obviously intended to be reassuring as he walked into the avatar's examination room with Katherine but she could see the hidden anxiety behind it. It seemed that Sebastian picked up on it as well, because his ears swiveled back subtly and he examined the other male.

Katherine decided to put forth her own effort to keep the situation calm. "Norm wants to try something, Sebastian. It might help you understand things better."

His yellow eyes regarded her with incomprehension but his ears perked up a little as she approached. His expression softened a bit and he allowed her to take his hands and guide him to the bed.

"You need to be relaxed for this," Katherine told him. "Please sit down, okay?"

Sebastian obeyed her request and she glanced over her shoulder at the tall, five-fingered Na'vi male who approached. Norm was the only person who didn't question the way she spoke to Sebastian in full sentences. The others thought it was a waste of time and advised her to focus on her tone rather than her words. Like her, Norm was beginning to think Sebastian could understand some of the words they spoke to him. He also seemed to be taking a liking to the mute, stunted avatar, but she couldn't be certain.

"Okay," Norm said after taking a deep breath. He sat down beside Sebastian on the bed. "We're going to try to form _tsahaylu_. It's a bond and it might let us communicate better. Do you understand?"

Sebastian looked from Norm to Katherine, his eyes sweeping her up and down before settling back dubiously on Norm. His brows furrowed as if in confusion and he scooted a little closer to the end of the bed, where Katherine's chair was.

Norm's gaze flicked between the two of them and he looked down with a grin. "I get the feeling he'd rather you do it."

"Too bad," Katherine muttered, hoping she wasn't blushing. "I don't have a queue."

Norm reached around for his braid and held it up, letting the tendrils emerge from the tip. He gave Sebastian a nod and held it toward him. "Hold yours up to mine," he encouraged. "It's okay."

Sebastian picked up the trailing end of his own braid and slowly lifted it, staring at Norm with visible trepidation. Katherine added her soft encouragement and reached out to pat the shorter avatar on the knee soothingly. It seemed to mellow him a little and he didn't recoil when Norm carefully took the end of his queue from him to join it with his. The swaying tendrils entwined instinctively together and both avatars' pupils dilated quickly.

Sebastian flinched and frowned, gasping. Norm's mouth fell open and he blurted that it was the weirdest thing he'd ever felt. Before Katherine could even begin to assess whether it appeared to be working or not, Sebastian began to pull away from Norm. He groaned in a very human way and clutched at his head before glaring blindly into space. His lips curved back from his teeth and he snarled as if in pain. Norm had a look of strained discomfort on his face and he began to mutter, even as he reached out to take the smaller male's wrist in an effort to steady him.

"Just a little while longer," Norm grunted. "Damn...a wild direhorse is easier to handle than this!"

"You don't sense any human thoughts at all?"

Norm hesitated and Sebastian began to writhe, falling back on the bed and emitting sounds of both animal and human pain.

"There's..._something_ in there," Norm confirmed. Beads of perspiration formed on his cyan-striped forehead. "It's hard to reach, though. Shit, he's starting to panic."

Sebastian began tugging at his queue, trying to yank it away from Norm's. Norm couldn't seem to figure out how to let go with his tendrils and he yelled a curse of pain as the male he was linked to heedlessly tugged.

"Okay, okay! Whoa...ouch...stop pulling! I'm trying to let go! Just...aah...just relax! We'll both do it on the count of three, all right?"

Any capacity to comprehend language evidently deserted Sebastian and he struggled harder. He began to yell in agony at the top of his lungs and he kicked at poor Norm. The taller male's yells quickly joined him and Katherine fumbled for the sedative intervention she had carried in her lab coat as a precaution. She caught a glimpse of a couple of staff members in the hallway running for the door, probably alerted by the loud howls of pain.

Katherine didn't have time to be gentle about it. She stabbed the injection into Sebastian's bicep and administered the dosage quickly. Norm was in a half-crouched position on the bed, holding onto the base of his queue while leaning towards his linked companion. His teeth were clenched and he looked like someone was crushing his skull. He uttered a couple of words in Na'vi that Katherine wasn't familiar with, followed by a few in English that she knew quite well. The door slid open and there was a flurry of motion as the two men from the hallway charged in.

"Easy," Katherine shouted—addressing the lab techs as much as Sebastian. They caught hold of his limbs and tried to restrain him while Norm fought to keep the shorter avatar from damaging both of their queues.

Norm's exopack slipped partway off his face in his struggles and he started to gasp and cough. Katherine tore her attention away from Sebastian and secured the mask back into place over her colleague's face, as worried for him as she was for their patient.

Sebastian's struggles weakened as the drugs began to work and his cries died down. He lost consciousness within moments and Norm was finally able to ease their braids apart. The anthropologist winced in pain as he examined the filaments in the tip of his braid and pulled away from Sebastian. The filaments were drooping as if exhausted by the whole affair and Norm took deep, shaken breaths.

"If Max wants someone to do that again, he can grow his own avatar and do it himself."

* * *

Almost an hour later, Norm was back in his human body again, having decided after the incident with Sebastian that he'd had enough for one day as an avatar. He and Katherine were in a small, sealed conference room with Max, Roy and Ramona. He kept rubbing the back of his head as if in remembered pain and Max frowned at him.

"So what happened?"

Norm gave him a dirty look. "He tried to pull my medulla oblongata out through the back of my skull, that's what happened. At least, that's what it felt like to me."

Max winced a little. "Sorry about that. Did you pick up on anything while you were linked?"

Norm nodded and massaged his temples. "Yeah, a need for a leash. That guy is seriously messed up."

"You said you sensed something behind all the wild instincts though," reminded Katherine hopefully.

"And trying to dig for it made him go crazy," answered Norm. "Look, if he's got higher thought functions in his mind it's going to take someone with more experience than I've got to tap into them. If you want to try this again, you might have to try and recruit one of the real Na'vi."

Max pressed his lips together and nodded, accepting the verdict stoically. "I don't think we'll have any luck convincing one of the People to link with a faulty 'dreamwalker'. Other than you and Jake, they only tolerate avatars for mutual benefits."

"Maybe we could ask Sully, then," suggested Dr. Jacobs. "He's one of them now and he trusts us, doesn't he?"

"Yeah, Jake's had plenty of experience with _tsahaylu_," said Norm a little grudgingly. "As the _TorukMakto_, he's probably be your best bet if you want to use that method to punch through all the crap in Sebastian's mind."

"I'm not familiar with that term," puzzled Roy.

"It means the guy tamed a leonopteryx," supplied Ramona, familiar with some Na'vi words and most discovered animal species of Pandora, "unless I've got _'makto' _mixed up with another word?"

"No, you got it right," Norm said. He smirked ruefully. "Jake's the only one in several generations to ride one of those things. That's how he rallied the clans and brought them together to kick most of the RDA off of Pandora."

Roy's gray-specked brows shot up. "He _rides_ one of those creatures? That, I didn't know. I'd like to hear more details about the Hell's Gate takeover."

"He doesn't ride it anymore," Norm explained. "He set it loose after the fight but he can call it back if he needs it."

"Save the history lesson for later," Max insisted. "Jake is going to need to know about all this mess anyway so I think it's a good idea to ask for his help when he come with our active duty avatars. They're due tomorrow."

"I'm looking forward to meeting this guy," Ramona said with a grin.

"He's mated," Norm reminded her. "That's the same as marriage, only a lot more sacred to these people."

She shrugged. "I just want to see what he looks like."

"Worry about that later," Max said. "I found a little more data from Collin's files and I think I know what might have stunted the avatar's growth. Dr. Collins set the time on his own cryogenic chamber to go off before arrival on Pandora. He planned to check on the avatar's growth and then set his capsule's time again so that he could wake up before the rest of the crew and finish the process.

"If Dr. Collins had waited for the incubation period to finish before he transferred Sebastian's consciousness into his avatar, I think it would have been full grown. Sebastian's original body probably wouldn't have survived the process anyhow and I think Collins started losing his nerve. He got scared he would get caught and it made him sloppy. The transference disrupted the incubation process and put the avatar in stasis. Sebastian went into a coma in his new body and his old one died."

"But why did he wake up after arriving here, then?" Katherine frowned. "Do you think it's just a coincidence?"

"My guess is the magnetic force on this moon has something to do with it," answered Max. "You might have noticed that avatars don't start having reflexive reactions until they're on Pandora. Arriving here must have triggered his brain and woken him up. It's lucky for him, too."

Katherine nodded. Yes, Sebastian came close to being killed a second time. Now the poor guy could be stuck in a feral state of mind for the rest of his life and even if he improved and got his memory back, he'd have to adjust to permanent residency in his avatar. She admitted to herself that a part of the reason she was so concerned about putting the avatar to sleep was because it reminded her of him.

"I guess this means we can only wait."

* * *

The next afternoon, Katherine contented herself with collecting fresh samples of plants from within the perimeters outdoors while she waited for the leaders of the Omaticaya to arrive. Some of the other members of the science staff showed her around outside the lab building and she got her first glimpse of the avatar housing and gardens. She wasn't surprised to see the three avatars from her original crew up and about, exercising their borrowed bodies and playing sports. Lee and Joyce waved at her when they saw her and she returned their wave with a smile. She had to admit, it did look like fun to run around in an enhanced, nine-foot tall body. Sometimes she envied them—particularly because they could go outdoors without requiring exopacks.

She moved through the garden, collecting small samples from each plant as she went. She took samples of the grass and the wild plants growing near the fence as well and when she was finished, she put the samples away and prepared to go back inside. She spotted Norm approaching as she left the cultivation yard. He evidently got over his scare with Sebastian yesterday, because he was in his avatar body. He appeared to be watching the skyline and Katherine turned and looked up with a frown. She didn't see anything but now she could hear the faint sound of rotary blades in the distance.

Katherine walked towards Norm as he approached and he nearly tripped over her, so intent on watching the sky that he didn't see her until the last minute. He stumbled and hastily righted the shades covering his eyes, mumbling a reflexive apology to her even though it was basically her fault they collided.

"Sorry Norm," Katherine apologized in return, a little embarrassed that she had come close to running face-first into his crotch. She really needed to pay more attention to where she was going when there were avatars or Na'vi around. Head-butting the males in the balls wasn't good diplomacy.

He looked down at her and grinned when he saw one of the sample containers in her hand. "Let me guess; you found something new and you were engrossed in it."

She nodded and glanced down at the sample. "It's one of the wild ones. I recognize it from Grace's catalogue but there weren't any samples of it stocked in the lab and I want to study it a little more."

Norm lifted his shades and bent over a little to examine the piece of leaf she had collected. "Bellicum pennatum," he identified. "The Na'vi call it '_eyaye'_."

"These are the ferns they use for adornments, right?" She queried, remembering what she had read about them in the catalog.

"Yeah. They're really common, so it's not a surprise you didn't have any preserved specimens in the botany lab. Who knows though, maybe you'll find a special use for them."

She nodded in agreement. "Are the avatar work teams on their way here?" She couldn't think of any other reason she would be hearing the aircraft approaching.

"That's right. We got word from Jake this morning that they were on their way. The Na'vi escorts are going to be landing here in the avatar compound so that their mounts don't get spooked by all the activity and noise in the hangar." He smirked. "You're going to see a Banshee for the first time. Just don't look them in the eye and try not to freak out."

"I don't 'freak out'," assured Katherine.

"There's a first time for everything."

The conversation was interrupted when a transmission came through the communication unit strapped around Norm's neck. The voice was masculine and the sound of the wind buffeting the transmission piece could be heard. "Norm, do you copy?"

Norm reached up and pressed the button on the front of the device. "Yeah, I copy you Jake."

"Our ETA is about five minutes," responded the other male. There was a pause before he spoke again. "Oh, and Ni'nat is with us."

Norm's face lit up for a second. "Oh. Well, the avatar bungalow is ready for your people. We'll see you on the ground, Jake."

The male voice on the other end sounded a little amused, to Katherine's ears. "See you soon."

* * *

Jake looked down at the compound as they flew overhead and he gave a nod to his mate. Taking the hint, Neytiri whooped to their fellow hunters and the four of them descended together, coming in for a landing in the grassy area where Norm and an unfamiliar human female waited. Jake murmured to his ikran as he landed between Neytiri and E'quath. The animal tucked his wings in and settled down as Jake dismounted and patted it. Beside him, Neytiri crooned sweetly to her new ikran and he took a moment to admire the sound. She was always so loving and gentle with her bonded mounts.

"Norm," greeted Jake with a smile. He reached out and placed a hand on the anthropologist's shoulder. "_Kaltxi_. Good to see you."

"_Kaltxi_, Jake. Good to see you too." Norm returned the gesture and though he might still harbor some jealousy over the People's acceptance of Jake, he returned the smile.

Jake swept his eyes over Norm and the human woman. She was an attractive female, with chestnut hair coiled into a professional bun on her head, hazel eyes and graceful curves. Jake wondered for a moment if the two of them had something going when the woman looked up at the banshees warily and edged behind Norm's towering form as if instinctively seeking protection.

"I thought you weren't going to freak out," Norm told the woman softly, putting a hand briefly on her small shoulder.

"I'm not," she defended softly, her eyes darting between the beast and their riders. "I'm just...respecting what they could do if I piss them off."

Jake warmed up to the newcomer a bit, finding her attitude somewhat reminiscent of Grace. "You're the new botanist?"

"Katherine Hart," she introduced, shooting a faintly annoyed look up at Norm for not doing the courtesy of introductions himself.

Jake almost laughed. Norm wasn't paying attention to any of them right now, except for Ni'nat. The female hunter was likewise gazing back at Norm and her expression softened a bit. So much for the theory that Norm was involved with Grace's protégé. He still had a crush on the Omaticaya's best singer and it seemed that she was at least curious about him.

Norm remembered his manners. "Katherine, this is Neytiri; daughter of Eytucan and Mo'at. She'll be the next _Tsahik_ of the Omaticaya clan." He placed his hand over his chest in greeting to Neytiri, smiling a little at her. She returned the gesture with warmth, reciprocating his smile of respect before acknowledging Katherine. She inclined her head politely and her lovely face returned to a neutral expression.

"This is E'quath," Norm introduced next, repeating the traditional gesture of greeting to the tall hunter beside Neytiri. "He's the most skillful tracker."

The stern-faced warrior responded to the greeting in kind and nodded at Katherine. Norm moved on to the last hunter, pausing as he met her eyes. Jake thought he saw his throat move as if swallowing before he spoke.

"And this is Ni'nat." Norm's voice softened a little when he spoke her name and his greeting was slightly more empathetic toward her. "She's...the best singer."

Ni'nat's shapely lips curved into subtle smile and she reciprocated his greeting before nodding to the human. A breeze stirred the waist-length mass of tight braids falling down her back, making the beads woven into her hair chime musically together.

Jake glanced sidelong at his mate and he noticed that Neytiri's lips were slightly pressed together. He guessed that she knew about Norm's attraction to Ni'nat as well and he wondered if she disapproved—until her gaze met his and her eyes smiled at him. He grinned and curved his tail toward hers, caressing it briefly.

"I'm looking forward to learning more about the People, their ways and the forest," Katherine said respectfully, addressing them all but looking up at Neytiri and Jake as she spoke. "Grace Augustine was an inspiration to me and I would like to carry on her work."

"Her place will not be easily filled," Neytiri announced in English, but she looked at the botanist with new respect in her amber gaze.

"I know," answered Katherine. "I only hope to keep her work alive."

* * *

They allowed their ikran to fly away and find a place to sleep for the night, but the flying beasts wouldn't go far from their bonded hunters and could easily be called back when needed. E'quath and Ni'nat stayed behind at the avatar compound while Jake and Neytiri went with Norm and Katherine to have council with Max and the rest of the science team. Katherine entered the lab building first, thoughtfully retrieving exopacks for the visiting Na'vi and Norm, so that they could breath the filtered atmosphere inside.

"Did Max talk to you about the situation here?" Norm asked softly as they made their way through the building together.

Jake's mood darkened a bit and he shared a grim look with Neytiri. "He said there was a faulty avatar brought in the last ISV and he told me we needed to talk about it, but that's as far as it went. What's going on?" He looked at the human woman walking ahead of them and kept his voice low as he spoke.

"Don't worry about her," Norm assured them with a nod Katherine's way. "She knows all about it and remember, Grace recommended her for this job."

With this reassurance, Neytiri chose to ask questions of her own in Na'vi. "Is this _uniltirantokx_ a threat, Normspellman?"

"We are not sure yet," answered Norm in the same language. "It moves without a dreamwalker guiding it."

Jake stopped walking and stared at him. "No driver?"

Norm and Neytiri stopped as well and the anthropologist gathered his thoughts before answering. "Something happened during the journey here," he spoke in English, due to the Na'vi language lacking some words necessary for the explanation. "The doctor responsible for creating the avatar linked its pilot to it before it was time for it to be 'born'."

"Why the hell would he do that?"

"So he wouldn't get caught," replied Norm. "We didn't know what happened until after Dr. Collins left, but Max cracked some of his research logs and found out he was trying to create an avatar that could tolerate the atmosphere of both this world and Earth's. He used several experimental gene splicing processes that—"

"Hold it," Jake interrupted. He pointed at himself with a thumb and smirked wryly. "_Skxawng _here, remember? Keep it simple or its just gibberish to me."

Norm made an exasperated sound in the back of his throat. "Just wait until we get to the conference room. Max can dumb it down better than I can."

Difficult to offend, Jake only grinned wider.

* * *

Having it explained to him in full by Max helped, but Jake was still mightily confused. Neytiri was likewise confused but the two of them understood the part about permanently transferring a human conscience into an avatar body.

"So this doctor managed to do the same thing for this avatar's driver that the Na'vi and Eywa did for me," reasoned Jake.

"In the simplest terms, yeah," Norm said.

"How did they do this, without Eywa's help?" demanded Neytiri doubtfully.

"Science," answered Max. "Just as they learned to clone Na'vi bodies as avatars. The difference here is that more advanced methods were used to enhance the avatar. Its mind was made to house a spirit indefinitely, but the tradeoff is the death of the original body."

Neytiri absorbed this and she looked into Jake's eyes with visible dread. "Like passing through the eye of Eywa. They could come and they could bring war to us again, in forms that are not so weakened by our land."

"No," Jake growled, his brows drawing down fiercely. He took her hands in his and held her gaze. "They have nowhere to land, now. The base is controlled by the _pxan pongu_—the worthy people...not the _Tawtute_."

He lowered his voice and said the next completely in Na'vi. "They have succeeded with only one dreamwalker body. Max says this dreamwalker is flawed and has the mind of a child or animal. Without Eywa's blessing, they will never succeed and we will turn all Sky People away from now on to be sure of that."

The anxiety began to fade from Neytiri's eyes. "I want to see it."

Jake gave her a tiny, brief smile and looked to the others. "Take us to it."

* * *

"You're kidding me," Jake muttered to Norm as he stared through the glass at the avatar. The being was studying a puzzle set before him by Katherine—which answered the question of why she hadn't attended the meeting. "That shrimp?"

"A lot of smaller shrimps came close to taking over this world," Norm reminded him. "We _told_ you his growth was stunted in the process but he still has the strength of a full-grown avatar and he's getting more cognitive every day."

Jake quietly berated himself, knowing from experience that it was a mistake to underestimate someone for a seeming handicap. The avatar in the room was still at least a head taller than the humans. "So what's the plan to figure out if this guy 'Sebastian' is really in there? If he can't talk you can't interrogate him about his involvement."

"We worked out a solution for that," Max interjected. "At least, we hope so."

"And what's the solution?" Jake kept staring through the glass, measuring the being interacting with Dr. Heart more carefully.

"Finding out what's on his mind," answered Dr. Jacobs.

Jake took his attention off the avatar and frowned at the graying scientist, on the verge of reminding him that the kid couldn't speak—at least, from what they'd told him.

"I established _Tsahaylu_ with him," Norm provided.

Jake felt his eyebrows shoot up as he looked at the anthropologist. "Hope you two are happy together," he said. He tried to keep a straight face but his lips twitched and he hastily cleared his throat to hide a laugh.

"Jakesully," Neytiri hissed in a remonstrative tone. She pinched him on the arm and he jumped a little. "You know better."

Jake rubbed the sore spot and his ears drooped, but he couldn't hide his smirk completely and his contrite expression was spoiled, he knew.

"Thank you," Norm said to Neytiri, rolling his eyes at Jake. "This is important, Jake. _Tsahaylu_ might be the only way to find out what's going on in there."

Jake took a breath and pushed his amusement down. "All right. What did you get from him?"

"Just primal feelings, mostly, but there was something behind all that and I couldn't reach it."

Before Jake could comment, Max cut in. "That's why we need you to try it, Jake."

Jake's smirk dropped entirely. "What?"

It was Norm's turn to smirk and he did so with succulence that was almost obnoxious. "You're the _TorukMakto._ You're the one the Omaticaya chose and you're the one most likely to make a strong enough connection to reach this guy. You've got a responsibility, _ole'eyktan_."

Jake pressed his lips together and he glanced at his mate. Neytiri was gazing at him expectantly and he clenched his jaw with the realization that he was outnumbered here. He wracked his brain for an argument and he was about to fall back on the excuse that they probably didn't want an ex jar-head doing such delicate work, but Neytiri apparently sensed that he was backpedaling and she demonstrated how quickly she could be angered.

She frowned at him and pulled her ears back flat, baring her teeth in a hiss. There was no teasing in that hiss—not this time. "Jake, you do it for the _People_," she demanded as she slapped his naked chest with her palms, none-to-gently. "You are being ignorant like a child again. You are _my_ mate, not the _uniltirantokx's._ _Tsahaylu _will not change that!"

Jake's ears pulled back flat against his head under the assault. Max was politely averting his face but he was covering his mouth with one hand and his shoulders shook suspiciously. Jake didn't have time to check on how much Norm and Dr. Jacobs were enjoying the scene, because his mate cupped his face in her hands and forced him to look at her. As quickly as her rage surfaced, it passed and Neytiri's voice was softly insistent when it spoke again.

"You know _Tsahaylu_ is not only for mates."

Jake felt like an asshole and as was typical of him, he started to laugh at himself. "If I don't then bonding with Last Shadow and my other companions was a big mistake."

Neytiri gave him one of those smiles that she reserved _only_ for him. "_Skxawng._ You will do it?"

Jake sighed but his smile didn't fade. "I guess if I say 'no' you'll kick me to the couch."

Neytiri's expression altered into confusion. "Kick you? To...de cowsh?"

Jake cleared his throat. There were still a lot of human terms and euphemisms to teach her. "I'll explain it later."

"So you'll try it?" pressed Max.

Jake placed a hand on Neytiri's right arm and nodded. He looked through the glass at the avatar and he took a steadying breath. "Let's do it."

* * *

-To be continued


	3. Chapter 3

"Between worlds"

Chapter 3

_**Warning: Graphic smut**_

* * *

*Disclaimer: I do not own Pandora and I make no profit from writing fanfiction based on the "Avatar" film.

* * *

Jake approached the subject of his reluctant bonding slowly and he gave him a smile when the avatar looked up at him. Norm followed him in and Sebastian seemed to be comforted by his and Kathleen's presence.

"Hey," Jake greeted, seating himself gingerly on the side of the bed. "I hear you've been having a rough time."

Sebastian stared at him and his ears flicked forward and back. Katherine took the puzzle away and stroked Sebastian's hair, murmuring softly to him. Jake watched the way Sebastian's eyes swept over Katherine's form and he resisted the urge to smirk. Under-grown or not, the guy's hormones seemed to be working fine. He reached for his queue and Sebastian immediately started to get up, wanting nothing to do with it.

"Damn Norm, what did you do to him?" Jake muttered as Katherine grabbed Sebastian's arm and pleaded with him to be still. Norm came around on the other side to help the botanist and he shook his head with a grimace.

"He just went crazy when I linked to him. I didn't try to do anything except find out what was going on in his mind."

"Sebastian, it's okay," Katherine soothed, half-embracing him in her efforts to keep him on the bed. "You need to let us help you."

Jake studied the avatar with a frown and he came to a decision. "He's not going to hold still for this. I hate to do it but..."

There was no help for it. Norm was doing a decent job of holding him down but Sebastian's panic was only growing worse. For lack of better options, Jake grabbed the end of Sebastian's queue and brought it to his own. The tendrils quickly entwined and Jake suffered a moment of severe disorientation as the other male's emotions and thoughts surged through him. It was utter chaos and Jake hissed instinctively as he fought against the foreign emotions.

He couldn't do anything while the other male was in this state of mind. Jake gathered his strength and looked into Sebastian's eyes, setting his jaw. He deliberately sent his thoughts through the link and he wasn't gentle about it.

"Be still!" Jake roared.

Sebastian was stunned by the command, shocked to stillness as Jake's thoughts overpowered him. His struggles ceased and he lay there panting, staring at Jake in dazed confusion.

"That's it," Jake said in a gentler voice. "You're all right. Just take it easy."

Norm and Katherine eased their hold on Sebastian and watched silently, both of them ready to grab him again if he started to struggle. Katherine combed her fingers through Sebastian's hair and looked between him and Jake with inquisitive interest.

Jake phased out everyone else in the room and focused his concentration on the male he was linked with. His features tensed with effort as he tried to sort through the tangle of feral emotions coming from Sebastian.

"Easy," Jake said when the smaller male tried to recoil again.

He sent another wave of comforting feelings through the link and Sebastian's eyes grew heavy lidded as they washed over him like a drug. Jake pushed through the baser emotions, armoring himself against them to avoid getting overpowered. He got a sense of human feelings as he navigated through the mess and he focused on them, drawing closer.

"I think I've found him," Jake said aloud, narrowing his eyes with concentration. He felt Neytiri's presence approach him from behind and one of her hands settled on his shoulder and stroked it. Jake grimaced as the human awareness he'd found tried to retreat.

"Hey, come back here," muttered Jake, mentally netting it and drawing it closer. He sensed confusion and wariness.

_~Sebastian Thomas,~_ Jake thought, calling out to the presence. There was hesitation and he felt encouraged. _~That's right. You can do this.~_

_~Where am I?~_

Jake paused, a bit surprised by the coherency of the thought. _~You're at Hell's Gate on Pandora. Can you remember anything?~_

There was some hesitation before the presence answered.

~I remember boarding the ISV and getting into my cryogenic chamber. I remember Dr. Collins waking me up and telling me we needed to run some tests with my avatar. After I got into the link capsule everything went blank.~

Jake sighed. _~Did Dr. Collins tell you why he wanted to run tests?~_

_~He said he needed to check motor control, because he was worried the avatar wasn't growing right. Hey, who are you?~_

_~I'm a friend,~_ Jake assured him. _~Corporal Jake Sully. I'm not in the Marines anymore, though. Look, there's been an accident and I need you to tell me everything you can remember about what you were told to do on Pandora and any information about your avatar that might be significant.~_

_~What kind of accident?~_

In hindsight, Jake realized he shouldn't have said anything about the accident until after he got the information he needed. There was no help for it now and he sent soothing vibes through the link, doing his best to keep Sebastian calm.

~There was a problem with your avatar. We're trying to help you but we need to know any information you can give us about the creation of your avatar and what you were supposed to do when you got here. Can you do that?~

More confusion came through the link.

~I...don't know much about the avatar creation process. They took DNA samples from me for the embryo and that's about as much as I was involved in it. I'm trained in diplomacy and I was supposed to work on Na'vi and Human relations and learn about the natives.~

_~You didn't have any special combat or intelligence training?~_ Jake persisted.

~Nothing extensive. I guess I'm pretty average when it comes to skills and I got lucky when I applied for the program.~

Jake frowned, wondering why they would pick a diplomat for an experimental avatar project. If they were after an advantage over the Na'vi then logic should have dictated they would choose someone with special training. Maybe their only goal was to see if they could pull off the permanent transfer and Sebastian was just "lucky" enough to draw the shortest straw.

_~They didn't talk to you about anything different they were doing to your avatar?~_

_~No, it was just a normal avatar...wasn't it?~_

_~Not exactly. This might be hard to hear but when Dr. Collins linked you to your avatar, he made it permanent. He didn't just set up a normal link; he transferred your consciousness directly into the avatar. Your original body died in the process and you're in the med lab now. I need you to come out of it. The scientists here can explain things better to you and they can help you, if you'll let them.~_

_~I'm dead? Is that why I haven't been able to wake up?~_

_~No, you're not dead. You're in your avatar body but your mind has been...trapped, I guess.~_

Sebastian hesitated.

_~How did this happen?~_

_~I'm not sure,~_ Jake answered truthfully, _~But the people here are working to find out.~_

_~How do I wake up? I don't know what to do.~_

~I'm going to help you. You and I are linked through a Na'vi bond right now. I'm going to try to help you punch through all of these baser thoughts that are clogging up the works but you've got to do your part, too. It might take more than one try but I promise you, I'll keep doing it until you're fully awake.~

_~Okay.~_ Sebastian's consciousness paused and a throb of curiosity came through the link. _~Hey Jake, why are you helping me out? What does a marine have to do with the Avatar program and how are you linking to me like this?~_

Jake wasn't prepared for the questions and he struggled to think of how to explain things. He laughed a little in his thoughts before answering. _~It's kind of a long story. If you want to know the truth, I didn't make this link just to help you at first. We needed to know if you had special orders and if you knew what Dr. Collins planned when he transferred your consciousness. I can tell you more later. Right now, we've got to try to get you out of here.~_

The response seemed to satisfy Sebastian. _~All right. Tell me what to do.~_

Jake hesitated, wondering how to explain something he wasn't sure about himself. He had an idea that he could guide the other man's consciousness forward but it was hard to give a visual on what they were about to do.

~Just follow me. We're going to push past all of this other junk so you can start feeling more like yourself again.~

* * *

Neytiri watched her mate's face undergo a series of expressions as he silently communicated with Sebastian. His amber eyes were blank and dilated and his upper lip curled into a snarl of effort. Perspiration began to bead his handsome face and Neytiri whispered encouragement to him, hoping she hadn't put him in danger by insisting on this course of action. The only reason she had pushed him to do this was because she knew how strong his heart and mind were. Every time they shared _Tsahaylu_, the ecstasy she experienced was immediate and overpowering.

The others watched quietly, sharing her tension as they waited for a sign that Jake's efforts were doing some good. The minutes ticked by and Jake growled low in his throat. Neytiri rubbed his shoulders and laid her cheek against his back, doing her best to add her strength to his.

"Come on," Jake said breathlessly, apparently speaking to Sebastian. "That's it. Keep it up."

Sebastian's lips parted and a grunt escaped his mouth. Katherine placed a hand over one of his and gazed at him hopefully. He blinked and his eyes darted from one person to the next, the pupils shrinking back to normal size. Jake pulled away and released his queue, putting his head in his hands as if it pained him. He panted softly and raised his head again, nodding at Norm.

"That's all I can do right now," Jake said. "It's not finished but I'm too worn out to keep going."

Katherine looked from Jake to Sebastian and when the latter's eyes met hers, she spoke to him. "Sebastian? Can you understand me?"

Sebastian nodded slowly, his gaze sweeping over her and then going to Norm and Max. He opened his mouth as if to speak but nothing came out. He frowned and worked his lips, appearing to struggle.

"You can't speak?" Max guessed.

Sebastian pressed his lips together and shook his head, frowning in frustration.

"Give it some time," Jake suggested as he laid a hand over one of Neytiri's on his shoulder. "We're only about halfway there. I'll come back again in a few days and we'll try it again. We'll keep doing it for as long as we need to."

Sebastian looked at him with a grateful expression on his face and his mouth worked again. Guessing that he was trying to thank him, Jake smiled and shook his head.

"Don't worry about it. I'd hate to be in your situation and I'm not about to just leave you stuck like that." Jake smirked. "Besides, my mate is who you should be thanking. I wasn't going to link with you until she bullied me into it." He winked over his shoulder at Neytiri, who was trying hard not to smile.

Sebastian looked down at his hands and he raised one of them before his eyes, turning it and flexing the fingers.

"Do you want a mirror?" offered Katherine.

He lowered his gaze in consideration before nodding. Max obligingly went to the supply cabinet and searched through it. He found a small mirror in the personal hygiene kit stored there for patient use and he brought it to Sebastian.

"Here you go. Don't be too surprised by the similarity between your avatar's face and your human one. It's normal."

Sebastian nodded and held the mirror up to look at his reflection. He reached up and touched his face, tracing the pattern of darker stripes marking his cyan skin. He ran his fingers over his cheekbones and nose, looking conflicted between amazement and fear.

"It's going to take some getting used to," Norm advised, "but you'll adjust eventually. You're stronger than you used to be and you can go outside without an exopack."

Sebastian frowned and lowered the mirror. He looked up at Norm and tried to speak. He made a frustrated little growl when nothing came out.

"Here," Katherine said, digging a small note pad and a pen out of her lab coat pocket. "See if you can write it down."

He took the objects from her and fumbled a bit with the pen, unused to the size of his Na'vi hands. He scrawled a message down awkwardly and showed it to her. She frowned in concentration as she examined his handwriting and she read the note aloud.

"Where is my human body?"

Norm and Max exchanged a grim look before Max answered the question. "I'm sorry, Sebastian. We've already cremated your old body. There was nothing we could do to revive it."

Sebastian shut his eyes and nodded.

* * *

They left Sebastian alone with Katherine and returned to the conference room to talk about the situation in private.

"So Jake, did you find anything while you were linked to him?" Norm asked.

Jake shook his head. "Nah, he only joined the program to work on relations with the Na'vi. The poor bastard had no idea they were going to do this to him."

"Are you sure about that?" Max asked. "He could have been lying to you."

"Trust me," answered Jake. "His confusion was real. He's just a guy that got caught up in something he didn't know about. They did this to him without his consent."

"I didn't think he was the kind of young man who would plot sabotage," Roy said with a nod of satisfaction.

"Then he can be trusted?" Neytiri inquired warily.

Jake took one of her hands in his and nodded, looking into her eyes. "Yes. All he wanted to do was help. We can trust him, like the others."

She cast a glance at Dr. Jacobs and then spoke to Jake in Na'vi. "These others? Can they be trusted?"

Jake considered the question. He didn't get any bad feelings from the new people and he trusted the people who had chosen them to stay. Still, some reassurance would be nice. He looked at Norm and spoke in Na'vi, guessing that Dr. Jacobs and Dr. Adams weren't fluent in the native tongue.

"You trust these new people?"

Norm nodded without hesitation and Jake looked at his mate again. "What do you think?"

She looked from Ramona to Roy slowly, measuring them with her eyes. "I trust your judgment, my Jake. If you and Normspellman believe they are worthy, then they may venture out of these walls like the others."

Jake nodded and turned to address the two new scientists. "Your restrictions will be lifted, until you give us a reason not to trust you. Respect the forest and don't take more than what you need and we'll get along fine."

His expression became stern as he continued. "You'll end up on the business end of an arrow if you cross the line. It's nothing personal, understand?"

Dr. Jacobs swallowed and both he and Ramona nodded. "You make your point very clearly."

* * *

They chose to accept the hospitality offered to them and stay the night in the avatar bunker, rather than risk traveling at night. E'quath and Ni'nat were both outside gathering fruits and vegetables to have for dinner when Jake and Neytiri chose one of the bunks inside to sleep in. Taking advantage of the temporary privacy, Neytiri rested one thigh across her mate's and brushed her lips against the ear closest to her. It twitched and she smiled when she felt goosebumps rise on his skin.

"Ni'nat is ready for a mate," she murmured. She ran her fingers through the small braids falling over his shoulder and she pressed a kiss against his chest.

Jake looked at her with a faintly confused expression on his face, one strong hand settling on her hip with possessive familiarity. "That was kind of random. I'm more interested in you, right now." He demonstrated his point by caressing her smooth skin with his fingertips and glancing at her small, firm breasts, barely concealed beneath her ornamental necklace.

Neytiri's body reacted to his touch and glance, her nipples tightening as a sweet ache grew in her loins. She smiled at him again, remembering a human word he had taught her. Her Jake was very "sexy" and Neytiri knew other females shared her opinion and envied her, despite his five fingers and heavier build.

"When she decides which ones she is interested in, it will be our duty to choose a male for her," Neytiri reminded him.

Jake's hand slowly moved up and down her thigh in a sensual glide. "Has she shown interest in any yet?" He turned his head and moved it closer to hers to caress her throat with his lips.

"She has shown signs of interest in one. He is not one of the Omaticaya though."

Jake pretended not to know whom she was talking about. "A male from another clan, then?"

"You know what male I am speaking of," Neytiri insisted, her tail swishing. "Stop playing."

Jake chuckled and he suddenly put an arm around her and rolled, pinning her beneath him. She put up a half-hearted struggle and nipped at his chest with her teeth as he gazed down at her.

"_This_ is playing," Jake informed her as he hampered her limbs with his own.

He lowered his mouth to her chest and pushed her necklace aside with his nose. Neytiri purred as his lips closed around her right nipple and tugged on it, sending tingling pleasure through her body. She could feel him hardening against her through the scant covering of his loincloth. The desire to mate with him grew stronger as his warm, moist tongue stroked her taut nipple.

"Jake," Neytiri said breathlessly, "I am trying to decide something!"

"Then let me make it easier for you," He murmured against her skin. He began to fondle her other breast with one hand as he resumed suckling her nipple.

"Th-that is not what I am trying to decide," she told him, even as her back arched and her body pleaded for more. "I think you should speak to Normspellman."

Jake stopped and raised his head from her breast to look at her. "What do you want me to say? I've noticed the way he looks at her too but I don't want to give him false hope."

"He is the only male she has shown any interest in," she replied, pushing down her urge to demand that Jake continue what he was doing. "Na'vi females become aggressive when our bodies' needs go unanswered, my Jake."

He smiled at that and rubbed his stiffened desire against her thigh. "Yeah, I figured that out after I came back from speaking with the horse clans last week."

"Jake, do not tease," Neytiri warned with a growl. She was on the verge of ripping his loincloth off and grabbing his erection to demand satisfaction.

He laughed. "But it always gets such good results." He lowered his head and brought his mouth to hers, brushing his tongue over her lips enticingly.

"You must...convince Normspellman to...complete his hunter trials," she gasped, undulating against him restlessly. "Jake...ahh, Jake!"

His mouth covered hers and he kissed her deeply, making the powerful carnal urges even stronger. His tongue thrust against hers and a low, masculine purr of arousal resonated in his throat. He broke the kiss after a few moments and pulled back, breathing heavily as he gazed down at her.

"You want him to become one of the People?" He smiled at her and she sensed the relief in it.

Neytiri nodded. "He must, if he and Ni'nat are destined to be mates."

He tilted his head in consideration and the feathers woven into his braids tickled her skin as some of the tresses brushed against her chest. "Mo'at would need to help him pass through the eye of Eywa. Living two lives would make it hard for him to be a good mate for her."

"Yes," agreed Neytiri. "We have time. I do not think I'm wrong but we can observe Ni'nat for a while longer to be certain of this."

Jake again gave her one of those smiles that made her heart leap in her chest. "I've been waiting a long time to hear you say he's ready, Neytiri. Becoming Omaticaya is all he's dreamed of since he came here."

She returned his smile. She liked Norm, as did most of her people. He had fought at their sides fearlessly to save them, though he was not a warrior by nature. He had shed blood for them and though his human body didn't suffer the wounds, it felt them as if it had taken the bullets also. He expressed a love for their world and way of life that nobody could deny. Of all the humans in the colony, Normspellman was the most worthy to join the clan.

"Then you will teach him to be a hunter?"

Jake nodded. "Absolutely."

Satisfied with his answer and growing increasingly restless with the need to mate, she decided it was time to inform Jake of the other subject on her mind. "Jake, it is time."

His ignorance was obvious as he blinked down at her. "Time for what?"

Neytiri smiled and took one of his hands, guiding it down to her stomach just beneath the navel. "Time for you to sire a baby. My body is ready for it. Your seed will grow within me, if we use this time to mate enough."

He stared blankly for a moment before a smile slowly grew on his lips. He suddenly rolled off of her and stood up beside the bunk, offering her a hand. "Then we'd better get started. The others will be coming back soon and if we want this done right, we need privacy."

Neytiri eagerly took his hand and allowed him to help her up. Their mouths sought each other's out in a passionate kiss and he wrapped his arms around her and lifted her a bit. Neytiri whimpered into his mouth, desperately wanting him.

"Let's go," Jake said breathlessly when their lips finally parted.

She nodded and took his hand. Together, they bounded out the door and sprinted through the grass. They spotted E'quath heading toward the building they had just exited and Neytiri raised a hand to him. He raised a hand back and a brief smile flitted over his lips as he guessed why they were in such a hurry.

Jake stopped and called out for his ikran and Neytiri did the same. The couple's tails entwined as they stood together and waited for their mounts to come to their call.

* * *

Norm squatted down beside the fruit tree and pierced the base of it with the scanner's needle. He really didn't have to take more scans of the cultivated native plants in the compound but this gave him an excuse to be near the avatar bunkers. If he was lucky, he might catch a glimpse of Ni'nat before bedtime. He kept glancing sidelong at the open entrance to the bunkers and he wondered if she was already asleep in there. He reached up with one hand and adjusted the exopack mask over his face, wishing he had thought to come out here before ending his link to his avatar body.

"What is that you are doing, Normspellman?"

Norm practically threw the scanner up in the air, he was so startled by the unexpected Na'vi voice behind him. He twisted around and looked up at the beautiful female, swallowing to work some moisture into his mouth. Ni'nat moved very quickly and silently. If he were prey he knew he'd be dead now.

"I'm just scanning the internal core," he tried to explain. "It uh...helps us understand the plants."

She squatted smoothly beside him, her queue and long hair swaying with the motion. She looked at the device he was holding with curious golden eyes. "You need this to understand the trees?" Her lips quirked with amusement.

"Well, to understand how they work," he answered. His heart was hammering against his ribcage and he had to struggle not to stare at her alien, stunning features.

The iridescent pattern of spots on her face and neck seemed to glow a little brighter as she looked at him. "You are strange." She smiled, flashing white teeth and sharp canines. "I could teach you to understand the trees, much better than that thing can."

Norm glanced down at the device and he felt extremely self-conscious as she leaned in closer to him to look at the screen. He again wished he had stayed in his avatar body, feeling small, inferior and utterly unworthy as her breath stirred the hair at the nape of his neck.

"I would like to learn," he responded in Na'vi. Her face was close and her lips were parted. He had never been good with women but if Ni'nat were human, he might have tried to close the distance for a kiss.

"You should visit Hometree," she offered, tilting her head. "I would take you into the forest and teach you."

Norm hadn't visited the new Hometree yet and her offer made excitement course through him. "That would make me happy."

She smiled at him again and rose to her feet. He followed her and stood uncomfortably, all too aware that his head only reached her navel.

"It is time for me to rest," Ni'nat said softly. "You should rest too."

He scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, probably. Good night, Ni'nat." He gave her a respectful nod.

"Sleep well, Normspellman." She held his gaze for a moment longer before turning away and walking toward the bunkers.

Norm watched her go and he admired the sway of her hips and the swish of her tail, amongst other things. The roundness of her near-naked bottom trapped his gaze and he was horrified to feel a boner forming in his trousers.

"What the hell am I thinking?" Norm muttered under his breath, but he couldn't stop staring as she moved with lazy grace, slowly increasing the distance between them. He felt his face go hot when she glanced over her shoulder at him and if he didn't know any better, he would have sworn she was deliberately giving him a display. He was surprised that the clear visor on his mask wasn't fogging up and he hastily made his way toward the lab building, hoping that Ni'nat hadn't noticed the way his pants were tented at the crotch.

* * *

They chose a spot in the forest just outside the gates of the compound, so that they could return quickly if anything tried to attack them. They removed their weapon harnesses and let their ikrans fly away after they dismounted. Neytiri came into Jake's arms as soon as their harnesses touched the forest floor. His fingers combed through her hair, which she was wearing loose around her shoulders. His mouth was hot and insistent against hers as he kissed her and his swollen arousal pressed against her pelvis. Neytiri rubbed against him enticingly and sucked on his tongue, enjoying the way it thrust and curled inside of her mouth. She reached up and tangled her fingers into his braids, brushing her palms against the stubble of growth on either side of his mohawk.

"Will you let it grow out again, Jake?" She queried, breaking the kiss.

"Do you want me to?"

She nodded. Many of the males in the clan wore their hair this way but she missed Jake's full head of hair and he'd only shaved the sides for symbolism, when they went to war against the Sky People. She let the braids sift through her fingers before dropping her hands to his chest. She ran her palms over the surface, feeling hard muscle beneath smooth skin. Jake's lips caressed her neck and his hands moved down her back with slow sensuality. He curved his fingers and brushed the back of them against her skin, steadily sliding them down over her buttocks. He kissed his way to her mouth again and plundered her lips, groaning deeply.

Neytiri slipped her hands lower, quickly losing patience as her body demanded that she satisfy the call of nature. She moved her hands around behind when they reached his hips and she gripped the base of his tail. It flexed in her hand as she stroked it suggestively and Jake thrust his arousal against her in response, breaking the kiss to growl her name. He cupped her bottom and lifted her, carrying her toward the base of a huge tautral tree. Neytiri wrapped her legs around his waist and embraced him around the neck, returning his kisses with growing fervency.

Neytiri gasped in delight when he pressed her against the trunk of the tree and ground his straining erection against her between their loincloths. She grasped hold of his queue with one hand, while reaching behind to take hold of her own with the other. He rocked steadily against her and held her up as she put the ends of their braids together and established _tsahaylu_. Sensations flooded both of them as the connection was made and Neytiri tossed her head back and cried out, her female core reacting to the ecstasy of feeling his strength and emotions flowing into her.

"Jake," she panted, pressing her forehead against his and shutting her eyes. "My Jake..._oe neu nga!_"

"You'll have me," he promised huskily.

He supported her bottom with one hand while lifting her necklace off with the other. He dropped the article on the ground before cupping her breasts one at a time and fondling them. The caress of his hand on her nipples made her climax harder and she hissed, wriggling her hips as the throbbing, rhythmic pleasure consumed her. When she opened her eyes again, he was smiling in satisfaction.

"You're going to have a lot more of those before the night's over, if I can help it," he announced. He sucked in a sharp breath and trembled a bit in response to feeling her orgasm himself.

Neytiri was more than ready for him. She reached down to unfasten his loincloth, her fingers moving with quiet desperation. Jake continued to massage her breasts and kiss her throat as she worked to rid him of the skimpy clothing article. She gave a frustrated growl when the ties wouldn't come loose and in her lust, she simply snapped them open. Jake murmured in surprise but he was too distracted by his own lust and pleasure to protest more than that.

The loincloth fell to the ground and Neytiri caressed her mate's flexing bottom, loving the feel of the muscles moving beneath her hand. His hand stopped fondling her breasts and slid down to burrow under her loincloth. Neytiri was wet with need when his fingers pressed against her entrance and Jake growled with sexual aggression in response to her body's willingness. He stroked her with the pads of his fingers before easing two of them inside. Neytiri whimpered and angled her pelvis as best she could in her position. The invading fingers thrust back and forth in a steady rhythm within her and Jake's teeth gently nipped at her throat, his breath hot against her skin.

Neytiri clenched her teeth on a moan as a second orgasm approached. She crossed her ankles at the small of his back and dug her nails into his bottom, panting his name. Jake groaned into her hair as she peaked again and clenched rhythmically around his pumping fingers. He kissed her hard, his chest moving rapidly with his breath. She could feel his naked erection throb against her thigh and he grunted and panted shallowly.

"Too much more of that and I'm going to have a misfire," Jake groaned when her spasms eased up.

He pulled his head away to look at her and his fingers retreated from inside of her. He brought them to his lips and licked at them, tasting her with obvious enthusiasm. Neytiri was just catching her breath when he claimed her lips again. She could taste herself on his tongue and she felt his delight pulse through their link. Neytiri's lust flared again and she growled into his mouth and grabbed the base of his tail.

"Now Jake," she demanded, licking and nipping at his lips. She tugged on his tail aggressively and brought her other hand around to grasp his thick, stiffened shaft. "Now!"

Jake tugged clumsily at her loincloth, his eagerness hampering his coordination. Having no more patience to wait, Neytiri let go of his tail and brought her hand around to pull her loincloth aside and expose herself. Jake forgot about trying to remove the garment and he pushed forward with her urgings. Neytiri guided the head of his sex to her moist entrance and she gasped as it penetrated.

"Damn, that feels good," Jake groaned as he sank deeply into her. "Neytiri, you're going to kill me."

She laughed breathlessly and squeezed his tail again, scratching the underside of it. Jake's lips parted on a groan and he shuddered against her as she stimulated the erogenous spot. He began to pump with sharp, desperate motions, grunting with effort. She felt his wild pleasure through the link and she kept scratching the spot, moaning his name louder and louder as his hardness moved forward and back inside of her. All Na'vi males had the sensitive place on the underside of their tails and Na'vi females were quick to share the information with each other. Neytiri hadn't really believed that stimulating it would drive a male crazy as she'd been told, until she began experimenting on her mate.

"Aahh, shit," Jake growled, bucking harder into her. He began to growl steadily and his body trembled all over as her tight heat milked him and her hands teased him. "N-Neytiri...oh Eywa..._nìtam_!"

"No," she refused in an unsteady growl, "It is _not _enough, Jake."

The pleasure was so intense she thought she might black out from it soon. She looked at his handsome, strained features and watched his lips pull back from his clenched teeth. He hissed and snarled, his breath shuddering between his teeth as her attentions drove him to the breaking point. He was taking her so hard now that pain was mingling with the pleasure, but it only made her enjoy it more. She ran her tongue over his snarling lips and scratched his tail more rapidly. Jake's ragged cries probably attracted the attention of forest creatures for miles and Neytiri imagined people at the fort could probably hear them too. She didn't care. Few animals dared to come close to the walls of the human colony because they were wary of the scent and buildings. She and Jake were unlikely to be attacked.

Jake buried his face against her neck and hair as his climax approached. With a powerful shove, he drove his tightening flesh deep inside of her and held it there. His hoarse groans filled her ears as he bucked inside of her and filled her with the warmth of his seed. The feel of it and the sensation of his pleasure made her body follow him into orgasm. He moaned loudly in response to feeling both climaxes simultaneously.

Neytiri finally stopped playing with his tail and she cupped his face as he pulled his head off her shoulder. She kissed his gasping mouth tenderly, sated for the time being. He returned her kiss and rocked his pelvis from side to side, shifting his softening member inside of her in a way that was soothingly pleasurable. She loved the feel of it and she quickly began to feel restless again. She remained gentle with him, stroking his hair and kissing him lightly as he recovered.

When his heart was pounding at a less frantic rhythm beneath her palm and his breathing was even and steady, Neytiri chose to initiate further mating. She sent her desire through the link they shared and she caressed his bottom with her fingertips. Jake's breath caught and he grinned at her, his softened organ firming up inside of her.

"More already?" He purred.

"More," she agreed, smiling back at him. "I hunger for you, Jake."

He laughed breathlessly. "You're not going to be able to ride in the morning."

"Then you will just have to carry me on your ikran."

She slipped her fingers beneath his tail and began to slowly stroke the area back and forth. His eyes fluttered shut and he murmured her name, hardening completely within her. He adjusted his hold on her and pulled away from the tree, carrying her a couple of feet before sinking down on the grass. A cluster of great Torukspxam mushrooms glowed serenely nearby, casting the mated pair in soft luminescence. Jake eased her onto her back and he began to thrust, slowly and gently. Neytiri allowed it for a while, enjoying his weight on top of her. When she grew restless, she bunched her muscles and rolled, getting him onto his back before he could react to the swift move.

Jake stared up at her with heavy-lidded eyes and placed his hands on her hips, not fighting her. She began to rock with sinuous motions, taking him in and out of her body as she braced her hands on his chest for balance. Her tail swayed in the air and her breath came harder and faster. Jake's hands slid up from her hips, caressing her sides and stomach before cupping her breasts. She sighed and licked her lips as his thumbs brushed back and forth over her nipples, making them tighten. His eyes drifted shut again and he tilted his head back, groaning her name.

She undulated steadily on him for several minutes before her pleasure reached another crescendo. Jake gasped when she came and the pulsing heat around him made him follow suit. Neytiri lowered her upper body onto his and rested on his chest as they enjoyed the afterglow. Her body continued to insist on more and they mated five more times before they were too exhausted to do it again. Neytiri's loincloth ended up somewhere in the bushes and Jake's still lay broken on the ground. They fell asleep on the forest floor, naked and entwined together.

* * *

"Shit, I'm going to end up giving everyone an eye-full," Jake muttered the next morning as he tried to tie the broken straps of his loincloth.

"I cannot find mine," Neytiri announced after putting her necklace on. She looked around with wide eyes, trying to remember which direction Jake tossed it after they mated the third time. Jake looked up from his task and his eyes dropped to her naked parts immediately.

"Um." He swelled quickly underneath his loincloth and the bit of strap he was holding between his fingers pulled away because of the material pushing outwards. His garment fluttered to the ground and he swore softly and bent to retrieve it. "I think I threw it near that _Awail_ plant over there."

Neytiri gave his nude erection a blatantly admiring look that made him harden even further. "Hey, don't do that," Jake chastised, grinning crookedly at her. "We'll never make it back to Hometree if I get my hands on you again."

She chuckled and turned away as he covered himself again and resumed trying to fasten the loincloth. She finally located her own garment and she put it on before going to her mate and helping him secure his.

"This should hold for long enough," she said in satisfaction when they got the straps knotted together. She looked up at him through lowered lashes and smiled. "I am sorry for breaking it, Jake."

He gave her a swift kiss. "Don't be. Knowing you wanted me bad enough to tear it off like that makes me feel pretty good."

* * *

"Looks like you're all set to go." Norm walked with Jake toward the waiting Na'vi and their ikrans.

Jake nodded. "Yeah, and you're coming with us."

Norm stopped in his tracks and stared at him. "What?"

"You spend more time in your avatar body than you do in your human one," Jake said, gazing at him levelly. "It's time for you to finish the tests and become one of the People."

Norm looked down the length of his body and he caught hold of his trailing braid absently. "Are you serious, Jake?"

Jake smirked. "I wouldn't have said it if I weren't. You're past due for it. If there's anything you want to bring with, you'd better grab it now before we leave."

Norm stared at him suspiciously and Jake laughed and clapped him on the back. "Move it, Norm. We can't wait all day. I mean, unless you don't _want_ to join the clan..."

Norm was off and running before Jake could finish the sentence. "Be right back," he shouted over his shoulder.

* * *

"So you're going with them, Normy?" Ramona asked as she and Katherine walked with him to the avatar compound.

He adjusted his backpack and nodded. "I'm bringing my transmitter with me, so you guys can contact me if you need anything when I'm linked to my avatar."

"It's going to be weird," Ramona said. "You're literally going to be in two places at once."

He smirked a little. "Never thought of it that way." He glanced at Katherine. "How is Sebastian doing?"

"Not bad, under the circumstances," she answered. "He's been assigned his own sleeping quarters and I'm going to show him around the rest of the colony later today."

"Good. I'll still help out with him when I can."

"Oh wow, so those are what ikrans look like in the flesh," Ramona said as they approached the yard outside the avatar bunker. Jake and the others were waiting by the beasts, speaking softly to each other. "What I wouldn't give for a blood sample."

"You better not suggest that," Norm warned seriously. "I know you've got good intentions but the Na'vi wouldn't be keen on you poking their bonded mounts."

Ramona shrugged and sighed. "Don't worry, I know when to keep my mouth shut."

She belied that comment a moment later as her gaze swept over Jake and E'quath. "Hmm, those loincloths sure don't hide much." Her eyes fixated on Jake and she openly admired him. "Damn, he's hot."

Katherine elbowed her and Ramona grunted and rubbed her side. "What? I can't look?"

"Just don't let his mate see you eye-humping him," cautioned Katherine. "I understand Na'vi women can be aggressively possessive of their mates."

Ramona looked up at Norm for confirmation and he nodded. "Neytiri isn't someone you want to mess with and she's definitely territorial when it comes to Jake."

"Oh well," Ramona said lightly. "I guess I'd better not get any closer then because I don't know if I can stop staring at him. Now bend over so I can hug you without face-planting in your crotch, Norm."

He snorted and obeyed, shaking his head at her antics. "It's not like my human body isn't staying here," he reminded her as she squeezed him tightly and he patted her back.

"I know, but I'll miss your cute avatar butt." She grinned up at him as he straightened and when he continued walking, she couldn't resist.

Norm felt a small hand pat him on the right butt-cheek and he whirled to stare at the outrageous zoologist with wide yellow eyes. "You've _really_ got to get a boyfriend, Ramona."

She had the grace to look a little contrite. "Sorry Norm. It was literally right there in my face. It's nothing personal."

Katherine linked her arm in Ramona's and began to drag her away. "Come on, Peppy Le Pew. No man is safe around you. Bye Norm, have a safe journey."

Norm shook his head again and kept walking. Jake spotted him coming and he waved in greeting. Norm picked up the pace a little, his excitement mounting at the thought of what lay ahead. His eyes went to Ni'nat's graceful form and he quickly pulled his shades down over his eyes, hoping to mask the infatuation in his eyes.

"All set?" Jake questioned as Norm approached.

Norm nodded. "I've got everything I need for at least a month."

"Good. Let's get going, then." Jake nimbly pulled himself onto his ikran's back and the others did the same. Norm automatically started to approach Jake's mount, assuming he'd be riding with him.

"You're with Ni'nat," Jake corrected him with a nod in the singer's direction. "I get kind of reckless sometimes and I don't want you falling off. She'll take care of you."

Norm stopped and turned to regard Ni'nat, swallowing. "Oh. All right."

He walked over to her mount and looked up at her, his mind going blank as he tried to think of something to say. She held onto one of the ikran's antennas with one hand and offered her other hand down to him. Norm slipped his hand into hers and she smiled at him as she helped him to mount up behind her. She guided his arm around her waist and he knew he was going to end up revealing his attraction to her before this journey finished.

"Hold onto me tightly, Normspellman," suggested Ni'nat. "I will try to fly level for you."

He nodded mutely and put his other arm around her, embracing her securely. The Na'vi took to the air and Ni'nat's hair whipped in Norm's face as they ascended. It smelled like fruit to him and Norm inhaled deeply, fighting the urge to nuzzle her neck. His eyes widened behind his shades when his traitorous body started to react to the feel of her slender curves against him. Norm self-consciously scooted his bottom back a little, trying to avoid pressing the bulge in his pants against her and giving himself away.

* * *

Jake and Neytiri were in the lead and the couple smiled conspiringly at each other. It had been Jake's idea to have Norm ride with Ni'nat and using his daredevil techniques as an excuse turned out perfect. They flew over forests, hills and mountains, calling out to each other now and then. Neytiri looked over at her mate and she noticed that the knot they had tied to hold his loincloth was starting to come loose. A mischievous streak hit her and she grinned at him.

Jake saw the grin and he recognized the playful look in her eye.

"What are you up to?" he muttered between his teeth as he flashed a smile at her.

A moment later, Neytiri hooted and her ikran obeyed her silent command. She banked away from Jake and flew in a loop, soaring over his head. He looked at her with his mouth hanging open and as she began to come down on his other side, she reached out with lightning speed and snatched his loincloth right off of him.

"Neytiri," Jake yelled, letting go of one antenna to cover his groin with his hand. "What the hell?"

She hooted with laughter and leveled out. Ni'nat joined her laughter immediately and Norm chuckled too when he got over the initial shock of seeing Jake's naked ass. Even E'quath laughed, though his was more restrained.

"You bring that back _now_," Jake thundered, his face burning with embarrassment.

Neytiri pressed her lips together in an insincere attempt to control her smile. She intended to bring the loincloth back to her mate but she didn't have as great a hold on it as she thought and the wind tore it out of her grasp. Her lips rounded as she looked over her shoulder and watched it flutter away.

Jake stared as his only clothing article was blown away with no hope of retrieval. He glared at his mate, who was now giving him the most sheepish look he'd ever seen on her face.

"I did not mean for that to happen, my Jake," Neytiri called out in apology.

"Outstanding," he hissed. He was going to return home buck-naked. He could just imagine the rumors already. He gave Neytiri a stern look. "You're going to get it when we get home."

She bit her lip but he could tell by her smile that she wasn't intimidated in the least. The others were making a greater effort to contain their mirth, respecting their chieftain enough to resist humiliating him further.

Oh yes, Neytiri was going to get it, all right. Jake thought of the many ways he could make use of his bola to subdue the little minx.

* * *

-To be continued


	4. Chapter 4

"Between worlds"

Chapter 4

**_Warning: graphic sex_**

* * *

*Disclaimer: I do not own Pandora and I make no profit from writing fanfiction based on the "Avatar" film.

* * *

When they stopped midway to Hometree for a resting break, Norm came up with the idea of fashioning a makeshift loincloth for poor Jake from the leaf of a Tsyorina tree. He found one that was ideal in length and width and he plucked it and rinsed it off thoroughly in a clear stream with Ni'nat's help. She scrubbed it with her hands while he held it in the water and as they worked together, she chuckled softly.

"What?" Norm asked, smiling sidelong at her.

"The look on our _olo'eyktan's _face when his mate took his loincloth," she confessed, shaking her head. "I thought that _I_ was a bold woman."

Norm tried not to wonder just how bold Ni'nat was and he joined her soft laughter. "She really caught him off guard. Here, I think that's good enough." He eased the leaf out of the water and shook it off, drying it as best he could. "If he's lucky, this should hold up for Jake long enough to make it to Hometree. Thank you for helping, Ni'nat."

She inclined her head gracefully and touched her fingers to her forehead. Norm took the leaf back to where Jake and the others were and he found the former marine standing behind a bush, grumbling crossly. Biting back a smirk, the anthropologist approached and offered the large piece of foliage to his friend.

"Here. It's flexible and strong enough that you should be able to use it as a pseudo loincloth until we reach Hometree."

Jake took the leaf with a dubious frown. "So I have a choice of making a leaf diaper for myself or flying in naked. That's just great." He shot a resentful look Neytiri's way and she bowed her head, but not before she grinned visibly.

Norm shrugged. "It's your choice."

Jake sighed and held up the leaf, turning it thoughtfully to decide the best way to proceed. "Thanks, Norm. It's better than nothing."

* * *

Jake refused to go closer than the outskirts of Hometree when they arrived. He scratched his hip as the others continued going and Neytiri stayed behind to try and coax him. She dismounted her ikran and approached his, gazing up at him with a little smile on her plump lips.

"You are being too modest," Neytiri insisted. "Our people are not concerned with nudity, the way the Sky People are. Come, Jake."

"I'm not budging until I've got a loincloth," he huffed, wincing at the itch around his pelvis and bottom. "You got me into this, so you'll have to get me out of it."

She gave him a challenging look and narrowed her eyes.

"Please?" Jake added, smiling.

Neytiri laughed, her gaze growing warm on him. "You asked nicely, so I will do it." She reached out and stroked his leg before turning to go back to her ikran.

Jake breathed a sigh of relief. He'd gotten used to the Na'vi way of wearing practically nothing but he drew the line at showing off his junk to everyone. He watched his mate hop onto her ikran and he smirked as she took to the sky and flew toward Hometree, nestled in the valley below. He guessed that part of her increased boldness and somewhat inappropriate humor was connected to the surge of hormones going through her body.

He hadn't changed his mind about making creative use of his bola on her and Jake grimaced down at his crotch as his body reacted to thoughts of playing with his ideas. The leaf began to tear from the pressure and he chuckled, amused that Neytiri could make him spring a hard-on powerful enough to do such a thing.

* * *

"You are certain of this, Son?"

Jake smiled at Mo'at, warmed by her latest habit of referring to him as her son. He nodded. "I'm certain. I'm leaving the ultimate decision up to you, though. You are _Tsahìk_. If you agree that Eywa wills it, then you can choose to send him through the eye...when he is ready."

She nodded, visibly pleased by his respect for her wisdom. "I will observe him. Normspellman has a good heart but it takes strength of will to pass through the eye of Eywa. I would not wish for him to perish."

"Neither would I, Mother," Jake answered. She had chastised him days ago and insisted that he treat her as his mother, now that he had proven himself and was mated to her daughter.

A soft, subtle smile curved the older Na'vi's lips and she laid a hand on his left shoulder. "Go now, and make my grandchild."

Jake flushed, taken off-guard by just how aware she was with what was going on within her clan. "_Tslolam_," he murmured, averting his eyes and clearing his throat. "_Pänutìng_, Mother."

Her smile grew and he heard her low, husky chuckle. "See to it that you keep your promise."

* * *

"Do you need help, Normspellman?"

Norm dangled precariously over the hammock from the tree limb and he shook his head, determined to get into it without aid. It didn't help that his instincts were urging him to impress the stunning Na'vi woman who lay comfortably on her side in the hammock across from his.

"Thank you," he told her graciously, "I can do this."

Ni'nat's amber gaze followed him as he eased himself into the hammock. The ground never looked so far away, even though this new Hometree wasn't as tall as the old one and he had soared much higher in the air on the back of an ikran. Norm steadied himself, wobbling a little as he held the edges of the hammock and reclined carefully. He glanced over at Ni'nat and his heart skipped a beat when he saw her quiet smile of pride. He didn't dare convince himself that getting into a hammock was enough to truly impress a woman like her, though.

Ni'nat began to sing softly, her voice carrying over to Norm's ears. He sighed and smiled, shutting his eyes as he listened her song of praise to Eywa, the sky and the forest. He could listen to that voice indefinitely and never grow tired of it. It was a short, sweet song and when she finished, he spoke to her.

"You sing that every night?" He guessed.

"Yes. Does it bother you?"

He opened his eyes to look at her and shook his head. "No way. It's beautiful." He suddenly wished he hadn't said it so passionately and he squirmed a little.

"You like our music?"

"Very much," he admitted softly. He wished he had a decent singing voice but even so, he didn't think it was proper for outsiders to join in on the clan songs.

"Then I will sing for you more often, Normspellman." She held his gaze with her own as she smiled promisingly.

Something more than the usual attraction he felt for her pushed its way to the surface and he stared at her. "I would like that. Ni'nat, can you call me Norm, from now on? Of course, you don't have to." He was getting flustered and he hoped he wasn't offending her by requesting that she stop blending his first name with his last.

Her ears twitched a little in a display of puzzlement but she nodded. "I will try to remember, Normsp...Norm."

He found her stumble endearing and he nearly tried to reach out a hand to her. "Thank you."

"Sleep well, Norm." She covered her mouth on a yawn and pulled the fibrous edge of the hammock over her body.

"Sleep well, Ni'nat," he replied, following her example. He lay awake for a long time after that, alternating between watching her slumbering features and the stars shining down through the canopy.

* * *

Jake growled as he struggled to pin his squirming mate down. He had successfully bound her ankles together but restraining her wrists together was proving a more difficult challenge. Their loincloths and weapon harnesses lay in the grass a few feet away. They had chosen a spot near a brook not far from Hometree to mate and the local flora provided plenty of glowing light for them to see one another with.

He had three welts rising on his right arm from her nails raking him and she had bitten his ear hard enough to leave marks. In contrast to her aggressive, angry struggles, she licked at his wounded ear gently when his face came close to hers. Jake's eyes went blank with pleasure as her tongue delicately brushed against the sensitive ear and he nearly loosened his hold on her wrists.

"Don't think you're going to sucker me in with that," he murmured, shivering in delight.

He felt her lips smile and he sensed another surge of resistance coming. He was right. He tightened his hold on her as her muscles tensed and he grinned down at her as she hissed in frustration beneath him. Her tail whipped restlessly in the grass and she pretended to snap her teeth at him when he tried to kiss her.

"Fierce," he murmured in appreciation. "I'd better tame you fast."

"You cannot tame," she snarled, her ears laying flat against her head.

She was convincing enough to give Jake pause. It was supposed to be a game after all and he wasn't about to really force her. She brushed her thigh against his groin a moment later, silently assuring him that she was merely playing along.

"We'll see about that," he challenged.

With great effort, he held her wrists together over her head while reaching for the second bola lying in the grass. She bucked beneath him and struggled against his hold as he quickly wrapped the sturdy material of the bola around her wrists. Her breasts heaved with exertion and she growled at him once he had her wrists secured.

"There," Jake panted in satisfaction, letting his gaze rove over his "captive". He grinned sensually at her, sensing the heat of lust behind her heavy-lidded gaze as she stared up at him. "Now I've just got to figure out how to finish paying you back."

She wriggled and it was obvious that the motion was intended to entice rather than break his hold. He inhaled deeply as his groin twitched with need in response to the teasing action and he decided it was time to punish her in a most delightful way. Jake abruptly released her wrists and squatted over her, grabbing her legs beneath the knees and bending them back, pushing her knees toward her chest.

"Jake!" Neytiri cried, taken off-guard by the move.

He ignored her protest and held her in position, exposing her for his intentions. He dragged her queue over to his quickly and allowed it to attach, sealing the bond. She gasped and shuddered and he groaned softly, even as he smirked. This would be the first time he had ever attempted to pleasure her this way and he wanted to know exactly how it felt to her. He lowered his head to her revealed loins and took a moment to admire the sight of the petal-like folds of flesh that framed her entrance. He took a deep breath and hoped to hell Na'vi women received as much enjoyment from what he was about to do as human women.

Neytiri went stock-still as he began to lick and kiss with attentive, loving fervency. Jake felt a moment of uncertainty until her bound hands clenched and her breath caught. Her pleasure surged through the link and he smiled.

"Oh...m-my Jake?"

He sent reassuring feelings through the link, rather than interrupt his task with words. He kept his hold on her knees firm to keep her positioned and he moved his tongue experimentally, flicking, swirling and pressing with it as he strove to please her. He knew when he found the best technique because her pleasure washed over him and her back arched. He relentlessly tongued her most sensitive spot and he reveled in the shared pleasure of it as Neytiri writhed, hissed and moaned. When her thighs trembled and her climax came, Jake delved into her moist heat with his tongue and tasted her arousal.

He groaned heavily and waited for her tremors to fade before stopping. He eased her legs back down and admired the dazed euphoria on her lovely features.

"I'll do that again for you whenever you want," he promised huskily, his chest rising and falling rapidly. He felt like he was about to burst with need for her.

Neytiri was still stunned and gasping from the experience, staring up at him with amazed yellow eyes. Jake smiled at her and took advantage of her distraction. He flipped her over onto her stomach and lifted her by the hips, positioning her backside into the air. She propped herself on her elbows and turned her head to hiss over her shoulder at him, baring her teeth.

If it weren't for _Tsahaylu_ and the way her tail was curved to the left invitingly, Jake would have stopped. Her desire to feel him inside of her came through clearly and he knelt behind her, settling his knees on either side of hers. He stroked her back, appreciating the graceful arc as he positioned himself and eased into her waiting heat. He sank in slowly and clenched his teeth as she pushed backwards against him. She might be the one tied up right now but he was just as helpless as her desires fed through their bond. Jake's lips pulled back from his teeth as he gripped her hips and gave her what she wanted.

"Neytiri," he groaned as he began to thrust.

Her deep purr of satisfaction rewarded him and he rolled his hips smoothly and firmly, biting his lower lip. She let loose a sharp, short cry of triumph and matched his motions, her tail winding around his waist. Jake gasped and tilted his head back. Sex as a human was never this intense. The gratification shared between himself and his mate was consuming and sometimes it was almost more than he could bear. He pushed in deep and rotated his hips as he cupped Neytiri's perk breasts. Her guttural responsive call pushed his arousal further and he began to pump harder and faster.

"There's no other woman like you," Jake panted with certainty, quickly losing control of his carnal instincts.

"Jake," Neytiri whined, "Harder!"

He obliged her, guiding her hips with his hands as he propelled himself forward and back. He bowed over her and caught the delicate tip of one of her ears in his teeth, taking care not to allow his passion to drive him to bite too hard. He nibbled teasingly at it, panting heavily. Neytiri practically yowled as her orgasm struck and her hands clawed at the moss. Jake's eyes rolled in pleasure and he joined her with a hoarse shout. He couldn't help but collapse on her and he kissed her shoulder and neck when he finished giving her his seed.

"Here, let me get these off you," Jake said when he recovered enough to regain his senses.

He'd satisfied his desire to "get back" at her, though she hardly behaved as though subdued. He eased out of her and helped her roll onto her back, kissing her tenderly as he worked the bola free from her wrists. She kissed him back and cooperated with him, sliding her hands out of the binds as soon as they were loose enough. He helped her to sit up and he freed her ankles next. Scooting so that his back was resting against a tree, he put his arms around her and pulled her partway into his lap. He nuzzled her neck as she tilted it and her hand reached up to stroke his braids.

"Do you forgive me now, my Jake?"

Laughter rose in his throat and he held her tighter. "That depends. Are you going to pull a stunt like that again?"

Neytiri smirked and turned her head to look at him. "No."

It was a fib and he knew it. They were still linked and he could sense the teasing insincerity in her response. He ran his fingertips over her ribs and made her squirm. It was one of her few ticklish zones and he chuckled, feeling it as well.

"I guess I'll have to tie you up more often, then."

"But you will kiss me that way when you do it?" She looked at him almost shyly.

Jake pretended ignorance. "What way?"

Her eyes narrowed. "You know what way, Jake." She pinched his thigh and made him wince.

He kissed the bridge of her nose before pressing his forehead against hers. "Like I said before: anytime you want."

She sighed happily and relaxed in his arms. "I see you."

"I see you," he responded readily, with feeling.

The statement never made complete sense to him until the day she looked into his eyes and spoke it. It was more than saying: "I love you". It was love and faith and trust, all tied together. Neytiri often left bite marks, scratches and bruises in the wake of their mating but her love was more honest and pure than anything he'd ever felt before.

* * *

Max couldn't appreciate the beautiful hues of the dawn sky as he stood over the symbolic grave of Trudy Chacón. Norm stood with him, looking exhausted but diligent in upholding the tradition they had formed in honoring her memory. Max lifted the native purple flower he held and stared down at the dog tags he'd procured from the lost pilot's personal belongings. It hung on a cross planted in the compound yard, one of many such crosses.

"We miss you, Trudy," Max murmured.

He let go of the flower and let it spiral down to the earth over the empty grave. There had been nothing to retrieve. Jake found the twisted pile of shrapnel that had once been Trudy's gunship and anything that might have been left of her must have been reduced to ash in the explosion.

Norm bowed his head and stood silently beside Max. The two of them paid their respects to their fallen comrade in companionable silence. When they finished with that, they moved onto Grace's grave and did the same for her. It was depressing, thinking of the loss of the feisty young pilot and the snarky, brilliant botanist.

"We're lucky we didn't lose you too," Max finally said to Norm when they finished and started back toward the lab. He looked at the anthropologist with faint worry on his light brown features. "Norm, make sure you eat enough when you aren't linked, okay? We don't need more casualties."

"I'm all right," Norm assured him. He covered his mouth on a yawn. "I just stayed awake too long, last night."

"Maybe you should take a day off," suggested Max. "You're used to sleeping on beds and you're having to adjust to a different lifestyle when you're linked to your avatar."

"I'll be fine," insisted Norm. "My body sleeps when I'm linked to my avatar, so I should get plenty of rest when I suit up. I'll make sure to eat before I go."

"As long as you take care of yourself." Max sighed. "I've been digging further into Collin's records. There are a lot of locked files that I'm still trying to decode. I don't know how long he's been working on permanent avatar transfer but it looks like we could be dealing with a lot more newcomers like Sebastian. Next time, they might not be lab rats."

Norm pressed his lips together and kept his eyes focused straight ahead. "Jake has made it clear that no more RDA staff are welcome on Pandora. Just deny them access from now on and touch bases with him when they try to come."

"You know we will," Max said. "But if they come armed, we might not be able to hold them off."

The transports generally carried staff and cargo because it was too expensive to store vehicles and weaponry on them for the trip. That didn't mean they wouldn't eventually start doing it. Hell's Gate hadn't received signals from Earth since the Na'vi war and attempts to reach the RDA proved futile. It came as no surprise to Max, considering that the first ship containing Selfridge and the others most likely transmitted a warning to headquarters on Earth.

"If you get any incoming signals at all, tell Jake right away," Norm said. "He'll have a horde of Na'vi guarding this place in no time."

Max looked at him sidelong and fought a smile. "Your faith in him has gone up a lot."

Norm shrugged. "After that fight, I didn't really have a choice. He might be clueless when it comes to science but he knows what he's doing in a battle."

Max nodded. "I just hope that's enough, if Earth forces start sending in more people than we can handle."

* * *

The dawn was more welcome for some than others. A lone human female pressed her dirty, bruised hand against the rigid bark of a tree and bowed her head. Dark hair fell over her eyes as she caught her breath. The flaking remnants of warpaint flecked her cheeks and nose. She reached for her canteen and held her breath as she lifted her breathing mask for a drink. She had been out of rations for two days now and she had found only two species of nuts and berries that she could safely digest. The water was drinkable but it provided no nourishment.

"Goddamn, this sucks."

She looked at the compass on her wrist again before studying her surroundings. Navigating the thick jungles of Pandora on foot was a nightmare in the making. She couldn't count how many times she narrowly avoided getting eaten alive by the native animals. She spent the third morning of her unintended "vacation" squatting behind a bush, shitting her brains out from eating a piece of Pandora fruit that didn't agree with her. Between cursing, farting and pointing her gun at every sound that reached her ears she was amazed she didn't attract every hostile animal in the forest.

She pushed away from the tree with flagging strength and stumbled on, wondering why she even bothered. Hell's Gate was still so far away and she had no idea of how the battle ended. She could be returning just to get arrested and executed as a traitor. She had no idea how to find the Omaticaya and even if she could, she had no way of knowing whether they would slit her throat and be done with it or help her.

She impulsively reached up to click the button on the device around her neck. "Sorry guys," she said hoarsely, "Looks like I'm screwed. I hope you made it through okay."

She remembered that the transmitter was broken and she barked a laugh, shaking her head. Even if Max, Jake and Norm were still alive, they'd never get her message. She knew she was becoming delirious and she wondered if it was from lack of sleep or from eating native food.

She heard a growl behind her and she swore, drawing her Wasp Revolver and turning. The sound came from a viper wolf and it had a small pack following it. Hating to waste ammo but knowing how the natives felt about killing animals unless it was necessary, she fired into the air several times. The wolves retreated with yelps of fear and she took a deep breath before replacing the weapon.

"Yeah, run away puppies. I don't have time to play with you this morning."

Her smug satisfaction was cut off when she heard the sound of Na'vi voices hollering from somewhere deeper in the jungle.

"Oh, shit. That's just perfect."

If she weren't so malnourished and high on toxins from the few native plants she'd sampled, she might have stopped to think that asking for help would be a good idea. Instead, she charged through the underbrush and searched for somewhere to hide as the sound of hoof beats from direhorses closed the distance.

She wasn't fast enough to outrun them and opening fire on them was out of the question. She dove into some bushes and hunkered down, hoping they would pass her by. Within moments, she saw the six-legged beasts run past her hiding spot and heard the Na'vi voices shouting out to one another. She waited silently for them to pass and when she thought the coast was clear, she struggled to her feet.

She found herself surrounded by Omaticaya warriors on every side.

"That's a neat trick," she muttered as they drew their arrows on her. She had no choice but to hold her hands up. "Guess I'm going with you guys...or you're going to kill me."

The apparent leader of the hunting party dismounted his beast and approached her. He looked her up and down before picking up the weapons from the ground. "Understand me, Sky Person?"

"Yeah," she answered. "I understand you." She felt ridiculous, standing there in torn cargo pants and a ripped, burned tank top, trying to communicate with someone twice her height.

"You trespass," said the Na'vi male, baring his teeth. "We kill trespassers."

"Sure you do," she muttered. She was screwed now. There was only thing left she could think of to say that might save her hide. "I'm a friend of Jake Sully. Know who I'm talking about?"

By the expression on his face, he did know. He glanced around at his fellow hunters and spouted a string of words that she couldn't understand. He turned back to her and stared into her eyes.

"We take you to him. If you lie, you dead."

* * *

Jake caressed Neytiri's neck and shoulder with his lips, interested in waking her up for an early morning romp in the forest before the clan got too active. She sighed in her sleep and cuddled against his spooning warmth instinctively. The hammock rocked gently with their motions and Jake cast a silent look around to see how many clan members were sleeping close by. When his eyes met an elder female's he stopped his courtship. She was in the hammock directly across from theirs and she gave the couple a smiling, knowing look.

_~Do these women just know when one of them is in heat?~_

Regardless of his modesty, Jake was determined to make good on his promise to Mo'at and give Neytiri the baby she obviously wanted. He just needed his mate to rouse and go into the privacy of the forest with him.

"Neytiri," Jake murmured, trying to be subtle.

Her scent wafted into his nostrils and he immediately hardened. Now he knew how male animals in rut felt. Eywa knew, they mated plenty of times last night and she could easily be fertilized by now, but he couldn't curb his desire for her. Even before her body gave her the signals, they ran off together to mate frequently.

"Neytiri," he whispered more insistently. He stroked her toned belly and grazed a hand over her thigh, gently bumping his arousal against her backside through the cover of his loincloth.

Her amber eyes fluttered open and she turned her head sleepily to look at him. "Good morning, my Jake."

"Morning," he greeted, smiling. He wanted so badly to kiss those parted succulent lips but the presence of onlookers stayed his actions. "I thought we could bathe in the spring before breakfast."

She chuckled, her voice slightly hoarse with the effect of morning sleepiness. She pressed back against him, rubbing her bottom against his jutting arousal. "Only bathing?"

Jake pushed suggestively against her, with enough force to make their hammock swing. "What do you think?"

Neytiri reached up and caressed his jaw. "I think I want you."

A carnal growl of need rumbled in his chest and he cupped her face with one hand to tilt it for a better angle. Her lips met his with reciprocal desire and their tails intertwined as they kissed. He barely remembered that they weren't alone in the tree and it took great effort for him to break the kiss and pull away.

Neytiri was already one step ahead of him. She rose to her knees nimbly and grasped the overhead branch, swinging her lithe body up onto it. She looked down at him and beaconed.

"Come," Neytiri demanded with fire in her amber gaze. "Quickly, Jake."

* * *

A couple of hours later, Jake and Neytiri were making their way back to Hometree. Neytiri was moving a bit gingerly but when Jake offered to carry her, she refused and shot a smile at him. They were just making their way into the populated area at the base of the trunk when a hunting party came in, hooting and shouting. E'quath was the leader of this party and he asked around for Jake.

Jake's plans for the day were to take Norm out for a hunting lesson in the forest, but those plans were immediately stomped on when E'quath and his warriors rode up to him and presented a familiar human female for his inspection.

"We found her in the eastern territory," explained the hunter in a combination of Na'vi and broken English as he lowered the weakened female to the ground. "She spoke your name, _Olo'eyktan_. Do you know this woman?"

Jake stared with wide eyes as the dark-haired female stumbled towards him.

"Hey Jake," she said hoarsely, "Looking good."

"Trudy?" Jake could hardly believe his eyes. He hardly noticed Norm approaching with Ni'nat behind him. "What the hell...we thought you died!"

"Yeah," she coughed. "I thought I was toast too. I ejected and ended up unconscious in a tree for at least a day. That was fun. A little help, here?" She started swaying on her feet.

Jake caught her up in his arms and lifted her easily. He was grinning ecstatically, thrilled to see the feisty pilot alive. She smirked up at him from behind her mask and she slapped his chest weakly.

"Sorry if I didn't help you guys pull it off."

"No," Jake told her, swallowing a lump in his throat. "You did. We won, Trudy. You helped. Holy shit, we've got to get you some medical help."

Neytiri gazed down at the woman in concern, knowing enough about her to understand she wasn't a threat. "She is very weak."

"What's going on?" Norm said as he came up behind Jake.

"It's Trudy," explained Jake. He impulsively hugged Trudy close, laughing softly.

Norm stared at the woman Jake was holding. "Trudy? Here, give her to me so I can take a look at her."

Jake handed her over to the anthropologist and Norm hugged her close, overpowered by the same ecstatic impulse as Jake.

"Guys, this is real sweet," Trudy muttered, "but I'm about to puke."

"Oh, sorry," Norm muttered. He eased her carefully onto the ground and looked up at Jake. "She needs Mo'at. Probably a doctor, too. She can't eat what we've got here, Jake."

Jake nodded and Neytiri immediately took off to find her mother.

"We'll contact the base," Jake assured. "I'll tell them to send transport and medics for Trudy."

"Hey guys," Trudy coughed.

Norm and Jake both knelt down beside her. Jake rubbed her arm soothingly as she looked up at them.

"Max is okay, right?"

Norm smiled. "Max is fine. He's going to have a conniption when he sees you."

She chuckled raggedly and squeezed Norm's hand with her small, tanned one. "You look different."

Norm appeared startled. "How?"

"I dunno," she said, shaking her head weakly. "Have you changed your hair?"

* * *

-To be continued


	5. Chapter 5

"Between worlds"

Chapter 5

* * *

_*Disclaimer: I do not own Pandora and I make no profit from writing fanfiction based on the "Avatar" film._

* * *

They laid Trudy on a pallet inside one of the hollow chambers of the trunk of Hometree and Mo'at worked diligently over her, compelled as much by compassion as the knowledge that the human had fought with Jake and the others to save the People. Skilled, aging hands cleaned open wounds and smoothed salves over the burns here and there. Mo'at murmured soothingly to her patient when Trudy groaned or tensed.

When Trudy's body relaxed and her eyes closed in rest, Mo'at rose to her feet and approached Jake, Norm and Neytiri.

"I have seen to her wounds," Mo'at informed softly, glancing over her shoulder at the small woman lying on the pallet. "But she requires nourishment. I cannot purify our food for her."

Jake nodded. "Thank you, Mother. I'm going to call for someone to come and get her right away."

"I've got my transmitter on," Norm said. "I can make the call."

"Good. You take care of that while I check on Trudy." Jake took Neytiri's hand and she followed him over to the pallet. He knelt beside Trudy and looked her over, still amazed that she had lasted as long as she did in the wilds.

"Hey Trudy," Jake called softly, "you awake?"

"I am now," she groused, opening her eyes. She smirked up at him, though. "So that was mother-in-law, Jake? She's pretty cool."

"Cool?" Neytiri repeated with a frown.

"It's a compliment," Jake assured her with a smile. "And yeah, she _is_ cool. So Trudy, how did you manage to survive out there for three weeks? What the hell did you live on?"

"I stored some dry rations in the gunship before we set out," she sighed. "I had a bad feeling I might need them, whether we won or not. Face it Jake, Na'vi don't have food processors to make local snacks human-friendly."

"Smart girl," he complimented sincerely. He would never have thought of something like that and if they _had_ lost, Trudy wouldn't have been able to go back to the base.

She shrugged gingerly. "It was just an afterthought. Didn't think I'd live through it to worry about eating. I tried to make it last and eating native fruit to stretch out the supply was a _big_ mistake. You don't wanna be around one of us after a meal of Pandora fruit...trust me."

Jake laughed softly and Neytiri smiled. "You tried it anyway?"

"Yeah, I figured there had to be _something_ I could eat without getting the shits. Lucky for me I finally found some nuts and berries I could eat but they make me a little high. It was a choice between going hungry or being stoned and I'm still buzzing."

"You seem pretty sober to me," Jake observed.

"High tolerance," Trudy excused. "Plus, I'm hurting like hell. The pain's kind of sobering. It's not as bad as it was before though, thanks to her." She nodded in Mo'at's direction.

Jake laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Norm's sending word to the base. They'll come get you and you can get some edible food in your stomach. You're one tough chick, Trudy."

She grinned. "Quit it, you'll make me blush." She looked up at Norm as he approached and a dawning expression came over her face. "Holy shit, Norm...I don't think I can tell the difference between your avatar body and your human one anymore."

Norm hunkered down and gave her a concerned look, taking note of the dilated pupils. "You're half-delirious, that's why. What kind of Pandora food did you eat?"

"I dunno man," she grunted. "Something that looked like a big purple and yellow yam and some nuts and berries."

"That first one sounds like a banana fruit," he said thoughtfully. "It's toxic to humans and usually causes food poisoning symptoms."

"Well, it definitely gave me the runs," she snorted.

"What did the berries and nuts look like?"

"The berries were these big purple things growing on a bush with pink and blue leaves. I found the nuts on the ground. They were kind of like macadamia nuts but they were easier to crack."

Norm brushed a stray lock of dark hair away from his forehead and chuckled. "Plush berries and fallow nuts, most likely. No wonder. If you had just eaten one or the other you would probably be okay, but together they can cause euphoria or delirium. You might as well have eaten shrooms, Trudy. I'm amazed you're as coherent as you are."

"Awesome. Just crank up the music and I'll stare at my hand for a while."

Jake blurted a laugh and shook his head. "Okay, now I can tell you're stoned. Try to get some rest, Trudy. They'll be here to get you in a few hours."

* * *

Later that afternoon, Norm was checking his bow for faults when Ni'nat approached him. He looked up from his seat on the earthen floor of the Hometree den and his heart predictably skipped a beat at the sight of her.

"That woman they found in the forest," Ni'nat said in Na'vi, "You held her...as if she was precious to you. I thought you had no mate, Normspellman."

Norm was totally unprepared for the comment. The huntress said it as an accusation and her features were tense. For a moment, he just blinked stupidly at her, but she looked as though she was about to turn away so he responded quickly.

"Trudy? We aren't mated. She's only a friend...a _lertu_. She fought with us against the Sky People." He hadn't even realized Ni'nat was watching when they brought Trudy in.

The answer pacified her somewhat but she was still oddly tense. "And you have no mate?"

He shook his head and his heart beat even faster at the possibilities of why she was so concerned. "No. I have no mate."

Her stance relaxed and she favored him with a pleased smile. "Hunt well, Norm," she said to him, holding him in her gaze for a moment before turning and walking away.

He might not be good at interacting with women but he knew Na'vi body language. While she always moved gracefully, she was now emphasizing the sway of her hips and his eyes helplessly devoured her retreating form. This was the second time she seemed to put on a display for him. Norm took a deep breath when she passed through the entrance of the den and he looked down at his khaki pants, frowning at the visible evidence of the female's affect on his body.

* * *

"Trudy's alive!"

Sebastian jumped as Max ran past him and Katherine, shouting the announcement at the top of his lungs. He had no idea who Trudy was or what her relationship was with the doctor but his display of excitement suggested she was dear to him. Max didn't pause and his lab coat whipped out behind him as he charged down the corridor, hollering the proclamation over and over again. A few military personnel hollered with exuberance and some of the lab staff also blurted surprised, joyful exclamations.

Sebastian looked at Katherine questioningly and she spread her hands and shrugged with ignorance. "She must have been here before we arrived. It sounds like she went missing in action."

Sebastian nodded. He wanted to speak but the ability hadn't returned to him yet. If he could talk, he would be trying to get to know Katherine better. That was what he had planned to do when they arrived on Pandora, at least. He found her attractive, smart and easy-going. Working his way into her affections was a goal of his but now he doubted things would ever progress beyond friendship. He looked down at his cyan, turquoise-striped hands and he sighed. The height difference wasn't too terribly drastic; he'd seen tiny women dating towering hulks before. The biological differences were another matter.

"Sebastian, are you okay?"

He looked at her and forced a little smile as he lied with a nod of his head. He shouldn't even be considering any ideas of putting the moves on her. He still didn't know everything about his new body and it hadn't escaped his notice that the scent of females—particularly Katherine—affected him in ways they never had before. There was something primal in him now and he feared that if he overstepped himself, he might do something to harm her.

* * *

"Okay guys, let's lift her up."

Max directed the efforts of the medic team he'd brought with him and they carefully lifted Trudy's gurney and followed him out of the Hometree den. The Na'vi watched curiously but retained a respectful distance as their human allies carried their injured comrade to the Samson chopper. Norm and Jake walked along with Max, who paused to give his gratitude to Mo'at.

"Thank you for caring for her, _Tsahik_," he said respectfully.

Mo'at responded with an elegant nod of her head. "She must be very resourceful, to have survived our wilds for as long as she did."

Max smiled and looked at Trudy, who was waving a weak goodbye to Jake and Norm as the medics carried her onto the ship. "Thank goodness for that."

"We should have known she was too stubborn to die," Jake smirked. "Take good care of her Max."

"We will," promised the doctor. "Norm can keep you updated on her status."

Norm nodded in agreement. "I guess I'll see you guys tonight, if you're still up when I get back."

"I probably will be," sighed Max. "I've still got data to try and crack." Plus, he knew he'd be watching over Trudy like a hawk. Somehow, he and the pilot developed an ironclad friendship in their time working together.

"Take care of yourselves guys," Max said when the rotaries started up and the crew hollered for him. "I've got to go."

"See you in a few days," Jake said. "I've still got some work to do with Sebastian."

Max nodded and turned, hurrying for the aircraft. He boarded and the crew shut the cargo doors. Max went to Trudy's side and reached up for one of the support handholds as the Sampson lifted off the ground. She gave him a tired grin and he returned it, his vision blurring as his emotions rose to the surface.

"You're not gonna cry now, are you?" Trudy gave him an exasperated look, but her grin remained.

Max hastily wiped his eyes. "I'm just...happy to see you."

* * *

Jake had a much easier time training Norm than Neytiri had with him. Having already learned Na'vi cultural practices, language and how to ride a direhorse, all Jake had to do was teach him to refine his combat and hunting skills. Once he achieved satisfactory results, he would take him to procure his own ikran and complete his right of passage. Mo'at would give the ceremonial speech and then, Norm would have to prepare to pass through the eye of Eywa and leave his human body behind forever. That part actually scared Jake a little. Attempting to make the transition carried substantial risks to Norm's life.

He spent his nights mating frantically with Neytiri and his days teaching Norm the ways of the hunter. They started early in the mornings, riding a pair of direhorses away from the Omaticaya sanctuary and into the wilds. They spent the day tracking and hunting. Norm ran out of breath quickly trying to keep up with his companion and Jake was more forgiving than Neytiri had been when teaching him. He allowed Norm rest breaks when he thought he needed them and he encouraged him, admitting that he hadn't faired much better when he first started learning.

"Your body will get used to it after a while," Jake assured him during one of the meal breaks. "You're going to start noticing you can run faster, for longer distances without getting worn out. It'll take a couple of weeks but it's going to start getting easier."

"Let's hope so," Norm panted as he reached up for an overhanging leaf and turned his face up. He drank thirstily from the rainwater that had gathered in the cupped leaf and Jake nodded in approval.

The anthropologist carried a waterskin on him but he only used it when he couldn't find water sources in the wild. Norm was taking his training very seriously—just as Jake knew he would. He never carried rations with him. Instead, he broke his fast with whatever the forest would provide him with. He hadn't yet made a kill but his botanical knowledge enabled him to scavenge plant foods. At first, Jake felt bad about eating kills he'd made in front of Norm but when he tried to share, Norm refused and insisted that he had to learn to provide for himself, before sharing someone else's kill.

"I won't take what I can't give back," explained Norm, and Jake smiled.

It was going to take some work to improve Norm's aim with a bow. While he exceeded when it came to culture, spirituality and plant knowledge, his body was at odds with him when it came to archery and athletics. Knowing how stubbornly the man could dig in when he had his heart set on something, Jake pushed him relentlessly—though he didn't smack him when he failed the way Neytiri sometimes had with Jake.

On the third day of teaching him, Jake considered another problem. Norm was still outfitted in his human style garb. Jake didn't press him over it but the hiking boots Norm always wore presented an issue that could hamper his progress.

"You need to start going barefoot," Jake said when they took a noon rest break.

Norm looked up from the small handbook on Na'vi physiology he was reading, appearing confused by the comment. "Why?"

"Because sooner or later you'll be wearing traditional Na'vi garb," Jake reminded him, "and I don't know about you but I think you'd look pretty stupid wearing a pair of hiking boots with a loincloth."

"I won't be wearing the boots when I start wearing the loincloth," argued the anthropologist.

"And your feet are going to suffer for it," Jake insisted. "Better get it over with and start toughening them up now. It's not going to be fun but at least you'll get it out of the way."

"I hadn't thought of that," Norm admitted with a sigh. He replaced his book in his pocket and began to unlace his boots. "I guess I'll just carry them for the rest of the day."

"Try tying the laces together," suggested Jake. "You can sling them over your arm and they won't get in the way too much. Ball up your socks and stuff them in there." Military training had taught him a few tricks.

Norm took his advice. "Trudy's up and about now," he said as he removed the boots and followed Jake's suggestion. "I talked to her last night and she's almost as good as new. She said to say hi to the Jarhead for her."

Jake grinned. "Tell her the Jarhead sends his regards, when you go back tonight."

Norm smiled a little. "So you and Neytiri...are there any plans for kids in the future?"

"As a matter of fact, we're trying now," Jake answered.

He had the fresh scratches to prove it, too. Last night, she had been particularly aggressive with him when he and Norm returned late. Jake smirked at the memory. He loved their tender, unhurried couplings but there was definitely something to be said about the aggressive couplings, too. If only she wouldn't play with that damned spot at the base of his tale so much. It made him feel like he was in heat too and it was more than he could bear, at times.

"That's great, Jake." Norm smiled. "I'll keep my fingers crossed for you."

Jake glanced down at his hands and it occurred to him that he might not be the most ideal candidate for siring a Na'vi child. He flexed his fingers and frowned.

"What's wrong?"

Jake looked at Norm and he hesitated a moment before answering. "I just hope our kids come out with four fingers. Hell, I hope I can even get Neytiri pregnant. I'm not a full-blood Na'vi."

"I don't think you should worry about that," Norm said. "Your human DNA is only a small percentage compared to the Na'vi DNA. Any kids you have aren't likely to be born with five fingers and even if they are, the clan will accept them just like they accepted you. As far as fertility goes, if they can grow avatar embryos in a Petri dish you can have children with Neytiri."

Jake's eyebrows went up. "Hey, does this mean humans and Na'vi could interbreed?"

"Not without scientific intervention," answered Norm. "You're different because you've got more Na'vi in you than human. A pureblood human and a pureblood Na'vi probably couldn't successfully breed because there are too many physiological differences. Incubation in a tank isn't the same thing as regular pregnancy. Besides, a human woman trying to give birth to a half-Na'vi baby would probably need a c-section to live through it. Put a newborn human next to a newborn Na'vi and you'll see what I mean."

Jake winced. "Ouch."

Norm smirked at him. "Let me guess; you haven't learned anything about Na'vi births."

Jake shrugged. "They'd be pretty much be like human births, right?"

"With one significant difference. You're supposed to link with her when the time comes. Neytiri isn't going to be the only one having labor pains."

Jake stared at him. "You're kidding."

Norm shook his head. "No, I'm not. Neytiri never told you about this?"

Jake's eyebrows went up and he exhaled slowly, shaking his head. "No, she left that part out."

"Maybe she just took it for granted that you'd know," Norm suggested with a shrug. "Even I can admit you're more like a Na'vi now than a human. Plus, when Na'vi females are ready to breed they don't think of much else."

Jake snorted. "Tell me about it. Not that I'm complaining, though." He scratched his chin and a nagging suspicion rose in his mind. "Maybe she just thought I'd chicken out if she told me."

"_Are_ you going to chicken out?" Norm pressed. "I feel obliged to warn you Jake, if you don't link with her when she gives birth it's going to be seen as an unforgivable act of irresponsibility and cowardice. The father is supposed to share his strength with the mother, to help the birth along. He feels her pain. Childbirth isn't just the woman's burden amongst the Na'vi. The People believe that both parents should share the effort."

Jake absorbed this and he felt a moment of panic. Norm was watching him closely, with an expression that clearly said he didn't think Jake was up to the task. Jake pressed his lips together and shoved aside his anxiety. He already intended to be at Neytiri's side through the whole thing and he couldn't deny that it was only fair for him to do more than hold her hand and tell her to push.

"I've heard human women joke about how if men were the ones having the babies, the whole species would have gone extinct a long time ago." Jake smiled crookedly. "Guess I'm going to find out if they're right about that."

Norm smiled in surprised approval. "Maybe you aren't as dumb as I thought."

Jake laughed. "I'm going to take that as a compliment."

"Better start practicing your Lamaze, Jake."

"Shut up."

* * *

Jake was right about his feet suffering. Norm was faintly glad to get a day off when Jake flew to Hell's Gate to have another link session with Sebastian and help him recover more. He had blisters on the heels and soles of his feet and he had to dig out a thorn that got lodged in the left one. He took it stoically and mixed a batch of healing salve with herbs he gathered himself, blending them with mucilage from a pxorna tree for consistency. He was sitting on a rock in the den as he spread the salve over the soles of his feet when a familiar scent reached his nostrils.

He looked up to see Ni'nat approaching him from the fire pit. He smiled at her and gave a nod of polite greeting as he wiped his hands off and reached for the bandaging wraps from his personal first aid kit.

"May I sit with you?"

Norm scooted a bit to make room for her. "Please." He watched her from the corner of his eye as he began to wrap his feet one at a time to keep dirt away from the healing salve and his blisters.

"What has happened to your feet, Norm?" She tilted her head and frowned as she examined the sole of the foot he was bandaging.

"I am not used to going barefoot," he answered in Na'vi. "I stopped using footwear, to adjust to it."

She reached out and gently touched two fingers to his toes, brushing over them gently. The contact was brief and light but it made tingles race through Norman's body. The concern on Ni'nat's face prompted him to reassure her.

"It doesn't hurt much."

It was a lie, of course. It hurt like hell.

She looked into his eyes. "Can you walk?"

"Sure," he assured her. "Just...not very fast right now."

"I promised you I would teach you to understand the trees better," she said with a smile. "I came to ask if you would like to come with me, but if walking pains you—"

"I'd love to do that," Norm said quickly, smiling with delight. "I'll crawl if I have to." He winced at the second statement and wondered why he couldn't play it a little cooler.

Ni'nat's soft, musical laughter made him feel better. "You really like trees."

_~I really like you. The trees aren't what I'm interested in right now.~_

Aloud, Norm said something different. "Trees are important. We couldn't live without them."

She sobered and nodded her agreement. "This is true. When you are finished dressing your wounds, I will show you how to listen to the trees."

* * *

"So, what do I do?" Norm admired her in the dappled noon light coming down through the canopy. They had stopped next to a tall Ramut tree—called a "Puffball tree" by humans because of the large seed globes that grew at the ends of the branches.

Ni'nat stepped close to the trunk, moving in that suspicious way that would normally signify something Norm didn't dare hope for. She placed her palms against the trunk and leaned in to rest her head against the tree.

"Press your ear to it and listen," she instructed, shutting her eyes. She looked as though she heard something. "You must listen well to hear it."

Norm had never heard of anything like this, but he knew there were a lot of things he had yet to learn. He did as she said and pressed his ear to the tree trunk, listening intently. He couldn't hear anything. He closed his eyes and cleared his mind, trying harder. After a few moments, he grew frustrated and wondered what he was doing wrong. He opened his eyes and prepared to ask the huntress a question and he went still.

Ni'nat still had her ear pressed to the tree and her face was close to his. She was watching him and a grin steadily grew on her lips. Norm finally realized what was going on and he straightened up.

"You're teasing me," he guessed.

She covered her mouth with her hand and chuckled. "I did not think you would do it. You know so much about plant life, Norm." Her shoulders shook delicately with laughter.

He shook his head and laughed with her. "I should have known. You planned this the day I was scanning that tree?"

She shrugged, her eyes smiling with mischief. "I wanted to see if I could fool one who knows so much already."

Norm shook his head modestly. "I don't know everything." He glanced sidelong at the tree and smirked. "Obviously."

He heard a strange huffing sound then and it only took a second to recognize it. Norm shot an alarmed look up into the branches of the puffball tree and he saw one of the seed globes expanding and trembling. Knowing what it meant, he reacted by sheer instinct and dove at Ni'nat, yelling a warning as he pulled her to the ground with him and rolled to protect her from the impact.

The seed globe burst overhead and the hundreds of seeds stored inside exploded out in every direction like small projectiles. Norm winced as his back and legs were peppered with the seeds but his clothing insulated him from suffering more than a sting from it. He waited until the shower of seeds ended before lifting up a little to check Ni'nat for injuries.

"Are you okay?" He asked her softly.

She stared up at him and nodded. "None of them struck me, thanks to you." She frowned and reached up to touch his left ear, where one of the seeds had hit him and left a welt.

It stung a little bit but Norm hardly felt the superficial injury. His body was lying flush against hers and he could feel every slender, feminine curve against him. He couldn't move; he could only stare down at her. Her fingers stroked the sore spot on his ear and he felt like he had electricity zipping through his body.

"You were faster than I was," Ni'nat murmured, smiling at him with faint surprise. "I am not usually so easily distracted, Normspellman."

Distracted? He could relate to that. His groin was tightening warningly and he knew he should get off of her before he poked her through his khakis, but he just couldn't move. Norm silently rattled off prayers to every deity he'd ever heard of as his breath quickened and his heart thundered in his chest. "Uh...I'm just very familiar with the native plant life," he said haltingly.

Somehow, he convinced his body to move and he eased off of her and got to his feet. He offered her his hand and he thought he saw a flash of disappointment in her eyes before she took it and allowed him to help her to her feet.

"Who would be faster in a test of capturing prey?" Ni'nat questioned as she straightened her necklace. Her eyes suggested she wasn't talking about animals and Norm swallowed.

"Definitely you," he insisted. "I don't have your hunting skills."

She smiled at him. "Not yet, but soon you may. I enjoyed this moment, Norm. We should speak again soon."

She began to walk back toward Hometree, again leaving him staring at her backside. Norm groaned and put his face in his hands when she was out of sight. His frustrations were growing with each day.

* * *

Jake barely got the chance to dismount from his ikran before his mate sprinted nimbly over the thick branch to him. Neytiri's hands were sliding over his chest with greedy appreciation and he almost lost his balance as she pressed up against him. She must have been waiting for him in the ikran nest area of Hometree and if it was possible, the cloying fragrance of her pheromones seemed even stronger than yesterday.

"Whoa, you're going to knock me off the tree," Jake laughed. Her mouth covered his before he could say anything else and he put his arms around her, responding to her kiss immediately. He inhaled her scent and his breath quickened with arousal.

"Mmph...wait a minute," Jake begged, breaking the kiss and pulling his face away from hers. "I need to ask you something, Neytiri."

"Ask later," she murmured before trying to kiss him again.

Jake held her back with effort. God, it was so hard to resist her but he needed to clear the air. He'd tried to ask her the night before but her sensuality and eagerness overpowered him before he could get the question out and by the time her needs were satisfied, he passed out with exhaustion. He didn't want to wake her this morning so he left and made a promise to himself that he would ask as soon as he returned home.

Neytiri made a frustrated growl that was very much like the one she gave when her mother informed her it would be her responsibility to teach Jake the ways of the People.

"This is important," Jake insisted in a soft voice, cupping her face and gazing into her eyes. "Please. I need to say this and then I swear I'll ravish you until you can't move."

She flashed a smile in response to his latter comment and she sighed. "What is it, Jake?"

"Why didn't you tell me about the birthing link?"

She lowered her gaze, but not before he saw the glimpse of shame in her eyes. "I...was going to."

"Before or after I got you pregnant?" He smirked and he caressed her face as she grimaced. Her ears were drooping and any annoyance he felt dissolved. "Look at me."

Neytiri complied, raising mortified eyes to meet his. Jake stroked her hair with one hand and caressed her face with the other. "I'm not going to shy away. Mated for life, remember?" He smiled at her, putting all of his warmth behind it. "I think I know why you hesitated to tell me about it and I want you to know, you've got nothing to worry about. I'm up for the challenge and I'm going to be right there with you, sharing it all."

Neytiri's ears slowly came back up and her gaze softened on him. "I apologize, my Jake. I was afraid of how you would react. I should not have doubted."

"I used to be human," he excused. "You had an excuse to worry about it."

"Who spoke to you about the birthing bond?"

"Norm," admitted Jake. "The subject came up by accident and he explained everything to me. I don't want you to worry, okay?"

A tiny smile curved her lips and she turned her head to kiss his palm. "I am not worried anymore."

"So we're good now?" Jake pressed his forehead against hers and she put her arms around his neck and nodded.

"Great. Then let's see about that ravishing you wanted." He put his arms around her waist and lifted her, kissing her deeply before she could respond.

"There is an empty hollow up here," Neytiri gasped between kisses. "Deep enough for privacy."

Jake was already painfully aroused. "Take me there."

* * *

"Hey Jake," Max greeted over the transmitter. "Is everything okay?"

"I just wanted to see if you've dug up anymore information about the project that Sebastian was part of," answered the deeper voice. The transmission crackled a little but the signal remained steady.

Max pressed his lips together and nodded. "Hold on a minute Jake." He got up and locked the door to his lab to make sure the conversation remained private. While he trusted everyone presently on the base, he didn't want rumors to start.

"Okay," he said into the transmitter box sitting on his desk, "I did find out a few more things. For one, the original files have vanished. Someone on the other side wiped Collin's data clean but I made backup copies as soon as we figured out something wasn't right."

"Good thinking," answered Jake. "Has the RDA tried to reach you guys at all?"

"No. I considered sending an inquiry about Sebastian's condition but I thought it would be wiser not to confirm Collins' procedure a success. I'm glad I did that because Jake, it looks like they've got plans to put several other people through the same process...military operatives, in fact. They're already on one of the motherships destined for Pandora and I'm willing to bet more specialized avatars are being produced on Earth as we speak. This means whoever's behind this has been planning to send a force of special operatives in with Sebastian's abilities. He was disposable. The intention was to test it on him first before going through with it on the special operatives."

There was silence on the other end of the transmission for a moment. "It takes at least five years to make the trip from Earth to Pandora. How did they do all of this so fast?"

"The Avatar project has been an on-going thing, Jake," Max explained. "They've been continually improving it and the motherships are constantly in transit, back and forth. The RDA landed on Pandora decades ago and they've had plenty of time to test new methods. There's no telling how long this specialized avatar plan has been in the works, unless Collins had the information stored in his files. I still have decrypting to do before I've gone through all of them."

"Shit," Jake sighed. "I'm going to leave the science to people like you and Norm. When is the next mothership scheduled to arrive in orbit?"

"It should reach us in about a year, give or take a few months."

"A year." The tone of Jake's voice suggested that he was picking through the risks and possibilities. "Max, even if you're expecting people you can trust on one of those ships, I want you to put the word out that Hell's Gate is shut to all transport. Not a single Valkyrie shuttle has permission to land. I'm sorry for anybody that wants to go back to Earth and I was going to give a little slack for travelers you know but we can't take the risk."

"I understand that, Jake," Max assured him, "This base is already on total lockdown. You don't have to worry about any shuttles landing here with our consent, but I think I should warn you that some of those ISV's en route are packing heavy gear and vehicles. We can turn them away but if they try to come in and take over by force, we might not have enough manpower to hold them off. We'll send word to you the minute we get any signals of course, but I don't know what kind of firepower we could be dealing with."

"Then you keep those scanners running at maximum," Jake said. "We'll all double our vigilance. If they come for a fight, they'll get one."

* * *

Jake wasn't responding to her touch and kisses as well as he usually did. His body was certainly ready for her but his mind was far away. Neytiri forced aside her body's insistent urges and pulled away to look him in the eyes.

"What is it, Jake? You have not been yourself tonight."

Jake gazed at her with troubled features and he parted his lips. He shook his head and sighed a moment later before dragging his queue over his shoulder. Resting his back against the stalk of the giant mushroom they sat beneath, he put an arm around her and urged her closer.

"Showing you is easier than telling," he murmured in Na'vi.

Neytiri scooted closer to him and joined her queue with his. While she sensed the undercurrent of his mating urges, the purpose of this _tsahaylu_ was for information; not pleasure. She closed her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder as the information came through the link, providing her with a better understanding of the situation than mere words could have.

When she understood the situation, she lifted her head from his shoulder and caressed his jaw. She could feel his fear, anger and frustration. She felt these things too but her Jake was usually so confident and inspiring. Now his expression was grim and there was no sign of the smiles that were usually easy-going or fierce and compelling. It was Neytiri's turn to be reassuring.

"Jake, if they come again, we will be ready for them. We will fight them off as before and we will do it again and again if we have to." She kissed his frowning lips, brushing her mouth back and forth over them before finishing her speech in a whisper. "We will send word to the other great clans. We have time and I will not live in fear."

He looked at her and she felt a momentary flash of uncertainty from him, before that fierceness she loved so much swelled up and overpowered it. The frown slowly curved into a smile and he nodded.

Neytiri smiled back and nuzzled his cheek. Both of his arms went around her and he turned his head to meet her lips. Now his desire was building again, pulsing through the link they shared and feeding hers. Her breath quickened as he gave her one of those avid kisses that always made her gasp and the bond immediately stimulated her senses. She rose up to shift her position and straddle his thighs, losing herself quickly in the erotic exchange of feelings.

They had time to hunt, laugh, play and mate. She had meant what she said; she wasn't going to allow the impending threat of more Sky People to rule over her. Jake's increasing enthusiasm as she reached down to unfasten his loincloth proved that he shared her feelings, now that she had inspired him.

* * *

-To be continued


	6. Chapter 6

"Between worlds"

Chapter 6

* * *

_**Author's note: **__I would like to offer sincere thanks to those who have taken the time to review this story so far. Norm is one "tree-hugger" I wouldn't want to mess with. ;-)_

*Disclaimer: I do not own Pandora and I make no profit from writing fanfiction based on the "Avatar" film.

* * *

When Jake saw the condition of Norm's feet the next morning, he called off the day's hunt. "Give it a couple of days to heal," he said firmly when the stubborn anthropologist tried to argue with him. "You'll be useless if you make it worse and I don't want to be stuck having to carry your ass all the way back to Hometree."

Norm gave up the argument, grudgingly admitting that Jake was right. No matter how eager he was to complete his right of passage, his enthusiasm couldn't heal broken skin. He concentrated on taking care of his wounded feet instead and he made sure the bandages were kept clean. By that afternoon, he could walk without limping so much and he put his cap on and walked into the forest surrounding Hometree, intending to harvest his dinner from the local plants and trees. He didn't get far into the forest before he heard singing and he paused, his ears twitching as he listened.

"Ni'nat," he whispered to himself, smiling a little.

She was singing the weaving song, somewhere up ahead amongst the trees. He approached as quietly as possible and when he came within sight of her, he paused. He had no hope of getting closer without her sensing him—at least, not yet. He didn't want to interrupt her song, so he moved behind the trunk of a tree to stay out of sight and he sat down on the grass, resting his back against the tree. He turned his body a little and leaned to the side to peer around the girth of the trunk, admiring her as she worked over something she was tailoring. She was seated comfortably on a large mushroom, using it as a stool as she constructed her task.

Norm tugged his cap a little lower to shade his eyes from the glare of sunlight that slanted in from the canopy overhead and he faced forward again. He leaned his head back against the tree and shut his eyes, listening contentedly to the song. It was midway through the verses and he would regret when it finished. Her voice was like a harp, sweetly melodic and resonant. Norm sighed, imagining what it would be like to hear that voice murmur loving endearments to him each night.

A shadow fell over him and Norm looked up to see Jake standing there with a smirk on his face. "I followed you to ask you a few things, but I can see you're busy." He peered around the tree before looking at him again. "Talking to her might be the way to go here, Norm. Hiding behind a tree isn't going to get you anywhere."

Norm shot a wary look over his shoulder before shushing Jake. "I just don't want to interrupt her," he said in a low, warning tone. "Keep it down!"

"And you call _me_ a moron," Jake snorted. "Odds are, she already knows you're here. Ni'nat is a good hunter."

"Okay, I've got it," Norm muttered. "Now be quiet!"

Ni'nat's song ended and Norm froze. His ears perked up to listen for any sign that she was approaching. He heard a soft rustle and then silence, but for the sound of birds and animals in the forest. Jake looked into the little clearing and grinned crookedly before shooting Norm one last glance and walking away. Norm sat there for a moment and debated over what he should do. He was tense, knowing that he wasn't observant enough yet to hear her if she approached. He expected to feel her poke him on the arm or speak to him out of nowhere at any moment and he braced himself for it.

The minutes ticked by and nothing happened. Norm finally decided to investigate, feeling unreasonably worried that something might have happened to her. He stood up and walked into the area she had been in.

"Ni'nat?" He called softly.

She was gone. It was like she had vanished. He looked at the ground near the toadstools where she had been sitting, attempting to spot signs of her passing. He was still inexperienced with tracking and while he could detect a very faint trail around the mushrooms, he could see no further evidence of where she might have gone.

A sudden burst of movement from the thick bushes ahead of him prompted Norm to reach for his knife. He had time to see a blur of cyan skin, dark braids and yellow eyes before he was knocked on his back. His hunting knife flew out of his hand and his cap landed a couple of feet away. The wind was knocked out of him and Norm stared up at Ni'nat with stunned, wide eyes, wondering what he did to deserve the attack. Maybe she was offended that he had watched her without speaking up.

Norm opened his mouth to blurt an apology but Ni'nat lowered her forehead to his and spoke before he could get the words past his lips.

"You are easy prey, Norm." She smiled sharply. While the expression was playful, there was something feral about it, too. "I was faster, this time."

"But I was just trying to protect you from the Ramut tree seeds before," Norm objected.

She laughed softly. "And I am testing your instincts. You need improvement."

He wasn't offended by the observation. While her actions seemed playful on the surface, it made sense for her to test how he was progressing. His quick mind pointed out other possible reasons for her behavior as he noticed the way her tail swayed behind her back. Her hands were clamped over his wrists, holding them down on either side of his head.

"I'll try harder," he promised breathlessly. He squirmed a little and expression told him she felt the evidence of what the contact was doing to him.

Ni'nat released his wrists and she sat comfortably on top of him, dragging her hands over the material of the muscle shirt that he wore under his army jacket. She grasped the shirt and boldly tugged it out of his pants, pulling it up to expose his chest and stomach.

"Uh, Ni'nat," Norm faltered. All of his knowledge concerning the aggression of some Na'vi females when they sought mates didn't prepare him for experiencing it first-hand.

She deftly scooted down and lowered her face to his stomach. She inhaled deeply as she moved up his chest to his neck. She straightened up again and gazed down at him with heavy-lidded eyes. Her fingers toyed with the metal identification tags around his neck.

"You wear too many clothes." She settled more comfortably on top of him, purring a little as she pressed firmly against his crotch. She reached for something tied to her weapon harness and Norm stared as she presented a newly tailored loincloth to him.

"I made it for you," Ni'nat explained. "You do not have one, yet?"

"No," admitted Norm. "You...made this for me?" In truth, he had been putting off wearing a loincloth even though he knew and accepted that he would have to eventually. Receiving one as a gift from Ni'nat put it into a whole new perspective. He traced the tribal symbols etched into the finely treated, pliant leather and his lust was temporarily forgotten. So, _this_ was what she had been tailoring when he came upon her. She must have been finishing the last details.

Ni'nat nodded in confirmation and gave him a faintly wary, shy smile. "You like?" She asked in English.

"Very much," he answered.

"Then you will wear it?" She asked him in her native language.

Norm met her eyes and nodded. "I am honored," he replied in Na'vi. He didn't care _how_ uncomfortable it might feel. Ni'nat made it with her own hands and he'd get used to wearing it, eventually.

The happy expression she gave him seemed genuine and he thought he detected a hint of relief in it as well. Na'vi women were so complex in their quicksilver moods but that was part of what fascinated him so much. Ni'nat stood up and offered him a hand. Disappointed by the loss of intimate contact, Norm took her hand and struggled to his aching feet, holding the garment she'd made for him to his chest. He inclined his head thankfully to her and straightened up his shirt. He noticed her eyeing his ID tags again and he allowed her to lift them in her fingers to study them.

Impulse took hold of Norm. He didn't think he had anything to give her that she would be interested in, but she seemed to like his tags well enough. It was a poor gift compared to the carefully handcrafted piece of Na'vi clothing but until he could learn how to make something nice for her in return, it was better than nothing.

"Do you like these?" Norm asked her.

"They catch the light," she replied with a little smile. "They are unusual."

He un-fastened the chain and held it out to her. "I want you to have them, then."

She blinked at him and slowly took the dangling tags from his hand.

"I know they aren't anything special," Norm said self-consciously.

She smiled at him. "That is not true, Normspellman." She touched the tags. "I will wear them with pride."

He helped her fasten the chain around her neck and he stepped back to admire the way the tags rested over her traditional necklace. Norm felt giddy. He stared at her and worked up his courage. If she _was_ scouting for a potential mate, she needed to know how he felt.

"Ni'nat, I..." He faltered. How many months had he been infatuated with her now? He _had_ to act on it sometime, even if he only confessed his admiration for her.

Ni'nat waited patiently and tilted her head curiously.

"Thank you, for this," Norm finally said, indicating the loincloth. He sighed inwardly, angry with himself for failing to take the initiative.

"You are welcome," she said with a smile. "And thank you for the necklace. I will see you at the firepit tonight, Norm." She touched her forehead in a farewell gesture before leaving him again.

Norm stood there staring at the garment in his hands and he traced the symbols again, recognizing most of them. He saw one near the bottom that caught his attention and he peered at it curiously. When he realized it was a symbol for her name, his lips parted and his eyes went blank. Na'vi didn't make it a habit to "sign" their craftsmanship. They required no prideful recognition of their handiwork, but it wasn't uncommon for mates to wear one another's marks to subtly proclaim whom they belonged with.

Either Ni'nat was playing a cruel game with him, or she was marking her territory. Since Norm found it impossible to believe she would stoop to the former, that left only one conclusion. He looked around to make sure there were no signs of anyone within earshot and he grinned broadly.

"Yes!"

His exuberance faded a moment later and he forced himself to calm down. It was still too early to claim victory. Most likely, he wasn't the only suitor she was considering and he couldn't imagine any unmated male being crazy enough to turn her down. If she couldn't decide which one she liked the most out of her selection, it would fall on the clan leaders to do so for her.

_~But Jake is Ole'eyktan now and Neytiri's mother is Tsahik. That might give me an edge.~_

While he'd hate to "win" through favoritism, he admitted to himself that the thought of Ni'nat with another man drove him crazy. He had an even greater reason to push himself to complete his trials, now.

* * *

Jake looked Norm up and down as the anthropologist joined him at the base of the Hometree two mornings later for further training. Norm kept his expression as casual as possible but he felt awkward and self-conscious as he closed the distance and walked past people. The expression of mild surprise on Jake's face didn't help and Norm wondered if he had somehow managed to put his new loincloth on wrong. He wanted to dash back inside, get his pants out of his backpack and yank them on to cover himself. He resisted the urge and stopped before Jake.

"I'm ready."

Jake nodded. "So did you make that or did someone give it to you?" His eyes glanced at the garment briefly and meaningfully.

"It was a gift," Norm answered, but he suspected by the masked slyness in Jake's gaze that he already knew that.

"Mm-hmm. From who?"

"What difference does it make?" Norm almost reached behind to try and adjust the loincloth in the back, uncomfortable with the way the material connecting to the underside laid right between his buttocks.

"Good morning, _Ole'eyktan_. Good morning, Norm."

Both males turned to see Ni'nat approaching in the early dawn light, moving with easy grace over the forest floor. Jake inclined his head in greeting and smiled. Norm smiled wider, not realizing how much his features lit up at the sight of her.

"Good morning, Ni'nat."

She stopped before them and gave Jake a respectful gesture, pressing her hand against her heart. Her eyes moved to Norm and he felt like they were caressing him from head to toe. He felt very self-conscious but he disciplined himself and kept his stance relaxed.

"You wear the garment I made for you," Ni'nat said with soft approval. "I think it fits well. How does it feel?"

"It's very comfortable," Norm lied. Actually, all he was aware of at that moment was Ni'nat and her smile.

That smile became amused and Norm felt himself flush with the realization that he didn't fool her.

"Good," she said. "That pleases me. I wish you both good hunting, today."

Norm saw Jake's eyes flick to the ID tags hanging around Ni'nat's throat before she walked away. The warrior glanced at him sidelong and his mouth curved into a little smirk, but Jake was blessedly silent about it.

* * *

Norm's relief to get out of public sight was short-lived. They found a hot trail before noon and Norm thought he would go mad trying to ignore the wedgy his loincloth was giving him. Jake seemed to guess why he kept lagging behind, despite Norm's attempts to be discreet about it when he tugged on his garment.

"You'll get used to it," Jake told him. "It might take a few days but you'll hardly notice it anymore."

Norm took it stoically. At least the garment offered decent support; which came as a mild surprise to him. He imagined a jockstrap wouldn't feel much different.

They tracked their prey for over a mile before they caught up with it. It was a hexapede—or in the Na'vi tongue, a _yerik_. The creature was roughly Pandora's equivalent to a deer, sporting a blue hide and delicate white stripes. Instead of a rack of horns, it had fan structure surrounding its head.

Jake gave a nod to Norm, silently inviting him to take the initiative. Norm sited his arrow and loosed it, but it missed by an inch and the creature was alerted. Jake quickly drew and shot with his bow, hitting it cleanly in the heart before it could bound away.

They quickly closed in on the kill. The yerik wasn't instantly killed by the shot and Jake immediately knelt beside it and thanked it for the nourishment its body would provide to the clan. He drove his hunting knife into its heart swiftly, ending its fading life.

"It's all right," Jake assured him when he heard Norm sigh. "You barely missed it this time and you're picking up on it fast. Hell, you're picking up on it faster than I did."

Norm gave him a doubtful look. "You're trying to tell me a marine did worse than a scientist?"

Jake shrugged before returning his attention to the task of pulling his arrow out of the kill. "Yeah, I was a trained killer but automatic guns and close combat aren't the same as shooting a bow. It takes more finesse. Neytiri smacked me on the back of the head the first time I picked up a bow and drew it. She said I handled it like I was trying to snap it in half."

Norm smirked. He could easily see that. "By the sounds of it, you earned a lot of head slaps while she was teaching you."

Jake paused and smiled, his eyes distant as he remembered. "I did. She never did it hard enough to hurt but it kept me focused on what she was saying. The second time I practiced..." He trailed off into laughter and he had to sober himself up before continuing. "She said I was acting like a frail old man."

Jake imitated her voice and accent...poorly. "'Stronger, Jhake. Arm is too limp!'" He shook his head and the beads woven into his braids knocked together as he chuckled. "Damn, she was hard to satisfy."

Norm smiled in response to Jake's nostalgic humor. The warrior's eyes always softened when he talked about his mate and the affection in his smiles and laughter was hard to miss. "So what did she say when you finally got it right?"

Jake shook his head and began to bind the hooves of his kill for easier lifting. "She didn't say anything." He finished binding the creature's ankles together and he took the front legs, while Norm took the back ones. Together, they lifted the kill and they began to carry it between them back to where they came from.

"Then how did you know you did it right?" Norm asked.

Jake looked over his shoulder at him and he smiled. "She looked at me."

"That's it? Just a look?"

Jake nodded and parted his lips to say something, but his expression changed and his ears swiveled back. His eyes shifted this way and that and his body began to tense as his nostrils flared.

"Norm, drop the kill and get up that tree over there," Jake ordered in a low voice, nodding in the direction of a wide trunk with vines winding up and around it.

Norm looked around with alarm. "Why, what are you picking up?" The only thing he noticed was how quiet the wildlife surrounding them had become. His skin prickled.

"Just trust me," Jake grunted as he dropped his end of the carcass. "Get up the tree, fast."

It was then that Norm heard a guttural growl from somewhere behind the thick brush, a few yards away from them. He had heard it once before...the first time he'd ever ventured into the Pandora jungles with Grace Augustine and Jake Sully. He didn't argue with his companion any further. He let go of the hexapede and sprinted for the tree trunk, understanding why Jake chose it as the first safety option. It connected overhead to several other trees of its size through intertwining branches and vines. They could travel through the canopy overhead to put distance between themselves and the savage creature that was coming.

Jake followed behind him and waited for him to get a secure hold and start climbing. He urged him to move faster and Norm complied, his heart pounding as he heard a huge body crash through the underbrush. There was a roar from below and he glanced down to see a hulking thanator leap into the area where he and Jake had just been.

"Go!" Jake shouted beneath him.

Norm increased his efforts and scrambled further up the tree. The vines were solid and they provided a good hold for hands and feet. In the back of his mind, Norm knew with certainty that he never could have done this in his human body. They reached the first mass of branches and Jake urged him onto the thickest one to the left. Norm stepped onto it and moved over to make room for his companion as he looked over the side of the wide branch.

The thanator beneath them was sniffing the kill they had abandoned. The dark-skinned jungle predator was roughly eighteen feet long and seven feet in tall at the shoulder. Its body was similar in form to the great cats from Earth, but it had two sets of front legs and a dragon-like head. It began to eat the hexapede with a veracious appetite and Norm grimaced when he heard the crunch of bones. It wouldn't take long for the huge beast to finish the meal.

"So much for dinner," Jake panted as he stepped onto the branch and looked down. "It looks like fish or plants tonight, unless we catch some more game."

The thanator finished wolfing down its meal and it licked is chops and sniffed the air, growling.

"Uh, Jake..."

The beast looked up at them and it snarled, pulling its lip flaps back to expose dagger-like, blood-covered fangs. The thanator approached the trunk of the tree and placed one huge claw on it. It glared up at them with feral yellow eyes and began to dig its front claws into the trunk, tearing away chunks of vine and bark in the process as it pulled itself to its hind legs.

"Can they climb?" Norm asked. He knew they were terribly hard to kill and could jump long distances, but his knowledge of the creatures beyond that was spotty at best.

The thanator bunched its muscles and hugged the base of the tree with its forelegs, while scrabbling for footholds with its hind claws. Perhaps it wasn't by nature a tree-dweller but it shared the Earth feline's ability to climb, even if it lacked grace.

"Shit, looks like it," Jake yelled. "Go!"

Norm needed no further urging. He took off at a run over the branch, hopping over vines and leaves with Jake close at his heels. The branch shook as the thanator pulled its ponderous weight onto it and Jake caught Norm's arm as he nearly toppled.

"Keep going," shouted Jake.

Norm could hear the claws scraping for purchase behind them and the weight of the beast made the tree limb groan and bow. He reached the end of the limb and bunched his leg muscles to leap onto the outstretched limb of the next tree, hardly thinking about it. The sound of cracking wood reached his ears as his feet touched down on the opposite limb and it only got louder.

Norm paused and turned to check on Jake. To his horror, the tree limb he had just jumped from was breaking and falling. Jake leaped and it looked as if he might make it, except that one of the thanator's front paws swiped out at him and batted him forcibly. Norm hollered the other male's name as Jake flew backwards into the trunk of a tree to the right. The force of his collision was audible and Norm saw his eyes go wide and blank.

The thanator fell to the ground with the broken limb and Jake tumbled down after it, oddly limp. Something was _very_ wrong. Norm knew that Jake would have used the thick vegetation to slow his fall if he had his wits. Either he was too stunned from the blow or he had lost consciousness.

"Goddamn it," Norm panted, looking down for the best falling route.

He had never tried the fall-breaking maneuver before, though he was sure Jake intended to start him practicing on it soon. He saw the thanator shake its great head to clear it and he winced when he heard Jake hit the ground several feet away from the beast. There was no time.

Norm did some quick calculations in his head and prayed they were accurate as he leaped off of the tree limb and aimed for one of the large fern leaves below. He caught it and he grunted at the impact before sliding down the length of it and pushing away. He successfully landed on an octoshroom and the stalk bent as he struck, aiming him towards a set of vines that were hanging down from the overhead canopy. He barely caught them in his arms and he slid the rest of the way down on them, landing a couple of feet away from his fallen companion.

Norm stumbled over to Jake, having no time to feel pride for pulling off the trick. Jake lay on his back gasping, with his legs askew and one forearm resting on his torso. His eyes were blank with pain and blood trickled from his mouth.

"Jake," Norm said urgently, casting a look at the recovering thanator, "can you move?"

"It's...m-my back," answered the other male with a groan. He looked up at Norm with pain-furrowed brows, then over at the thanator. He pressed his lips together grimly. "Get...out of here."

Norm shook his head, terror and loyalty warring within him. "I can't do that, Jake."

The thanator fixated on them and it growled low in its throat and began to advance, hunkering down into a stalking pose as it drew closer. Norm looked around desperately and his eyes settled on a familiar, small species of tree several yards to the right. It wasn't a tall tree but its long, flexible branches grew outwards for an impressive length, arching down toward the forest floor. The barbs on those branches were as long as a human male's forearm and they easily came off when embedded in flesh; like a bee's stinger. Grace had told him that those barbs were strong and sharp enough to pierce even the thick hide of a titanotheris.

Norm got to his feet and ran toward the tree, glancing over his shoulder in the hopes that the thanator would be attracted to his movement and follow him. There was no such luck. The beast was focused on the easier, helpless prey. Jake looked at Norm and nodded painfully, showing no fear as the predator came to finish him off. He seemed to think that Norm was obeying his command to run away.

Norm skidded to a halt, drew his bow and fit an arrow. His hands were shaking a bit but the life or death situation his friend was in didn't allow for hesitation. He took aim and fired. He quickly drew another arrow and shot it as well, aiming only to hit the large target for distraction, rather than a kill. The initial projectile struck the thanator in the shoulder, piercing it shallowly. The beast roared and turned its attention to Norm just as the second arrow whizzed over its head.

"Hey," Norm shouted, waving his arms with his bow still clutched tightly in one hand.

The thanator lowered its head and glared at him menacingly, snarling. Some instinct that he didn't even know he possessed made Norm bare his teeth challengingly. "Come on!" He yelled.

The creature took the bait. It leaped right over Jake's prone form and bounded toward Norm, roaring angrily.

"Oh crap," Norm muttered, his aggression fading into alarm.

He turned and ran as fast as his blue-striped feet could carry him, heading for the spiderthorn tree. He had a good head start and he reached his goal before the thanator could close the distance between them. The need for caution forced him to take a moment to find a good place to grab one of the branches. He hooked his arm under one of the longer tree limbs and he ran with it, pulling it with him and bending it. The limb gave at first and Norm didn't stop pulling until he had to dig his heels into the ground to keep from being catapulted right at the thanator.

Norm waited, snarling as he held the branch back with substantial effort. "Come on," he grunted, "just a little...closer!"

He waited until the angry eyes were boring down at him and the sour breath reached his nostrils. Norm abruptly released the thorny branch and fell backwards, scrambling away hastily as it swung like a whip and struck the thanator in the face. The animal's lip flaps were pulled back when it got hit and one of the thorns buried itself into the vulnerable soft tissue of its gum. Several more barbs dug into its neck and shoulders and the thanator stumbled away in shock and pain. It pawed at the barbs, snarling and growling.

Norm scurried around to the other side of the tree and circled behind the thrashing creature warily, mindful of the swishing tail. The thanator fell on its side as the thorn toxins entered its bloodstream and began to paralyze it. When Norm was sure that it couldn't come after he or Jake anymore, he ran back to his companion's side and knelt beside him. Jake was still conscious and he saw the entire thing.

"You're the...only guy I know...who could kill a fucking thanator...with a tree," Jake gasped, a tiny smile quirking his mouth despite his obvious suffering.

"Don't try to move," Norm said in concern, looking the prone warrior up and down. "And try not to talk too much, Jake. I'm going to get you some help."

"Mo'at," Jake coughed. "Get her."

"No," refused Norm. "I'll get word to her and Neytiri but not leaving you here helpless like this. I'm calling Hell's Gate for air transport and a medical team. You don't need to be jostled around."

Norm reached up and activated the transmitter he wore around his neck. He had kept it on him in case anyone at the base needed to reach him or Jake but he hadn't foreseen something like this happening.

"This is Norm Spellman, does anybody copy? This is Norm Spellman, I have a situation here, over!"

"We read you, Dr. Spellman," came an unfamiliar female voice. "What is your situation?"

"Corporal Sully is badly injured," answered Norm with relief, "we need air transport and a medical team to come and get us at our coordinates, stat."

Norm looked around, trying to gather his bearings so that he could give them a location. The area was unfamiliar to him and he grimaced and looked to his stricken companion. "Jake, can you tell me where we are? I need you to try and give me some general coordinates so they can find us."

Jake opened his eyes and looked around as best he could. "Winding Path zone," he said haltingly, "about...five clicks...north by north-west of Hometree."

Faintly amazed that Jake could remain so calm and coherent in his situation, Norm repeated the information to the woman on the other end of the transmission. "Make it fast," he pressed grimly when he finished. "I'll try to find a way to signal the pilot when they get close."

"Roger that. We'll get on it right away, Doctor."

Norm ended the transmission but he kept the communication device on to listen for the rescue operatives. He checked Jake's pupils and his concerns grew as he saw the first signs of shock. "Just try to relax, Jake. They're coming to take care of you."

The thanator lying a few yards away growled and now the sound was more pitiful than menacing. Jake's ears twitched when he heard the sound and he struggled to look at the beast. "It's...still alive?"

"The tree's toxins haven't finished it off yet," confirmed Norm with a glance at the weakening creature. "Its size is slowing the process down. Don't worry about that, Jake. You need to be still and try to rest."

Jake gave a bare shake of his head with effort. "You...finish it off. It's your kill, Norm. Send it to Eywa with the...hunter's blessing."

Norm hesitated and Jake must have read the revenge in his eyes because he gave him an intense, feverish look. "It's suffering, _tsmukan_. It...wasn't anything personal."

Norm stared at him. Jake had just called him "brother" in Na'vi. He was more dug into the Na'vi ways than Norm suspected. He also realized that somehow, the two of them really _had_ become friends...perhaps even best friends. What's more, Jake was right. It wasn't the way of the People to let a kill suffer, whether it attacked unprovoked or not. The thanator had acted on natural instinct, not malice.

"Okay Jake. I'll take care of it. Just hang in there."

Norm got to his feet and cast one more worried look at his companion before drawing his hunting knife from his sheath and approaching the dying thanator. Now that he listened to its shuddering breath and pain-filled snarls, he _did _feel pity for it. Regret filled him and he wished he and Jake hadn't been in the wrong place at the wrong time when they tracked their quarry. The glazed yellow eyes glared balefully at him as he circled around the huge body.

Norm realized that there was still enough fight left in the thanator to make it unwise to try and get in close. If he was going to end this without losing a limb, he had to rely on archery. He replaced his knife in the sheath and prepared his bow, fitting one of the sharpest arrows he could find in his quiver. He stared into the suffering animal's eyes and aimed for the one on the left.

"Thank you for this, brother," Norm said in Na'vi. "As your journey ends, your spirit will return to Eywa, but your body will remain here to nourish the Na'vi people."

In truth, Norm didn't even know if thanator meat was edible by Na'vi standards and there was no way for him to transport parts of his kill back to Hometree for the use of the clan. The animal would nourish the creatures of the forest, however. He took a steadying breath and looked at Jake, who was watching him silently. Norm gave him a nod and drew the arrow back, focusing all of his concentration on aiming for the thanator's eye. He whispered a prayer to Eywa without thinking, asking her to guide his arrow to send the creature back to her without further suffering.

Norm hesitated for two seconds and then loosed the arrow. It whistled through the humid air and struck deep, driving through the thanator's eye and into its brain. The beast twitched reflexively and lay blessedly still after a moment, killed almost instantly by the shot. Norm slowly lowered his bow and exhaled. It was done. Now he had other things to concern him.

Norm half-expected a "take care of Neytiri" speech from his companion when he returned to his side, but Jake wasn't the sort of man to give up easily. All he asked for was that Norm get word to her for him. Norm promised he would and he kept his ears perked for the sound of an approaching aircraft.

* * *

"Neytiri?" E'quath called when the huntress suddenly called out and changed course. He and Ni'nat exchanged a look as they banked to follow her.

"Sister, what are you doing?" Ni'nat hollered when her ikran was close enough for the other female to hear her.

"Jake," Neytiri shouted back over the wind, "Something is wrong!"

Mo'at had explained to her that the bond shared by a mated pair was deep. Mo'at had felt it when Eytucan lay dying near their original Hometree, after the Sky People opened fire upon it. Her cry of rage and grief had been as much for her lost mate as her lost home. Neytiri didn't fully comprehend the depth of a mated bond until she felt the devastating certainty in her spirit that something terrible had happened to her mate. It was like a blow to her heart and her senses cried out, guiding her towards his direction.

E'quath flew slower due to the burden of the kill strapped to his ikran's back but he pushed the beast to keep up with the two females as they headed north. Neytiri spared a glance over her shoulder to be sure he wasn't falling behind before facing forward again and pressing her lips together grimly. She had no way of knowing what had happened. All that she knew was that Jake was in distress and he was somewhere in the direction she was now heading.

* * *

"What the hell happened to you guys back there?" Trudy's voice asked over the transmission from the cockpit once they lifted off.

Norm pressed his transmitter and shook his head. "I'll explain when we get to Hell's Gate and they see to him. It's complicated."

Jake was securely strapped down to the gurney and Max had already given him a dosage of sedative and pain suppressant specifically designed for avatar and Na'vi physiology. The bearded doctor hovered over his patient, looking just as worried as Norm felt. The Samson cleared the foliage and began to head back toward Hell's Gate. Trudy was pushing for speed as much as she could without causing added turbulence. The medic team worked tirelessly over the patient, keeping a constant vigil on his vital signs and the IV drip they had attached to him.

"Norm, I need to know what happened," Max pressed.

Understanding the need for it, Norm explained the event to the other man. Max's dark brows shot up when he finished. "You took down a thanator? With...a tree?"

Apparently, Trudy had been listening in from the cockpit and her chuckle came through the transmission. "Leave it to a tree-hugger. Way to go, Norm. You're one bad-ass hippie."

Norm had no reply to that but amazingly; he thought he saw Jake's lips twitch as if in amusement.

"A back injury could be bad," Max said, leaning close to Norm to keep his voice from carrying. "Dr. Jacobs is trained in Na'vi physiology however. Hopefully he can surgically correct the problem."

"How often has he opened up a Na'vi?" Norm muttered back as quietly as he could.

Max looked uncomfortable. "He's had a lot of practice on avatar cadavers that didn't make it through the linking process."

Norm sighed and pressed his lips together. "I shouldn't have asked."

"Guys," Trudy's voice called out over the transmission, "We've got a trio of banshee riders coming up behind us. Norm, do they look familiar to you?"

Norm pulled the lever down to open the cargo door on his side and he grunted with effort as he yanked it open. He cast a look at Jake to be sure the buffeting wind wasn't bothering him but the other male seemed to be passed out. He stuck his head out and his queue whipped in the wind as he looked behind them and saw the approaching Na'vi.

"It's okay," Norm shouted, a little relieved when he recognized the color patterns on the ikran pursuing the craft, "It's Neytiri and her hunting party."

* * *

Neytiri pushed Tukru for speed and when she saw the Na'vi symbol painted on the side of the chopper, she held her hand up to her companions to indicate that allies piloted it. E'quath and Ni'nat put their bows away on her command and they flanked the chopper. She recognized Norm leaning out the side of the craft, waving and shouting to her. She felt a definite sense of _Jake_ inside and she flew her new ikran closer. Norm held out a hand to her and she took it, deftly hopping off of her mount and into the Samson with his help. Now that his bond rider was no longer guiding him, Tukru banked away from the noisy aircraft.

Neytiri immediately looked at her injured mate when she steadied herself and she cried out and went to his side, ignoring the masked humans around her. Norm came up beside her and put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"We were attacked by a thanator while hunting," Norm explained in Na'vi. "Jake was injured while watching out for me. He briefly explained the entire thing and when he finished, he touched a hand to his forehead and looked down. "Forgive me."

Neytiri looked at the anthropologist and she saw the concern in his eyes. She knew that if it weren't for his loyalty, her mate would no longer be alive. "I forgive nothing," she said, "because there is nothing to forgive."

Returning her attention to Jake, she stroked his clammy face and brushed her thumbs over his eyelashes. "Jake? My Jake?"

He opened his eyes and there was only a thin band of yellow around the pupils. "Ney...tiri?"

She pushed down strong emotions and forced a smile. "I see you."

"I...see you," he answered in a slurred voice. She had to bend closer to hear him as he put a hand over the one she was caressing his face with. "Neytiri, Norm is ready. He...killed the thanator...all on his own. He's ready to be a sky hunter."

"We will teach him," she promised. Her voice was thick with unshed tears. She could tell he was in pain and she didn't know how badly injured he was. "Jake, rest now. I will send for Mother."

He gave her one of those maddeningly confident smirks before his eyes drifted shut. Neytiri waited until his hand slid limp from hers before she pressed a kiss on his forehead and took a deep breath. Adjusting her balance, she moved toward the open door and peered out at E'quath, who was flying alongside the chopper now.

Neytiri cried out to him with a series of avian calls and whistles, indicating her wishes. He raised a hand to her in respectful acquiescence before shouting a call to the female who was flying on the other side of the aircraft. Together, he and Ni'nat flew away in a different direction to retrieve and escort the clan's _Tsahik_ back to Hell's Gate.

* * *

"Jake, can you hear us?"

Jake groaned, feeling like he was in the middle of a flashback. He opened his eyes and found himself looking at Max from an odd angle. The brown-skinned doctor was wearing an exopack mask over his face. "Why are you squatted on the floor?"

Max smiled a little. "You're on your stomach, Jake. We just ran you through some ex-rays and you're in the avatar medical branch. Listen to me, okay? Don't try to move—"

Jake impulsively tried to rise from the table and he felt and abrupt smack on the back of his head. His ears pulled back against his head and he instinctively stopped trying to get up as his mate's voice came to his ears.

"You lay _still_!"

"Max, tell her she shouldn't hit sick people," Jake grunted.

"I'm not getting into this," countered the doctor. He moved aside to make room for Neytiri and gave her a respectful nod.

Neytiri's ethereal, worried face came into Jake's view and he gave her a faltering smile. "I think you scared Max."

Neytiri cast a look over her shoulder at the man in question and her lips curved. "He cares for you, so he has no reason to fear."

"Jake, can you feel this?"

Jake frowned at the interruption and it occurred to him that he couldn't move his legs. "No. I didn't feel a damned thing. What did you do?" He struggled to look at Max but the doctor was out of his range of sight, speaking with an older man who Jake recognized as Dr. Jacobs.

"We poked your feet," answered Max.

"What the hell's going on?" Demanded Jake, attempting to rise again.

"No, Jake!" Neytiri firmly pressed his shoulders back down and gave him a tortured look. "You be still."

"Jake," Norm's voice intervened from somewhere to the right, "Your spine got injured when that thanator threw you against the tree. Dr. Jacobs thinks he can take the pressure off your spine and correct the problem with surgery."

"Broken?" Jake asked, feeling a flood of terror wash over him.

"No," answered the voice of Dr. Jacobs, "Na'vi bones are hard to break, but one of your vertebrae was forced out of place and it's pressing on your spinal cord. I'm confident that I can manually reset the damaged segment if you'll allow it."

"Will I feel my legs again?" Jake tried to speak in a calm tone of voice, but he heard the fear in his own question. He didn't want to go back to being a paraplegic.

"We won't know that until after we relieve the pressure on your spine," answered Dr. Jacobs.

Jake felt utterly defeated and he lay bonelessly on the examination bed. "That's what they told me before."

Jake heard a familiar female voice speak up. "What is involved in this thing you wish to do?"

"We'll have to make an incision—" began Max.

"You want to cut him open?" Neytiri snarled threateningly and Jake reached out and patted her hand, trying to calm her.

"Shhh, it's okay," He murmured.

"Calmly, Daughter," soothed the familiar voice. Jake managed to turn his head enough to see Mo'at standing beside Dr. Jacobs and he felt relieved by her presence.

Neytiri settled down at her mother's tone and she took Jake's closest hand and held it in hers.

"When will you try this thing you want to do?" Mo'at asked the two human doctors.

"As soon as possible," responded Max. "We want him on the operating table by morning."

"And you have methods to ensure he does not feel what you are doing?" Persisted Mo'at.

"Of course," answered Dr. Jacobs. "We've perfected medication for Na'vi. Your people aren't that dissimilar from ours, when it comes to that. Jake won't feel a thing."

Mo'at was silent for a moment and Jake thought her eyes flicked to Norm, who was standing to the left of him. "I trust that you have methods to heal Jakesully's injury," she said to the doctors after some thought, "but I do not trust your dream potion. I will administer one of my own, to ensure that he does not wake until you have finished."

"Madame, with all due respect—" began Dr. Jacobs.

"Don't argue with her," warned Norm. "She knows what she's doing and you don't have any idea whether Jake will have an allergic reaction to your anesthesia or not."

Mo'at reinforced Norm's words by staring into Dr. Jacobs' eyes until he looked away uncomfortably. "I will proved the dream potion for my son."

Neither Jacobs nor Max offered further arguments. Mo'at seemed to be satisfied with that and she looked over at Jake and met his eyes. Her expression softened and the luminescent spots dotting her features dimmed.

"I will go now to collect what I need," Mo'at said. "Leave my daughter and her mate alone. She has something to share with him, I think."

* * *

After everyone filed out of the room, Jake felt Neytiri's hand pick up his queue. He grunted and tried to pull away.

"No, I don't want you to feel this," he groaned.

She paused and looked at him with shiny, loving eyes before pressing two fingers against his lips. "Shh, Jake. I can share your pain. There is something I must share with you, too."

He had no strength to fight her and he gasped as she lined up the tip of her queue with his and made the connection. He felt her fear for him, her passionate love and the pain she experienced from the link.

"Neytiri," he panted, "D-don't. You don't have to do this."

"Oh, my Jake," she murmured huskily. Her hands settling on his shoulders and he felt warm tears fall onto his back. "I am with you. Feel me."

He felt like crying too. He was trying hard to cope with the knowledge that he could be crippled once again, but subjecting Neytiri to his pain and feeling her tears was unbearable. He was about to ask her once more to break the link, but then he felt something that made his ears perk up. There was a tiny presence in there, along with Neytiri's. His mouth parted in wonder and he looked at her, blinking.

"Is that what I think it is?"

Neytiri squatted down to smile at him, her tears slowly dripping down her face. "Our child, Jake. We made a child together. You see? You cannot give up. Our son or daughter needs a strong-willed father."

Jake took a deep, painful breath and reached out with effort to caress her face. "We did it?"

She laid a hand over the one touching her face and nodded. "You are a very cooperative mate."

Despite his pain, he laughed. It made the pain worse but he pushed it aside. He wasn't sure how he'd really feel about being a father, until now. He was initially in it for Neytiri's sake and because it was what was expected of him. Now that he felt the faint, tiny life form he had created with his mate, his sense of determination rose.

"This won't beat me."

* * *

-To be continued


	7. Chapter 7

"Between worlds"

Chapter 7

* * *

_**Author's note: See footnotes at the end of the chapter for Na'vi/English translations.**_

* * *

*Disclaimer: I do not own Pandora and I make no profit from writing fanfiction based on the "Avatar" film.

* * *

"Drink," Mo'at instructed as she held the cup to her adopted son's lips. Jake awkwardly lifted up on his elbows with Neytiri's help and he obediently swallowed the potent brew. He grimaced at the taste but he drank all of it without complaint.

"This will put me down?" Jake asked when the cup was empty and Mo'at took it away from him.

"You will sleep deeply, as if in a coma," Mo'at answered him. She stroked his hair with maternal affection as he laid his head back down on the pillow. "You will not wake for a full day, Jakesully. You will feel no pain and you may dream while you are away."

"Thank you, Mother," Jake answered, trying to relax. The pain made it difficult and Neytiri continually rubbed his shoulder. She had hardly moved from her place beside his bed since they got there and he turned his head to look at her. "You should go out and have something to eat from the gardens."

"I will, after you have fallen asleep," she insisted. She lowered her mouth to his and kissed him softly.

Jake reached out and stroked her hair. "You could at least sit down in the chair. It's sized for Na'vi, you know."

She glanced over her shoulder at the chair in the corner and shrugged, remaining on her knees where she was. "Human sitting places aren't comfortable. I will stay here."

Jake sighed and looked at Mo'at, grunting as the simple motion caused him pain. "Your daughter is a very stubborn woman, you know that?"

Mo'at smiled at him, her eyes going to Neytiri. "She gets that from her father. I will ensure my daughter eats, Jakesully."

He smiled, feeling sleepy already. Mo'at left the room to give him and Neytiri some privacy and Jake looked at his mate again, admiring her beautiful, worried features. He could tell that she was trying to be brave for him but her ears continued to droop as she held his hand and stroked his hair. He wished his fear hadn't fed through so much when they linked and he blamed himself for making her so anxious.

"Hey," he whispered as his eyes grew heavy-lidded. "It's nothing I haven't done before. I'll find a way to manage, if they can't fix it."

In truth, he would have to relinquish his chieftain status if he ended up crippled and he wasn't even sure he could continue living with the Omaticaya. He knew they wouldn't shun him or throw him out, but what good could he be to the clan if he couldn't hunt or gather? He would only be a burden, and not just to his wife and mother-in-law.

Neytiri nodded at him but he could see that his bravado wasn't convincing her. She knew what it would mean if the _olo'eyktan_ became crippled. All that Jake could do now was be strong for her and prey to Eywa that they could correct the damage to his spine. His thoughts became scattered as Mo'at's potent mixture worked on him and he began to fall asleep. When his eyes drifted shut and didn't open again, he felt Neytiri's soft lips brush against his before consciousness faded completely.

* * *

"I can't stress enough how important it is that you give it everything you've got," Norm told Dr. Jacobs as he walked with him and the surgical team to retrieve Jake from his room. "Jake _needs_ the use of his legs."

"No pressure," sighed Roy. "Don't worry, Dr. Spellman. I'm aware of what life as a paraplegic would mean for any Na'vi, let alone a leader. I'm treating this as a life or death situation and you have my word that I'll put forth my very best effort. I have every reason to believe that resetting the vertebrae that's pushing on his spinal cord will correct the problem, but you need to accept that there's a chance that the injury is too severe for it to work."

"I know," answered Norm grimly. He felt a little better knowing that Max would be assisting with the operation. Not that he didn't trust Dr. Jacobs, but Max was Jake's friend and he had greater incentive than Roy did to help him.

Norm waited outside as Jacobs and his two assistants wheeled the gurney into Jake's room to collect him. He peered in and the sight of Neytiri's mother gently urging her to let go of her mate's hand made Norm's heart clench.

"It's going to be okay, Neytiri," Norm assured her. "You trust Max, right?"

Ears drooping, she nodded and allowed her mother to coax her away from Jake's side so that the doctors could transfer him to the gurney. It was unusual to see the strong-willed, brave huntress so vulnerable. Norm rubbed tired eyes and decided that soon, he would go to the avatar bunker and end his link for a much-needed shower and nap.

* * *

Sebastian could speak in small, simple sentences now. It took effort but he was more or less coherent. He heard the news that Jake Sully was undergoing surgery for a back injury and he wanted to do something to help. After all, if it weren't for him, Sebastian would still be trapped in a feral state of mind. He went outside to the gardens and picked a selection of the native fruits and nuts cultivated there, guessing that Jake would have friends and family members there with him. He collected enough fruit to squeeze for juice and he gathered enough nuts and berries to put a few snack servings together.

He crossed paths with Trudy as he was headed back inside to make use of the kitchen in the lab building. She was running the obstacle course and she stopped to greet him when she saw him.

"Hey there, avatar who wasn't." She walked over to him, breathing a little heavily behind her exopack mask from her exercise. She looked at all of the food he was carrying and her eyebrows went up. "Damn, a little hungry there, Sebastian?"

He smiled in amusement and shook his head. He didn't know the pilot very well yet but he liked her so far. "It isn't...for me. It's for S-Sully's fam-ily."

She sobered, glancing at the lab building. "Yeah, I'll bet they could use a little pick-me-up about now. You're a sweet kid."

He shrugged. "I twenty-seven," he reminded her. "Why does everyone call me kid?"

Trudy patted him on the arm. "Sorry man. It's not that you _look_ like a kid. I think we're all just used to Na'vi and avatars towering over us at nine-feet plus. I'm still a dwarf compared to you."

Sebastian chuckled. Most people were taller than Trudy but few were foolish enough to believe her size made her delicate. From what he had heard, she could kick ass with the best of them.

"Want to come with?" He offered.

Trudy considered it and nodded. "Sure. I'd like to check up on the jarhead anyway."

Together, they went into the lab building. Sebastian opened the door and walked through, bracing himself for the uncomfortable adjustment to the different atmosphere.

"Pretty cool that you can go anywhere you want without having to worry about an exopack," Trudy commented. She had nearly reminded him to grab a Na'vi exopack from the storage unit outside the entrance but then she remembered he suffered no breathing restrictions.

"Yeah," Sebastian coughed. "Cool." The door shut behind them and he took a moment to get used to the oxygenated air.

He saw Katherine down the hall and he impulsively called out to her. "Kath!"

Unfortunately, he couldn't speak her full name yet but she assured him that half a name was better than nothing. She even said she liked the shortened version, so he stopped worrying about trying to pronounce it in full.

She smiled and approached, her gaze flitting over him as she closed the distance. He thought he saw warmth in her gaze and possibly a hint of admiration—which made him feel great. He had intended to trim his hair short—barring the queue, of course. Katherine told him she liked the length of his loose hair so he changed his mind and left it long for her. He was embarrassed to admit to himself that he loved it when she brushed his hair for him, even though he suspected she didn't fully see him as a man when she did it.

Katherine greeted Trudy politely before settling her eyes on Sebastian's produce. "Where are you going with all that fruit?"

"Breakfast," he explained slowly, "For Jake's family."

She smiled at him. "That's a really sweet gesture, Sebastian. I'm sure they'll appreciate it."

"So have they wheeled Jake in for surgery yet?" Trudy asked.

"Yes, from what I've heard," answered Katherine. She sighed. "Poor guy. I hope they succeed."

"Yeah," Trudy agreed with a frown. "It's gotta suck to get use of his legs back just to lose it again. I'm going to go to the surgical wing and check on how it's going. See you guys around."

They watched her go and then Katherine returned her attention to Sebastian. "Would you like some help with that?" She pointed at the produce in his basket. "I don't know much about Na'vi food preparation but you can just tell me what to do."

He smiled at her and nodded gratefully.

* * *

Norm was in his human body again and he stood at the window of the operation room with an exopack mask on. Standing with him was Ramona, Ni'nat and E'quath.

"What's up guys," Trudy greeted as she approached. She looked into the operating room, where they had Jake lying on his stomach as they worked on his spine. "How is it looking?"

Norm shook his head, his eyes on the patient lying in the room. "It's too early to tell. They just opened him up a few minutes ago."

"Poor baby," Ramona sighed.

"Just remember the 'poor baby' has a mate," reminded Norm with a sidelong smirk at her.

"It's kind of hard to forget, with you constantly throwing it in my face," countered the zoologist dryly. She looked up at the tall warrior standing beside Norm and she smiled crookedly at him. "How you doing?"

"Normspellman, is this woman trying to entice me?" E'quath murmured in Na'vi.

"Probably," sighed Norm in the same language. "She is harmless, though. Her flirting is mostly for play."

"Hey, I understood some of that," Ramona announced in offended tones. "So what if I have a weakness for Na'vi men?"

"She had better not display her 'weakness' on you, Norm," Ni'nat said seriously.

Norm flushed a little, charmed by the possessive warning in the singer's tone. "I'm fairly safe from her while I'm in this body," he assured her, glancing down at his human form.

Actually, that wasn't entirely true but Ramona seemed to have better control over her impulses around human males. Something about the Na'vi men blew away her inhibitions and Norm wondered if she had ever fooled around with any of the avatar operators while they were linked. He suspected that the only reason she didn't flirt with Sebastian was out of respect for Katherine. The botanist might deny it if anyone asked her but it was pretty obvious to most people that she had a thing for Sebastian and vice-versa.

* * *

Sebastian knocked on the threshold of the door to announce himself and he waited for the older Na'vi woman in the room to nod in greeting before walking in with Katherine. The botanist carried a tray with a selection of nuts and berries piled onto a leaf, while Sebastian carried a tray with a pitcher of freshly squeezed juice and four cups.

"Are you hungry?" offered Sebastian in halting Na'vi.

Neytiri was lying on Jake's bed and she lifted her head and exchanged a glance with her mother before nodding. "Thank you."

The older woman regarded Sebastian curiously as he placed the tray on the bedside table and Katherine followed suit with her tray. "You are the one who is trapped in your Dreamwalker body?"

"Yes," he answered self-consciously. Her scrutiny made him uncomfortable but he didn't want to offend her, so he kept it to himself. It was only natural for Na'vi to be curious about him.

She studied him thoughtfully, her intelligent eyes taking in his black button-up shirt, grey jeans and black hiking boots. She walked around behind him and he nearly jumped when she picked up his tail briefly before lifting his queue to examine it.

"Your mind is still shackled," she said, coming around to stand before him once more.

Sebastian realized then that this woman was a spiritual leader amongst her people and he gave her a respectful nod. "J-Jake helped me get this far."

"And you pay your respects by feeding his family." She nodded approvingly and her features softened. "You are honorable. I am sure Jakesully will continue helping you, when he recovers."

Sebastian inclined his head and hoped it didn't seem like he was offering the food as incentive for Jake to keep working with him. "He should...c-concentrate on getting well," he murmured.

"My daughter and I will see to that," assured the woman with a little smile. She looked over her shoulder at Neytiri. "Eat, daughter. That child you carry needs nourishment and your mate would not want you making yourself ill."

"Congratulations," Katherine said awkwardly, "I mean, about the baby."

Neytiri instinctively touched a hand to her lower abdomen and she nodded. "We are pleased." With the reminder of her condition, she scooted over and began to eat the food they had brought.

"We'll leave you alone, now," Katherine said with a meaningful look Sebastian's way.

He nodded, understanding that the two Na'vi women probably wanted some privacy with their meal. He and Katherine left the room together and Neytiri's mother graciously thanked them once again.

* * *

Norm went to take a power nap after checking on the progress of Jake's surgery. He was nearly asleep when there was a knock on the door of his sleeping quarters. He grumbled under his breath and pulled the sheets aside, practically rolling out of the bunk. He grabbed the robe hanging on the side of the bunk, though boxer shorts weren't exactly immodest. If he could have slept in his avatar body, he would have. His human body felt strange to him these days.

"Ni'nat," Norm said with surprise when he opened the door and looked up at the huntress. She was wearing an exopack so that she could breath in the human area.

"Trudychacón said I could find you here," she informed him with a little smile. "Am I disturbing you?"

"Never," he said with blatant honesty. He could sleep later. "Please, come in."

She had to duck to avoid hitting her head on the top of the threshold and Norm shut the door behind her and locked it. He realized that he didn't have anywhere for her to sit, other than his bunk. Fortunately, it was a large enough bunk for two people to rest side-by-side, so at least the Na'vi woman could recline on it with relative comfort if she wished.

"Would you like to sit down?" He gestured at the bunk. "It's comfortable enough."

"Will you sit with me?" She smiled at him.

It took him a moment to push the words past his lips. "If you want me to."

"I do." She seated herself on the bunk a bit gingerly, as if concerned whether it would hold her weight. She relaxed when the sturdy bedding didn't protest and she patted the spot beside her invitingly.

Norm's mouth felt dry and he wondered again why a woman like her was even remotely interested in a geek like him, much less a "Dreamwalker". He was thankful for his good fortune and he sat down beside her, once again aware of how small he was in comparison to her.

"Do you think they can help our _olo'eyktan_, Norm?"

"I'm sure they'll do their best," answered Norm. "If he were human and took a blow like that, he'd either be dead or crippled for life. His Na'vi bones are much more resilient and we hope that by moving the injured part of his spine back into place, the pressure on his spinal cord will be relieved and he'll feel his legs again."

She looked a bit confused and Norm cursed himself. He had tried to put it in layman's terms but Ni'nat's English wasn't perfect. Even a simple explanation was understandably confusing to one who had never been exposed to human medical practices.

"If they heal the injured bone," she said carefully, "that should end the numbness in his legs?"

He smiled, relieved that she figured it out. "That's exactly right."

"I'm not clever," she sighed, smirking at him as if guessing why he was so relieved.

"Don't say that," countered Norm. "You _are_ clever. You fooled me that day with the tree and I'm not usually gullible."

Ni'nat tilted her head. "Gull-ibal?"

"It means easily tricked."

She laughed softly, her eyes shining with amusement. "I did fool you. That surprised me." She stroked his face with her fingertips and her expression sobered as she traced the dark circles under his eyes. "You need rest."

"I can rest later." Her simple touch ignited fires within him and he wished he had thought to shave. Ni'nat didn't seem to mind the stubble, though. She didn't even seem to mind him being in his human body, which Norm found heartening.

"You rest _now_," she insisted. She placed her hands on his shoulders and pushed him down onto his back despite his surprised protest. "You will sicken without sleep."

She yawned behind her mask a moment after saying it, briefly displaying her sharp canines and pink tongue. Norm smirked up at her. "You could use some rest too."

She smiled slyly at him. "Yes, I could. Move over, please."

His mouth dropped open. "W-wouldn't you be more comfortable in the avatar bunker?"

"Would you rather I go there?"

He shook his head rapidly. "No, it isn't that! It's just...that exopack doesn't look very comfortable to sleep in."

"It does not bother me," she assured him. "I would rather sleep beside you."

He was incredibly flattered by that and he scooted back until he was pressed against the wall to make plenty of room for her. She stretched out gracefully beside him and her feet hung over the end of the bunk. It was on the tip of Norm's tongue to tell her his avatar body was in the Na'vi quarters but he didn't want to give her any reason to leave his bed, now. She'd be sleeping next to an empty shell if she lay down beside his avatar now, anyway.

Her long, elegant hand took one of his and Norm swallowed as she placed it on her hip. He instinctively caressed the nearly bare, smooth skin and he stared into her eyes, wishing there wasn't a barrier of thick plastic covering her face. She released his hand and rested hers on his waist. He noticed she was still wearing his ID tags around her neck and he felt like grinning idiotically. Sighing with content, he continued to stroke her hip and he shut his eyes.

"Norm?"

He opened his eyes again and looked at her. "Hmm?"

"Will you try to pass through the eye of Eywa when you join the Omaticaya?" She spoke as if she already knew he would pass his trial and become a true hunter.

"Yes."

She bit her lip and searched his eyes. "Will you miss your human body?"

He thought about it for a moment. He had lived his entire life as a human up until the Avatar program, after all. "Maybe a little, at first. I know I'll be happier as a Na'vi though."

Ni'nat smiled at him. He swore she looked somewhat relieved. "Good I would want you happy." She rubbed his back slowly and plucked at the robe. "You should take this thing off."

Norm didn't even think to question her. Hell, his boxer shorts covered up more than the loincloth he wore as an avatar. He fumbled with the ties and shifted to pull the robe off. Bunching it up carelessly, he dropped it on the corner of the bed and lay back down on his side, tucking his bottom arm beneath his pillow. Ni'nat scooted closer and suddenly they were laying against one another, skin on skin. Norm shut his eyes and breathed in deeply as his senses were overwhelmed by the scent and feel of her. It wasn't as consuming in his human form as it was in his avatar form, but he still began to harden at the feel of her silken skin and curves against his body.

Ni'nat stroked his hair and urged his head closer, until his cheek was resting between her breasts. Norm bit back a groan. If he were in his other body right now, he suspected he would lose control. Perhaps she knew that human sexuality wasn't as raw as Na'vi sexuality was, or perhaps she was only testing his self-control. Her fingertips skimmed over his naked back in a sensual glide. It felt fantastic and he reciprocated, hardly noticing the size difference between them any longer.

She rubbed his back until he fell into an exhausted sleep and once his breathing was deep and even, she paused and reached for her exopack mask. She took a deep breath and held it while she lifted the visor, long enough to place a soft kiss on his parted lips. Smiling, she pulled the mask down again and sought her own rest.

* * *

"Wow, this is weird." Jake looked around in confusion. The last thing he remembered was feeling Neytiri kiss him. At first, he thought he was awake and the operation was so successful that the pain was gone and his legs were perfectly fine. It occurred to him that it wasn't possible for everything to be fine and dandy as if nothing had happened.

He was standing in his hospital room alone. He saw a tray with a plate-sized leaf resting on it and the remnants of food. Guessing that Neytiri and Mo'at must have taken time to gather something to eat from the gardens, he felt relief—even as he felt confusion. Was he dreaming? Having a vision? Hallucinating? Dead?

He walked out the door and down the hall. A human woman in a lab coat with an exopack on headed straight for him as if she didn't see him.

"Slow down," Jake cautioned as he tried to move out of the way. She passed right through him. He began to panic a little. "Just take it easy," he advised himself. "Mo'at wouldn't have given you something that would ease you right into the next life. You're not a ghost, Jake."

He walked absently down the hallways, trying to work things out in his head and stay calm. He found himself in the avatar surgical wing and he almost passed by the operating room where they were working on him. He spotted himself lying on the table out the corner of his eye and he came to a halt, staring through the window. He was lying on his stomach with a suction tube down his throat in case he started vomiting during the surgery. Dr. Jacobs and Max were working over him and there were two assistant staff members in the room with them. A shiny sterile adhesive square was spread out over Jake's lower back.

Knowing it was probably a mistake but curious to see what exactly they were doing to him, he took a deep breath and walked right through the observation window. It was a strange experience, being non-corporeal. He walked up behind Max, easily able to peer over the doctor's dark head to see what they were doing.

He wished he hadn't looked.

It wasn't a big incision—only about two inches long just beneath the middle of his back. They had it pulled open though and Jake felt nauseous as Dr. Jacobs inserted some kind of grasping instrument to grip the dislocated vertebrae. Jake hastily looked away when he saw the bone shift. It was ironic; he had no compunctions about shooting, stabbing or slicing an enemy and he could skin and gut a kill without flinching. Seeing his own spine was too much for him, though.

"You _really_ don't have any luck with those thanators, marine."

Jake yelped aloud with surprise and whirled around to see Dr. Augustine standing only a foot away from him, in her avatar form. She gave him that dry, familiar grin of hers that he missed so much and he swallowed hard.

"Grace?"

"Who else? I think that fall rattled your brain, Sully." Her eyes were warm on him despite her sarcasm.

He smiled at her. "Are you real?"

"As real as you are."

He frowned uncertainly and glanced over his shoulder at his unconscious body. Grace chuckled softly and laid a hand on his shoulder. It felt warm and real. "Relax, kid. You're real and you're still alive."

"Then how come I can see you?"

"My guess is Mo'at's potion heightened your spiritual vision. The Na'vi have all kinds of methods to induce a dreamstate."

He considered the information. "So do you have a direct line to Eywa?"

"In a manner of speaking," she answered. She looked at his body in the operating room and she sighed. "I saw the whole thing happen, you know. That's the thing about the afterlife; you can only watch when the living get hurt."

"It isn't your fault," he protested. "And to tell you the truth, I think you were acting through Norm. If it weren't for you working with him, he wouldn't have known enough about that tree to use it against the thanator, and if it weren't for him I'd be dead now."

She smiled with matronly pride. "He's a good kid, Norm. A little too enthusiastic sometimes but at least I know he listened to the things I said to him."

"Hey, I'm a good kid too," Jake protested with a grin.

"You're a trouble-maker," Grace shot back, "but a good-hearted one," she finished with a smile.

"Speaking of kids," Jake said, feeling the need to boast, "Neytiri and I are expecting one now."

Grace looked openly surprised and she smirked. "That's some fast work you did there, marine. Most Na'vi females aren't ready to have their first baby until at least a year after mating." She sighed, "but it would make sense for some of them to start early now, after all the people they lost."

Jake nodded. "There are plenty of young couples expecting, now. I guess nature corrects the balance on its own."

Grace looked at him thoughtfully. "Coming from you, that was almost profound."

He smirked. "I can rub two brain cells together once in a while."

"Just don't hurt yourself, marine."

"Now you're just being mean." He was smiling, though. Grace's insults were nothing more than fond teasing.

Jake sighed and looked at his body. "Grace, do you have any idea what's going to happen to me?" Maybe it was silly but it kind of felt like she was playing the role of his guardian angel.

She shook her head regretfully. "If I did, I'd tell you. I want you to promise me that you'll stay strong, no matter what happens. I know you've got it in you, Sully."

"I'll give it my best shot," he promised softly. "So, are you going to keep me company while they work on me?"

"You bet," she agreed. "I'm proud of both you and Norm. Tell him that when you go back, would you?"

"It's a promise," Jake granted, "but I don't know if he'll believe me when I say I talked to you. He'll probably think I was just dreaming or something."

"Probably," she smirked. "But he can take it or leave it."

* * *

"Daughter, wake up."

Neytiri opened bleary eyes and looked up at her mother's face hovering over her. She didn't find the bed particularly comfortable but Jake's scent lingered on it and she found it comforting.

"They are bringing Jakesully back and they will need to lay him on this bedding."

Neytiri felt torn between excitement and trepidation as she rose and got out of her mate's hospital bed. She was relieved that the surgery was finished. The humans had been tending his injury for half the day and she was beginning to worry that something went wrong. It was a relief to hear that they were finished but there was still the matter of finding out whether their efforts succeeded in giving his legs their feeling back.

Mo'at circled around the bed and put her arms around her comfortingly as the staff wheeled Jake into the room and transferred him to the bed. The back of his hospital gown was open and Neytiri peered anxiously at his skin. She saw a fine cut over his spine, partway to his mid-back. It was sutured skillfully and she guessed that the scar would be hard to notice over time. She had expected them to cut him open from shoulders to tail. The mark of his surgery looked superficial.

"What can you tell us about his condition?" Mo'at questioned as soon as Max approached.

"The operation was a success," Max said, "but let's not get too excited yet. We repaired the damage but we won't know if he's got feeling back in his legs until he wakes up and sometimes it isn't immediate. We'll have to be patient."

He considered Neytiri and he rightly guessed that she wasn't going to leave Jake's side for anything other than food and bathroom breaks. "See if we can get a spare gurney in here so she'll have something to sleep on," he said to one of the nurses.

"I do not require a bed," Neytiri informed him.

"Some blankets and a pillow, then," Max insisted with a smile. "You don't want to sleep on the cold floor and there isn't enough room in Jake's bed for both of you. Mo'at, you're welcome to sleep in here too if you like but the avatar cabin is all set up for you and your companions."

"I will sleep in the cabin," Mo'at said.

* * *

Sebastian brought more food to Neytiri early that evening, for which she was grateful. It wasn't that she didn't want to eat...she was just so deep in thought and worried about her mate that it completely slipped her mind to gather or hunt her own meal. She thanked him with a little smile and when he inquired about Jake's condition, she explained as best as she could with her limited understanding of human medicine. He left her alone after that and she ate without truly tasting any of it. Her eyes kept straying to Jake as she finished her meal, half-expecting to see him waking up, even though she knew her mother's potion would keep him out until the next day.

When she finished eating, she kissed Jake on the shoulder and whispered that she wouldn't be gone for long. She picked up the tray Sebastian had brought to her and she carried it out of the room, asking a passing staff member where she was supposed to put it. He graciously offered to put it away for her and she thanked him, silently noting the admiring look he gave her. Many of the humans seemed to find her people beautiful. She found them fascinating as well but Jake was the only one she had ever held an attraction for, and he was Na'vi now.

She returned to the room and her feet practically dragged with exhaustion. She glanced at her mate with a sigh and decided to try and get some rest. There was no point in staying up when she knew he wouldn't rouse at least until morning. She ran her fingers through his braids and stroked his queue before kissing him softly on the lips.

"I will see you in the morning, my Jake. Sleep well."

* * *

At first, Jake couldn't get his eyes to focus and he saw two of everything. He groaned softly and he caught sight of a shapely, slender leg and he leaned over as much as he could to look down at the owner. Neytiri was asleep on the floor, lying on a pallet of blankets. She had her hands folded and tucked under her cheek. It took a moment for her to come completely into focus and Jake murmured her name softly. She stirred and sat up with a yawn.

"Hey," Jake said to her. His voice broke and he cleared his throat. It was raw from the tube they'd put down it during surgery.

"Jake?" Neytiri looked up at him with parted lips and she quickly rose to her knees and cupped his face. "Are you in pain?"

"I'm not sure yet," he said truthfully. "I'm still pretty groggy. That was some potent stuff your mother gave me."

"Be still," she said as she rose to her feet, "I will fetch a _toktor _to see to you."

"Wait," Jake grunted, but she was already out the door. "I've got to pee," he finished with a sigh. Not that he relished the thought of being handled by people so that he could take a leak, but it was either that or wet himself. He let his head fall back to the pillow and he tried to wiggle his toes. He couldn't feel anything and Jake shut his eyes and pressed his lips together.

Moments later, Neytiri came back in with Dr. Jacobs following behind her. "How are you feeling, Jake?" asked Roy. "Any nausea or pain?"

"My back aches," answered Jake, "but I guess that's normal. Doc, I still can't feel my legs."

"Hmm," Dr. Jacobs muttered. "Can you feel this?"

Jake shook his head. "Nothing. What did you do?"

"I ran my pen over the sole of your foot. What about your tail, can you move that at all?"

Jake concentrated hard and grimaced with effort. He felt a little heartened when he felt his tail respond sluggishly to his command. It felt numb...as if it had fallen asleep and was just waking back up again. "I can move it a little."

"So I see," replied the doctor. "It's a good sign, Jake. Your tail was as unresponsive as your legs yesterday, so it stands to reason that if you can move it now your legs are likely to follow. You have some inflammation around the injury and it's going to take a couple of days to go down. Once it does, we should see more results so just try to be patient. I'm going to put you on medication to reduce the inflammation and help it go faster."

Jake's body went limp with relief. He hadn't dared hope that they would be any more successful this time than the doctors who tried to repair the damage to his spine as a human. He wasn't quite out of hot water yet but at least now he knew there was a chance. Neytiri was smiling softly, her eyes reflecting the hope he felt.

"Thanks, Doc. Let's hope you're right about this. Uh, I hate to ask but I've got to go."

"Jake, you can't leave. You're in recovery."

Jake laughed and shook his head. "That wasn't the kind of 'going' I had in mind."

Dr. Jacobs looked faintly embarrassed for the misunderstanding. "Ah, that. I'll get some nursing staff in here with a bed pan to help you."

"Females?" Neytiri asked in a warning tone, her expression darkening as her ears pulled back.

"Uh, no," the doctor assured her hastily. "I'll only send males. One of the avatar operators works on our staff in this section of the building and I'll have him fetched to make it easier. Just hold it for a few minutes longer, Jake."

"I don't have much of a choice," answered the warrior dryly.

When the doctor left the room, Jake cast a grin at Neytiri. He was in much better spirits now despite his aching bladder. "What do you think female nurses are going to do, take advantage of me?"

"I see the way the women here look at you," she said without apology. "I would not trust them touching you intimately, Jake."

"Intimately?" He had to fight laughter. "I can think of sexier things to do than help a guy pee, but if it bothers you—"

"It does." She pressed her lips together.

Jake struggled onto his elbows and he leaned toward her to kiss her on the lips. "I love it when you get territorial."

"Then you will be 'loving it' a lot, while we are here," she murmured. "The human females don't know what to do with their eyes. Na'vi women know better than to openly admire another's mate."

Jake blurted a laugh. "Ah, those brazen human girls. I've been tainted by their eyes."

She flicked his ear, making him wince. "You laugh, but I don't think it is funny."

He lay back down again, too weak to stay propped up. "I guess I take it as a compliment when I catch another man eye-humping you. I know you'd tear their throat out if they tried anything so I feel secure."

She frowned and lowered her gaze. "Then you think I don't trust you, Jake?"

"I know you trust me," he answered readily. "I know its the women you don't trust and you know what? I don't mind."

She bit her lip and smiled at him, becoming playful again. "I guard what is mine."

"If I weren't in this situation right now I'd ask for a demonstration," Jake said, only half-joking. There he was, paralyzed in the legs and fresh out of surgery, yet she still managed to turn him on.

Neytiri's hand slowly slipped down his side, careful not to touch the sutured area on his back. Jake faintly felt it curl around his tail at the base and even though the appendage was half-numb, he still felt the tingles when she scratched the underside.

"Hey, none of that," he chastised, trying to wriggle. "They're gonna be coming in to help me pee and the last thing I need is a hard-on."

Neytiri chuckled and took pity on him. "As soon as you are recovered enough, then."

"You bet." He only hoped Dr. Jacobs' diagnosis was right and he really would make a full recovery, eventually. If he didn't start regaining control of his legs within a week, he was going to have to start thinking about who would take over his leadership role in the clan.

* * *

-To be continued

_**Translations:**_

_**Olo'eyktan**_ Clan leader, or chieftain

_**toktor**_ = Doctor


	8. Chapter 8

"Between worlds"

Chapter 8

* * *

_**Author's note: Beware of cavity-inducing sweetness and semi-graphic sexual content in this chapter. See footnotes at the end of the chapter for Na'vi/English translations.**_

* * *

*Disclaimer: I do not own Pandora and I make no profit from writing fanfiction based on the "Avatar" film.

* * *

Norm woke up to find himself alone in his bunk. He checked his watch to see how long he had been asleep and he grumbled in annoyance. He hadn't meant to sleep for a full eight hours, but he supposed he needed the rest. He was a little disappointed that Ni'nat was gone but he knew he would find her somewhere on the compound if he searched. For now, he needed to eat something, shower and get back into his avatar body. He took care of his immediate needs first and he dressed in his usual khaki pants and t-shirt combo before heading to the linking room. Ni'nat was waiting outside, peering into the room through the window with curiosity.

"Hi," Norm said as he approached her. He was suddenly nervous. "I hope you didn't have any trouble getting out of my room."

"I watched how you used the door," she explained with a little smile of greeting. "It was easier to understand than I thought."

He nodded and looked into the room. Two of the drivers were coming out of their linking capsules and another was just going in. "So I guess you figured out this is where I go to get into my _uniltìrantokx_."

"I asked Maxpatel to show me," she explained, glancing through the window again. "I was curious. Norm, is this dangerous for you?"

He considered fibbing a little and telling her that it wasn't, but if he wanted his relationship with this woman to go further, he knew he needed to stay in the habit of being truthful with her. "It can be, if the link is interrupted or something happens to my dreamwalker body while I'm linked to it. I feel what my other body feels, even if my human body doesn't get injured. If the link is interrupted while it's in progress, I could have...I guess mind sickness is the best way to describe it. We call it mental trauma."

"And how bad could that be?"

He hesitated. "We've had a couple of drivers slip into a catatonic state and die. Their minds left them."

Ni'nat's expression froze behind the breathing mask. "That is a great risk, Norm."

He took her hands in his, barely noticing the size difference. "It's okay. There's almost no chance of a deliberate link interruption now and even if the base loses power for some reason, we've got backup reserves and they'll send warning to me before the power goes out completely."

She looked dubious. "You are certain?"

He nodded. "Yes. Please, don't worry. If I do everything right, someday soon I won't have to worry about linking anymore. It's just until I pass my trial and permanently become one with my avatar body, if Eywa wills it."

She didn't seem completely soothed by the news and Norm understood why when she spoke a moment later. "Passing through the eye of Eywa carries its own risks."

"I know. I'm prepared to take them. If I hesitate, she may not see me as worthy."

Ni'nat smiled. "Then I will have faith in you and help you succeed in your hunter's trial."

His confidence increased with her promise and he looked up at her with a smile of his own. "I'll see you in a little while, Ni'nat."

He released her hands and walked through the door. Glancing over his shoulder as he stopped by his linking capsule and powered it up, he saw her watching through the glass. He gave her a little nod before climbing in and informing the lab techs that he was ready to go.

* * *

Mo'at and Neytiri were outside getting some fresh air and gathering produce for a meal when Norm and Ni'nat went to Jake's room to check up on him.

"Hey Jake. I see they've let you lay on your side." Norm was in his avatar body when he walked in. Ni'nat followed in behind him and she smiled respectfully at Jake.

Jake turned his head and looked up at Norm. "Damn good thing, too," he remarked. "Lying in the same position for hours is a bitch."

"I can't say I blame you for being in a bad mood," Norm said sympathetically. "Have you been able to move anything yet?"

"I can move my tail a little better now," answered Jake. "This morning all I could do was flick it a little."

"Let me have a look."

Jake felt a breeze up his backside as Norm lifted the sheets covering him and he grimaced, hoping Ni'nat had her head turned. Not that his loincloth covered much of his ass anyhow but he was getting a little tired of outright flashing everyone.

"Okay, try to move your tail now," Norm instructed.

Jake swished his tail with effort, grunting a little as he strained to curve it. "How's that?"

"Good," Norm approved. "So you can feel your tail better now than this morning?"

Jake nodded. "Yeah. It's still numb at the tip but I can feel it from the base down to about halfway. They told me I might be able to move my legs when the swelling goes down. What do you think, Norm?"

"I think you'd better listen to what they say," Norm answered sincerely. "Modern medicine isn't my primary field. Max would never steer you wrong and Roy's a good doctor."

"But do you think there's a chance?" Jake craned his neck to look at him. "I just want your opinion."

Norm looked a little uncomfortable and Ni'nat excused herself, sensing a delicate moment. "Jake, I don't know _what _to think yet," Norm told him sincerely. "Like I said, Max and Roy know more about this than I do. I'd like to tell you I think you'll be walking again when the inflammation goes down but I don't know how bad your spinal cord was damaged. I don't want to make assumptions, okay?"

Jake grumbled and laid his head back down. "I guess I can't expect more."

Norm sighed. "You're too impatient. I'm going to have to tell them to keep an eye on you because I've got a feeling as soon as you feel your legs again, you'll be doing something stupid like trying to get up and run."

Jake blurted a laugh, remembering the first day he'd tried out his new avatar body and poor Norm had to chase after him through the garden. "I promise I won't do that, this time. Back then I was feeling my legs for the first time in years and my avatar body was completely healthy. I know I can't get up and run laps as soon as I get a tingle in my feet."

"Yeah, you say that now but I'm not sure I trust you to keep your head." Norm circled around to the side of the bed and looked down at Jake with a serious, stern expression. "You can't just get up and walk out of here if you get your legs back, Jake. You're going to have to take it easy and go through therapy. Push it too far and you'll cause damage they can't fix, understand?"

"What are you, my dad?" Jake grunted and propped himself up on his elbow.

"I'm your friend." Norm shrugged. "And the Omaticaya have lost enough leaders this year. Give yourself time to heal. Neytiri and Mo'at can take up the slack while you're out of commission but you won't do the clan any good if you rush this."

"All right, let's compromise," reasoned Jake. "You keep improving your hunting and survival skills and you claim your ikran. If you do that, I'll resist the urge to go jogging as soon as I get some feeling back in my legs. Deal?"

"I was going to do all that anyway," Norm pointed out.

Jake smirked. "You see? It's a win-win situation."

Norm shook his head but he grinned faintly. "You've got a weird sense of logic, Jake."

* * *

"Norm, we are going to hunt before it gets too dark," Ni'nat explained when the anthropologist stepped back out of Jake's room.

"Our _olo'eyktan_ needs meat to keep up his strength," added E'quath. "Join us,_ tsmukan_."

"Yes," agreed Ni'nat with a smile. "You need to keep improving your skills and we would enjoy your company."

Norm smiled. "I would be honored. I'll just get my weapons."

Jake called out to E'quath from his hospital room, evidently having heard some of the conversation. While Norm went to get his hunting gear from the avatar cabin, E'quath and Ni'nat went into Jake's room to see what he wanted.

"You two need to take over where I left off," Jake told them. "Teach him to shoot straight and show him how to make his own banshee catcher. He needs to start training for his final trial. When you think he's strong and agile enough, you take him up mountain path for his _Iknimaya_. Something tells me I won't recover before his time comes."

"You have our word, _Olo'eyktan_," Ni'nat promised. She and E'quath both inclined their heads and made a traditional gesture of respect before leaving the room.

* * *

They found another trunk of Sebastian's personal belongings in the civilian storage area and they delivered it to his personal quarters. Katherine was there with him, helping him sort out everything and decide what he was going to keep. Of course, all of his clothes were useless to him now so he had decided to donate them for other residents. His shaving gear was equally useless, since Na'vi males didn't grow facial hair. Katherine solicitously alphabetized his book collection for him while he sorted out the rest of the items in the trunk.

Sebastian found a case with his pair of old glasses inside and he opened it up. He picked up the lenses and held them up to his eyes curiously. He blinked. "I was...blind."

Katherine turned around from her task of sorting the books on his shelf and she smirked at the sight of his amber eyes blinking behind the lenses. "I take it you don't have need them any more?"

He shook his head and held them out to her for her inspection. She took them and tried them on experimentally. He thought she looked cute in the oval-framed glasses. "This isn't so bad," she announced. "You weren't 'blind', Sebastian."

"Close enough," he said with a little grin.

She took the glasses off and folded them, handing them back to him. "I didn't even realize you wore glasses. I never saw you wear them when we were going through orientation."

"Con...contacts," he explained wryly.

"I see. Well, you probably won't find anyone with the same prescription in need of glasses. Do you want to just toss them?"

He considered the glasses thoughtfully and his throat tightened a little. He had always hated wearing them but now, they were a link to his past that he couldn't bear to get rid of. He shook his head and placed them back into the case, which he then put on the small reading desk in the corner of the room. Katherine watched him with sympathetic eyes, probably guessing why he refused to be rid of them.

"Why don't we go on a picnic?" She suggested, out of the blue.

He looked up from the desk at her with a surprised frown. "Picnic?"

"Don't tell me you don't know what a picnic is," she chuckled. "You make something from the native gardens and I'll make something for me from the kitchen. There's an indoor garden in the recreation building and we could have a nice, quiet dinner together there." She paused and grimaced. "You think it's corny, don't you?"

He shook his head. "No, of course not!" The words came out smoothly in his sincerity. Granted, a picnic wasn't something he would have thought of doing for fun but a little rest and relaxation did sound appealing. "It sounds nice."

She tilted her head and smiled at him. "I've been meaning to ask about your accent. Were you originally from Britain?"

He nodded. "I'm...afraid so."

"I like your accent. I think you're the only Brit I've ever met."

The compliment softened the ache in his heart and he returned her smile.

* * *

The hunting party brought back a hexapede that Ni'nat took down and as they roasted the meat for dinner, Norm began to construct his banshee catcher. E'quath and Ni'nat advised him as he worked on it but to their mutually expressed surprise, he picked up on it quickly.

"You have made one before?" E'quath asked suspiciously as Norm's long fingers deftly worked the materials gathered from the razor palm tree.

Norm shook his head and measured out another length of sinew string for use with the bone needle. "I've read up on how they're made," he explained. "And I've watched Na'vi make them before." He held up the foot-long section he had completed so far and frowned. "How does it look?"

Ni'nat approached and sat down beside him on the log, studying his handiwork with a critical eye. "The stitching on the right is too loose. You are otherwise doing a fine job."

He nodded and immediately began working on tightening the stitching. "Got it. Thanks."

She smiled. Norm really sank his teeth into his work. If the children in the clan focused on their lessons the way he did, they would probably be ready for _Iknimaya_ before the in-between years spanning childhood to adulthood. She watched his deft fingers work over the special bola and she admired their sensitivity. Clever hands made for good craftsmen. From what she had heard from other females, clever hands also made for excellent mating partners. Ni'nat knew that the iridescent pattern of spots on her face and throat were beginning to glow. She wondered how much stronger her urges were going to get when her body went into heat for the first time.

"Ni'nat," E'quath said patiently, "Normspellman will ask if he needs more help. Help me cook this meat, sister."

Ni'nat was faintly embarrassed for getting so engrossed in watching Norm work. She nodded at E'quath, who was practically like a blood sibling to her. The two of them went to Grace's school together and took their hunter trials together. E'quath's tracking skills were unrivaled and his strength and hunting expertise had many women eyeing him as a potential mate, but he had never mastered the art of cooking meat evenly.

"You are moon-eyed," he grumbled under his breath when she approached and began assisting him in roasting the meat over the fire. "What is it you see in him that makes you so distracted?"

Ni'nat's first instinct was to get defensive and she scowled at her old friend. "More than I see in most other available men."

"You are insulted," guessed E'quath. He glanced over his shoulder at Norm, who was so busy crafting his banshee catcher that he hadn't noticed their quiet conversation. "I respect Normspellman. I respect you. I only want you to have the best mate, when it is time for you to choose...and you have your pick of almost any unmated male in the clan."

"I will have the best mate," she insisted. "For me."

E'quath glanced at Norm once more and he shrugged, not bothering to argue further with her. She knew he was of the mind that she should seek the strongest partner but like many other Omaticaya, his ideals of strength were rather simple. She wanted more than brute strength in a mate, but Ni'nat understood that cultural expectations ran deep. There was no point in trying to explain it to him and she was free to choose the mate that best suited her, regardless of anyone's opinion.

She examined the meat on the spit and she turned it carefully to ensure it cooked through evenly. Out the corner of her eye, she watched Norm and she caught herself smiling a little at the expression of acute concentration on his features. Physically, he didn't have a face that would turn heads. It was sweet..."cute", by human terms. His kind smile—when he gave it—lit up his features in a way that made her want to nuzzle him.

"Even I can do better," E'quath griped softly, ushering her aside.

Ni'nat looked at the skewered flesh roasting over the fire and she bit her lip when she realized she had burned the underside a bit. E'quath shook his head at her and gave her a rare, sidelong smirk of amusement.

"Go and help your intended mate. You are useless to me now."

Ni'nat gave him a sour look, but she couldn't hold it for long. Maybe he didn't understand her choice but she knew E'quath would support it.

* * *

Jake had to swallow his pride as two days passed without much improvement to his condition. He regained nearly all sensation and movement in his tail, but his legs were still dead to all feeling and response. Norm and the others stayed and took it upon themselves to supply meat. Sebastian and Katherine continued to bring fresh native produce. Jake begged Neytiri to get out more and go hunting with the others but she stubbornly stayed by his side, refusing to leave except to bathe and rid her body of wastes.

He finally convinced her to go on a hunt with the others on the afternoon of the second day and he chuckled when Max asked him if she should be doing such a thing in her condition. The doctor was exercising Jake's legs to keep the muscles pliable and slow deterioration.

"Try to stop her, I dare you," Jake said as lightly as he could. "It's normal for Na'vi women to keep active when they're pregnant, unless something goes wrong or they're too close to their due date. I can't tell you how many times I've joined a hunting party with at least one pregnant huntress."

Jake sighed and glanced at the television, which was rigged to show re-runs of old Earth shows. He hadn't taken much interest in watching the programs, which faintly surprised him. "Actually, do me a favor and don't say anything to her," he revised, losing his humorous tone. "No offense to you guys but this place is smothering her. I want Neytiri to get out and do the things she likes. She doesn't need to be cooped up in here with me twenty-four-seven."

Max shrugged and lowered Jake's right leg to move onto the left one. "Well, you know Na'vi lifestyles better than I do," he sighed as he raised Jake's calf. "If you think she's safe to hunt, I can't argue with you. Where is Mo'at?"

"She's found a quiet spot outside the base to meditate," Jake explained. "She goes there twice a day for an hour or so to commune with Eywa and pray."

How is your back feeling?"

"A little tight around the place where you guys operated, but it's okay. When can I lie on my back?"

"Give it a few more days," cautioned Max. "The inflammation is going down but it isn't gone and I want to make sure that position won't put too much pressure on it and dislodge the damaged vertebra again. You haven't felt any improvement other than in your tail?"

"Nothing yet," Jake grunted as he propped himself up on his elbows and reached for the remote. The remote was designed with large buttons, presumably for Na-vi sized fingers to comfortably operate. Jake flipped through the recorded broadcasts without any real interest and sighed. He knew Max was bending his calf up and down but he couldn't feel a damned thing.

"Try to keep your spirits up, Jake." Max sounded quietly sympathetic. "I can only imagine what a crushing blow it must be for you to be in this situation, but you managed before and we aren't throwing in the towel yet."

Jake snorted. "Don't lose any sleep, Max. I'm holding my own and I'm not going to fall into the pity pot."

"Good." Max finished helping him through his exercises and he looked at the thickening growth of hair on Jake's skull where he'd previously shaved it. Na'vi hair grew quickly and before long, Jake's mohawk would be more of a messy shag. "Do you want me to get someone in here to shave that for you again?"

"No thanks," answered Jake. He shot a grin over his shoulder at the doctor. "Neytiri wants me to grow it out again."

Max smiled. "Anything for the wife, huh? I guess I can't fault you for that."

* * *

Three more days passed and in the evening, Ni'nat brought a fresh meal of meat and fruit with a broad smile on her face. Neytiri followed and she was smiling as well, though her expression was more reserved. Jake watched them curiously.

"What are you so happy about?"

"This meat was provided by Norm's arrow," answered Ni'nat proudly. "It was a good, clean kill."

Jake grinned, sharing her pride. He nearly asked where Norm was now because he wanted to congratulate him, but he reminded himself that nobody wanted to leave drying blood on their body after skinning and cleaning a kill for food and parts. Norm was probably bathing.

"How is his progress otherwise?" Jake adjusted his bed, raising the top so that he could eat in a sitting position. Dr. Jacobs finally approved him lying on his back yesterday and it made it much easier for Jake to communicate with his friends, clan-mates and family.

"Very well," Ni'nat informed sincerely. "E'quath thinks so too. He could be ready for _Iknimaya_ in only a few days, _olo'eyktan_."

Jake considered this thoughtfully. "He's finished his banshee catcher?" He accepted the leaf plate of food his mate handed to him with a murmur of thanks and a brief smile at her.

"Yes, he has. I will begin practice with him in the morning." Ni'nat chewed her lower lip. "I hope the ikran doll we have made will be enough to help him prepare."

"Doubt it," Jake said with a dry chuckle as he picked up a hunk of meat. "But Norm is resourceful. He'll find his own way to get through the trial. Just don't expect it to be typical."

Ni'nat lowered her eyes and smiled softly. "No, I would not expect common methods from him."

Jake shot a quick look at Neytiri, who returned his glance with a faint little smirk. It seemed that Norm's training wasn't the only thing progressing. If his guess was right, it would be time to approach Ni'nat with the question of which males she would accept as a mate. So far, only one held her interest.

"I will leave you to your meal," Ni'nat said, excusing herself politely. "Eat well." She left an additional plate for when Mo'at returned from her evening meditation and she left the room, leaving Jake and Neytiri alone to eat.

They enjoyed their meal in companionable silence. After they set their plates aside, Neytiri stood at the foot of Jake's bed and rubbed his feet—as had become her habit since his accident. He watched her slender, strong fingers moving over his feet in a circular motion and he sighed, wishing he could grant her wish and respond to it.

"Neytiri, you don't have to do that every night," Jake murmured.

"The _toktor_ says it helps the blood flow," she argued softly, her thick lashes hiding her amber gaze as she lowered her eyes. "He said it may help bring feeling back. Let me do what I can, my Jake."

He wasn't going to argue with her. He was hanging on by a thread as it was and Neytiri's hopeful determination was both comforting and painful to him. He kept his mouth shut and he watched the way her multiple braids fell over her shoulders as she worked on his feet. The scent that had been driving him so mad over the past couple of weeks had finally died down, now that nature's urges had been answered. It didn't make him want her any less but at least now, he could be around her and still _think_.

Much as he hated to do it, Jake began to make plans for relinquishing his position within the clan. He listened to the sound of the beads in his mate's hair clinking together and he mentally reviewed replacement candidates. He narrowed the list down to three when something distracted him and made his eyes go blank.

"N-Neytiri," Jake said cautiously, hardly daring to believe he had felt what he thought he felt, "would you do that again?"

She looked at him with veiled hope in her eyes. "Do what again, Jake?"

"Whatever you did just a second ago, right before I said something."

She kept her gaze focused on his face and she squeezed his big toe between her fingers. "This?"

He felt it. It was a very faint tingle but the sensation was there. "I think I felt something," he breathed, trying to quell the excited hope that rose within him.

Neytiri massaged the toe and gazed at him with wide, anticipating eyes. "Do you feel this?"

"I...I'm not sure...ouch, hey!"

She lowered her mouth to his toe and bit it, nipping at the usually sensitive pad of it with her lower canine. Jake felt the distant sting and his toe twitched in response. Neytiri lifted her head and gasped in delight when she saw the movement.

"Jake," she enthused, "I think you are healing!"

* * *

"Norm, I need to talk to you."

Norm looked up from the remaining meat that he was preparing to salt and dry. "Is something wrong?"

Beside him, E'quath and Ni'nat also paused to regard the human curiously.

"I just need your input on something," Max said evasively. His dark eyes held a secret message in them. Something about his stance and the look on his face warned Norm that this wasn't just a common social call.

"We can finish this for you," offered Ni'nat.

Norm looked at her and hesitated, loathe to leave his job to someone else. She gave him an encouraging smile and E'quath nodded with dignified agreement.

"I'll come back to help finish as soon as I've spoken with Max," promised Norm. He walked away with his associate and once they were far enough away not to be overhear, he muttered; "what's the problem?"

"I've got good news and bad news," Max replied in an equally restrained voice. "The good news is that Jake's getting some feeling back in his toes."

Norm stopped. "That's great! Can he move them?"

Max nodded. "Yes. Now he's complaining that he's got 'pins and needles' in his toes and the ball of his feet, but he's clearly just covering up his enthusiasm. I slipped him a little something to help him sleep. I haven't forgotten his reaction, the first time he woke up in his avatar body and figured out he could use his legs."

Norm chuckled. "I warned him not to get ahead of himself. So, what's the bad news?"

Max sighed. "The bad news is that we've gotten a transmission straight from Earth. Something went wrong with the Superluminal Communications back there and this is the first time they've managed to send a direct message to us. They got Selfridge's report about what happened when we sent him and the others away and now they are convinced the base is under hostile takeover from the Na'vi."

"But that's crazy," Norm snapped, "Did you tell them what's really going on?"

"Of course I did," answered Max, "but Selfridge's account of the wildlife rising up against the RDA has them convinced he went crazy during his time here. They think we're answering under threat, Norm. They're going to send instructions to all forces rotating this way to take back the base. They mentioned a 'secret weapon' and I'm sure you can guess what that might be."

Norm pressed his lips together. "The permanent avatar transference. They aren't even going to wait for conformation that it was successful with Sebastian, are they? They're going to send those specialized agents in with the enhanced avatar bodies."

"That's the impression I got." Max had a barely concealed expression of dread on his features. "We've got time but I can't say for sure how much, Norm. I think we all need to start planning for another major incursion. They wouldn't listen to me when I told them to order their transports home. Like I said, they thought I was either acting under threat or brainwashed. I don't think reasoning with them is going to work."

Norm heaved a heavy sigh. All he wanted was for the Na'vi and this moon to be left alone but it seemed like that wasn't going to happen. "You haven't told Jake about this yet, have you?"

"No. I wasn't sure I should."

"Don't." Norm looked in the direction of the research and medical lab. "He's already expecting trouble to come eventually and with his injuries and a baby on the way...I don't think he needs the stress."

"Well, we shouldn't keep it from him indefinitely," Max pointed out with a frown.

"I know. I'll tell him but I don't want him worrying about it right now, when he's trying to recover. There's nothing any of us can do about it until they get here anyhow, so it can wait."

"I agree," Max sighed.

* * *

"Norm is not in any of the human buildings," Ni'nat informed. "Has he been back here yet?"

E'quath looked up from the bunk he was lying on inside the cabin. "No, sister. I have not seen him since he went to speak with Maxpatel."

She frowned and looked outside through the gate. "It will darken soon. I will keep searching for him."

"I can come with, if you want."

Ni'nat shook her head. "If I fail to track him myself, I may come back for your help. Surely he is not in danger."

"Norm's missing?" The question came from one of the avatars in the back of the cabin. She got out of her bunk and approached with a frown of concern. "How long as he been gone?"

Ni'nat recognized Joyce as the woman approached her. The other five avatars in the cabin were already in their dream state...their drivers having abandoned them for the evening. Joyce must have been about to return to her human body when she overheard the conversation.

"Almost two hours now," answered Ni'nat. "I found Maxpatel and asked him, but he has not seen Norm for an hour or longer. Do you know where he might have gone?"

Joyce thought about it and shrugged. "Sometimes when he's got a lot on his mind, Norm likes to go to the hill outside the western side of the compound to watch the sunset. He says it clears his mind. You might check there. If you can't find him, come and let me know and I'll try contacting him through his transmitter."

"You cannot do that now?" E'quath asked.

"I could, but if Norm's just gone out for a little quiet time I don't want to disturb him. I don't think we need to jump to conclusions, just yet."

"If he wishes to be alone, I should not bother him." Ni'nat bit her lower lip in worry, wanting to respect his privacy but fearful that he could be in trouble.

"I don't think Norm would mind _you_ checking up on him," Joyce observed with a crooked little smile. "Just see if he's where I think he is and we can go from there."

"I will look for him," agreed Ni'nat. She didn't mind the Dreamwalker's observation that Norm wouldn't be offended by her presence. In fact, she found it heartening that his affection for her wasn't only in her head. She took her bow and quiver just in case and she left the cabin to search for him.

* * *

Joyce was right; Norm was standing at the top of the hill outside the compound, watching the setting sun. Ni'nat stopped her approach when she noticed the tense set of his shoulders. Something was wrong and she assumed it was a combination of concern for Jake and anxiety over his approaching hunter's test. She watched him silently for a moment before taking a step towards him. She deliberately made noise and when he didn't react, she knew he was very distracted, indeed. She argued with herself over whether she should approach him or leave him be. Norm looked up at the sky and drew a deep breath.

"_Why won't you just leave them ALONE?_"

Ni'nat was so startled by the unexpected outburst that she jumped and hissed softly, her ears pulling back against her skull. There was such passion, anger and frustration in that shout that it made her skin tingle with warning. Norm was usually so level-headed and gentle but now, she could feel the rage radiating from him like poisonous fumes. She didn't understand his shout. She knew instinctively that he wasn't addressing her but she could see nobody else around.

"Norm? Who are you yelling at?"

He froze for a second and then partially turned to look at her with surprised yellow eyes. His expression was faintly bashful. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "I didn't know you were there."

"I should have announced myself," Ni'nat said graciously. Her expression of concern didn't fade as she approached him hesitantly. "Who were you speaking to, Norm? Leave _who_ alone?"

He sighed and lowered his head, turning away from her again to face the horizon. "I was yelling at the Sky People," he answered in the Na'vi tongue. "I know they can't hear me and even if they could, they probably would not listen. I just...want them to leave the People and this world alone."

He lifted his head again and his tension increased. "I...I wish we never came here! I wish we never found Pandora."

Ni'nat felt her heart plummet to her toes and she closed the distance between them. She rested her hands on his bare shoulders, kneading at them to ease the tension. "I don't wish that. Why would you say such a thing, Normspellman?"

"Because if we never came here, the Hometree would have never been killed. Many Na'vi would still be alive. The forests they cleared would still be standing. My people have done great harm to Pandora and I'm ashamed."

Ni'nat felt his remorse and pain acutely, almost as if they were linked through _Tsahaylu_. She urged him to turn and face her and when he did, she gazed steadily into his pensive eyes.

"You are not one of those who did all of this," she said firmly. "The _Tawtute_ who came here with you are sick with greed but you and the others who remain are not. You are not one of them any longer, Norm. You will soon be one of the People and if you had not come, I never would have met you. I am glad you chose to stay."

He rested his hands on her waist almost hesitantly and he rewarded her with a subtle, sad little smile. "I'll never be the best hunter, or the best tracker, or the best warrior. You know that, don't you?"

Ni'nat smiled and his candid honesty made her feel warm inside. She reached up to stroke his hair, brushing aside a wayward lock that fell over his right eye. "The other females can have the fiercest hunters. I choose the most clever one."

Norm stared at her and his expression softened. His lips parted and his eyes became oddly intense. He visibly swallowed and he ran his fingers through the long strands of her multiple braids. His breath quickened and Ni'nat recognized the desire on his face, having seen it on the faces of many males before.

"I've got to kiss you now," Norm announced.

Ni'nat was sufficiently taken off-guard by the statement, having never heard of a male warning someone before a kiss. She didn't have the opportunity to be amused by his warning because he cupped the back of her head and lowered his mouth to hers in the next instant. His lips were soft in contrast to the pressure and feeling he put into the gesture. It lasted for a few seconds before he pulled away and looked at her somewhat warily.

It wasn't enough...not for Ni'nat. Kissing him while he was asleep and feeling his lips animated against hers while he was awake were completely different things. She put her hands on his shoulders and pulled him close for another one. She knew he was trying to be what the humans called a "gentleman" but as far as she was concerned, they had both shown enough restraint and it was time for a mutual reward.

What she didn't expect was for this quiet, intellectual man to be such a good kisser. The second time their lips met, Norm embraced her fully and she experienced a sensation not unlike taking a sudden dive on her ikran. His confidence immediately soared in an obvious way and his mouth moved against hers with increasingly intense passion. She had shared stolen kisses here and there with males she found interesting, of course. Norm's kiss put those others to shame and she didn't know if it was because humans put more importance in kissing or if it was just another of Norm's hidden talents.

She felt increasing tension in her pelvis and she ran her nails over his chest, purring in the back of her throat. His tongue gently sought entry to her mouth and she accepted the silent request, parting her lips for him. It delved in and she instinctively caressed it with her own, pressing more firmly against his body. Her tail wound around his left thigh and he grunted softly as she rocked her pelvis against his, pushing against the increasingly obvious bulge in his loincloth. The feel of it pressing into her lower abdomen drove her mating urges to greater heights and she rubbed against him suggestively, wanting nothing more than to give into her body's needs. She didn't care that he wasn't yet initiated into the clan; to her, he was already one of the People.

Norm pulled away with visible difficulty and he was breathing as heavily as she was. "I'd better stop," he panted, his burning gaze sweeping her with masculine aggression. "I'm not used to this sort of thing in a Na'vi body and I can't risk disrespecting you."

"No disrespect in answering nature," Ni'nat insisted in stumbling English. The urge to pounce on him and have her way was strong and her tail unwound from his thigh to lash behind her in sexual frustration. She pulled him close again and licked his throat, emitting a soft, low growl as she tasted his skin and felt his pulse beating strongly against her tongue.

She felt him tremble and his responsive purr ignited her lust further. "Ni'nat," he pleaded breathlessly, "I'm serious...I don't know if I can hold back if we keep this up. The clan would never approve." He gently disengaged her and looked into her eyes. "You're worth waiting for. Let me finish my trials and complete my passage into this body, so that I can be worthy of you."

She practically mewled with need but she nodded and backed off. As frustrating as it was, Norm's stubborn refusal to mate with her prematurely made her respect for him grow even more. Other males would have likely taken the opportunity and accepted her invitation, whether they had passed their hunter's trials or not.

"You must work faster, Norm." She smiled seductively at him and allowed herself the brief pleasure of running her hands over his chest. "I can wait but my patience has limits."

She deliberately left it at that, leaving the possibility open that she might seek her satisfaction elsewhere—even though she was positive now that Norm was the only male for her. By the half-desperate look on his face he understood the implication and she almost lost her nerve and reassured him that she would wait for him. A little extra incentive might give him the boost to finish sooner, however, so she strangled her shame and left him wondering.

"We should return to the base," Norm said in a strained voice. "It's getting dark."

* * *

They chose to seek their rest on the second floor of the cabin for a bit of privacy. E'quath slept on one of the first floor bunkers, a few feet away from the now-inactive avatars. Norm squirmed a little under the sheet as he lay down on the bunk. Ni'nat looked down at him a little sadly and he felt concerned. "What's the matter?" He whispered.

"I know that when you close your eyes, you will not be here anymore."

Norm was touched and he reached out for her hand. "Well, not _right here_ but I'll still be close by and I'll be back in this body by morning." He almost invited her to come to his personal quarters and sleep with him again but he didn't think he could bear further frustration.

Ni'nat took his hand and threaded her graceful fingers with his. "Then I will see you in the morning, my Norm."

His heart skipped a beat in response to being called "Her Norm". He gently squeezed her hand and sighed, smiling helplessly as he admired her beauty.

He deliberately forced his eyes to remain on her face as her necklace slipped, exposing her breasts. Na'vi women weren't modest and the ornamental necklaces and halters they typically wore weren't designed to hide their endowments. Few of them were endowed more heavily than a B cup by human standards but Ni'nat's perfect, firm breasts were fuller than most other Na'vi females.

Norm berated himself foully in his head for being so hung-up on a pair of nice boobs. The culture he came from was much more focused on that part of the female body than the Na'vi culture and it embarrassed him that he hadn't shaken the fascination yet.

"Norm, are you blushing?"

He cursed himself silently and averted his eyes. "No."

"I think you are." He saw Ni'nat's white-toothed grin and he groaned softly, knowing she had figured out what made the blue flush spread over his cheeks. She looked down at the swell of her breasts. "You like them?"

Norm wanted to put a paper bag over his head. Her innocent question made him feel about two feet tall. "Y-yes," he answered, knowing it was pointless to fib. "But I like the rest of you, too. Please, don't think I only appreciate that...area." He was babbling but it was true. He loved her ass and her hips and her long legs and her shapely, soft lips. He loved her voice and her hair and her playful nature.

He loved her.

Norm's mouth fell open and his eyes widened as the realization struck him like a thunderbolt. Ni'nat's amused expression faded into worry as she noticed the change in his expression.

"Norm, I have nothing that other women don't have." She let go of his hand and got out of bed, crouching at his bunk to stroke his face. "You look strange."

He swallowed and met her eyes. "Other women have the same parts," he said slowly, "but they aren't put together as well as you are. I'm sorry...I just have to be honest. I...I also have to tell you that there's much more to my feelings than your physical body, Ni'nat. I didn't fully know it until now, but...I...that is—"

Shit. He was stumbling again. His last steady relationship ended in misery when Anna left him because she felt he was more devoted to his science than her. He swore he'd never fall for anyone again or even try to court the opposite sex, but Ni'nat changed all that without any apparent effort. This was different. His career couldn't get in the way now because it was all about the Na'vi people and Pandora.

"Norm, you can tell me when you are ready," Ni'nat whispered, breaking into his thoughts. She smiled at him and lowered her forehead to his. "You are better with females than you think."

Norm blinked. "Is there a sign somewhere advertising everything I'm thinking?"

She laughed softly, understanding his meaning well enough. "You have an honest face. Easy to read." She kissed him softly on the bridge of the nose. "I like it."

"I need a better poker face."

She looked confused. "'Poker face'? You are considering piercing your nose? I wish you would not do that."

Norm blurted a laugh before he could contain it and he shook his head. "It's just an expression. It means to hide one's thoughts from others."

"Oh." She took one of his hands and slowly guided it to her right breast. "I prefer the honesty." She took his other hand and did the same before lowering her mouth to his for a kiss.

Norm's breath caught and he impulsively fondled the silken flesh offered to him. He returned her kiss helplessly and a nasty thought occurred to him. Was he the only man she'd ever allowed to touch her this way? Breasts being less taboo in Na'vi society even as sex was considered more meaningful, he faced the unpleasant reality that some other male might have done this very same thing before him. Her breath shivered against his lips as he brushed his thumbs over her nipples in gentle circles and he couldn't bear not knowing.

"Is this something you allow often?" He winced as soon as the words left his mouth.

_~Idiot! Why don't you just call her a tramp, while you're at it!~_

To his vast relief, she didn't take offense. She smiled softly at him and shook her head, her long tresses falling over her shoulders and caressing his fondling hands. "You are the only one who has earned the right, my Norm."

The admission made him ridiculously happy and he discovered possessive feelings he didn't even know he was capable of having. Her nipples tightened to hardness under his attentions and he began kissing her lavishly, wanting nothing more than to pull her onto the bunk with him and claim her once and for all. She was making delightful little purrs and whimpers of pleasure as he stimulated her and he was sure he would soon make a mess in his loincloth if he kept going.

"Norm," Ni'nat murmured against his lips, "your touch pleases me...it feels very good."

"Oh, damn," he gasped. He couldn't stop now...not when she expressed her enjoyment in what he was doing with such sweet candor. She straddled him and she began to rub against him between the thin layers of their garments. "Ni'nat...god, you're so beautiful."

"Are you sure you wish to wait?" Her breath was coming faster and heavier and there was a flush of passion spreading over her high cheekbones.

"I have to," he said through clenched teeth. "I don't want to but it's the right thing to do. You don't know how hard it is for me to hold back." He spoke in a mixture of English and Na'vi, his mind failing to tell the two languages apart as he throbbed against her female heat.

Her fingers began to stroke his knuckles encouragingly and her eyes fluttered shut. A low moan escaped her parted lips and he swore he could feel a hint of dampness against his arousal as she undulated on top of him.

"Shh," Norm warned her in an unsteady whisper as her vocalizations of pleasure grew louder. "E'quath will hear you."

In contrast to his warning, he tenderly squeezed her nipples to increase her pleasure before resuming his loving fondling. Her breath caught and her thighs tensed on either side of his. With a little shock, Norm realized something.

_~Is...she about to...?~_

Ni'nat answered his mental question with a hard kiss and an explosion of breath into his mouth. Her lithe body tensed and she trembled, whimpering softly into the kiss. Norm was overwhelmed with a feeling of mingled pride, appreciation and fondness. He stroked her breasts until her tension faded and when she scooted down and laid her head on his chest, he ran his fingers through her soft braids.

He was sure she couldn't be comfortable, with his erection poking her rudely in the abdomen. She didn't complain, however. She rubbed her cheek against his chest affectionately and she sighed with pleasured content.

"I would like to make you feel that way, Norm," she said after catching her breath for a moment.

There was nothing in the world Norm wanted more at that moment than to encourage her to do just that. The thought of her hands or mouth on him down there made his arousal twitch with need and he groaned audibly. He had thought it was hard to control himself when they were kissing on the hill earlier but now he was treated to sheer torture. He was going to have to call it a night if he didn't want to break his vow to respect her.

"I would love that," he said with all sincerity, "but not now. I can't handle it, Ni'nat."

She lifted her head and practically pouted at him, but she respected his wishes and didn't try to touch him below the waist. He gave her a strained smile and stroked her hair again. "When I join the clan and if you choose me, things will change. Right now, I think I need a cold shower."

She lifted one elegant brow and her lips quirked. "Does that truly help?"

"Usually," he grumbled, "but I'm not so sure it will work, this time. I probably won't get any sleep tonight."

She chuckled and gave him a brief kiss on the mouth. "I did not intend to cause you pain. Dream of me, my Norm."

"Believe me, I will." He meant it sincerely. He'd be lucky if the typical method of relieving a hard-on did the trick, even in his human body. Norm couldn't remember ever wanting a woman as much as he wanted Ni'nat.

She seemed to sense how fine his thread of control was stretching and she climbed off of him with a little frown of regret. "I will see you in the morning, Norm." She stroked his face once more before returning to her own bunk and lying down.

Norm reached across the distance for her hand and she accepted with a smile. The last thing he felt before he closed his eyes and ended the link with his avatar body was her hand squeezing his.

* * *

"Jake, I need to talk to you for a minute, if it's okay."

Jake looked at Norm with furrowed brows, noting the tense expression on his face behind the breathing mask he wore. "Go ahead," he offered.

Norm cast an uncomfortable glance at Mo'at and Neytiri. "Forgive me," he said in their language, "but may we have a moment of privacy?"

The two women looked faintly suspicious but Mo'at graciously gestured for her daughter and the two of them left the room. Norm sighed when they were gone and Jake tilted his head curiously. "What's the problem?"

"I need to know what I'm up against," Norm blurted once the door was shut.

Jake stared at him. "You mean with the ikran bonding?"

"No, I mean with Ni'nat."

A slow grin curved Jake's mouth. "Uh-huh. What do you want to know?"

Norm pressed his lips together in irritation and Jake noticed that his hair was still damp as if he'd recently showered. "I want to know what kind of competition I'm up against. A woman like her has to have plenty of options."

"Yeah, I guess she does have plenty of options," Jake agreed casually, trying to control his amusement. "What do you want me to do about it?"

"I just...I just need to know how far up on the ladder I am," explained Norm. "What do you think my chances are that she'll choose me?"

Jake shrugged. "That's kind of hard to say, Norm. Like you said, she's got plenty of men panting after her." He studied his friend thoughtfully and it dawned on him that Norm probably had a very good reason for his sudden burst of desperation. "Hey, you two haven't—"

"No!" Norm interrupted, flushing. "But...we almost did."

"Almost?"

"Twice." Norm shut his eyes and sighed. "I wouldn't have gotten that far with her if she wasn't really considering me, would I?"

"How far are we talking, here?" Jake's brows shot up.

"Far enough," Norm gritted out, obviously losing patience. "Look, I just want to know if she's shown a serious interest in any other men."

Jake began to feel sorry for him. "Damn, you really want her, don't you?"

When Norm merely gave him an exasperated look as if to say he was being a moron, Jake chuckled and held his hands up defensively. "Okay look, I'll talk to Neytiri about it. She would know better than me and Ni'nat would probably feel more comfortable speaking with her about it. You know the rules, Norm. We can't force anyone in the clan to mate with someone they don't want...all we can do is choose for them when they can't decide between interests."

"I know." Norm sighed. "How are your legs doing? Are you getting more feeling in them?"

"Just my feet, so far." Jake bit his bottom lip in concentration and flexed his toes with effort. "The pins and needles are spreading to the soles of my feet now. I owe you one, Norm."

"Thank me when you can walk again. See you tomorrow, Jake."

Jake watched him go to the door and he was reminded that he really _did_ owe him. "Hey Norm?"

The anthropologist stopped and turned curiously.

Jake tried to think of the best way to word it without breaking the rules. "If Ni'nat does have a lot of mating interests, I'd say you've got a good head start on them."

Norm visibly brightened. "You're not just saying that?"

Jake shook his head. "No. I can tell this is important to you and I'm not playing around. Just don't let it distract you, okay? You finish what you started and we'll move on from there. Oh and uh...you didn't hear it from me, got it?"

"Got it." Norm relaxed. "Thanks, Jake."

Jake smirked. "Goodnight, Norm."

* * *

-To be continued

_**Translations:**_

_**uniltìrantokx**_avatar, or dreamwalker body

_**Olo'eyktan**_= Clan leader, or chieftain

_**Tsmukan **_= Brother

_**Iknimaya **_= Final rite of passage in which a Na'vi must capture and bond with his/her first ikran.

_**Toktor**_ = Doctor

_**Tsahaylu **_= The connection Na'vi can make with each other, certain animals and trees through use of the neural fibers protected by the queue (braid) they grow from birth.

_**Tawtute **_= Sky People; the term Na'vi commonly use for humans—particularly greedy, destructive ones.


	9. Chapter 9

"Between worlds"

Chapter 9

* * *

_**Author's note: See footnotes at the end of the chapter for Na'vi/English translations.**_

* * *

*Disclaimer: I do not own Pandora and I make no profit from writing fanfiction based on the "Avatar" film.

* * *

As he promised, Jake spoke with Neytiri about Ni'nat on Norm's behalf the very next day. "I think we both know where this is going to end up but it's better to be safe than sorry. Will you talk to her and find out for sure where she stands on the whole Norm issue?"

"You think it is that important now?"

Jake nodded. "According to her and E'quath, he's picking up even faster. He's got every reason in the world now to finish and I know how fast Norm can get things done when he's determined. I think we'd better be ready to approve their union fast, and not just because Norm's doing so well improving his skills."

Neytiri eyed him suspiciously. "What are you saying, Jake?"

He briefly lifted his brows and looked away. "I'm saying I don't know if those two are going to make it to Norm's rebirth ceremony before they take matters into their own hands."

"Did she say something to you?"

"No, but Norm did." Jake braced himself and he wasn't disappointed.

"Jake, has he taken advantage of her mating urges?" Neytiri's expression hardened and her eyes flashed.

"You mean like I did with you?" He winked at her. "No, he's got more self-control than me."

"You did not—"

"You were promised to Tsu'tey, remember?" Jake cut in, holding her gaze. "We both knew that. Sometimes what the heart wants clouds noble intentions."

Neytiri lowered her gaze at the reminder of the deceased warrior whom she would have mated with, if not for her meeting and falling in love with Jake. "You are not a _skxawng_ at all, my Jake. I never should have called you one."

He smirked at her. "I've got my moments but I know I can be pretty moronic sometimes."

She laughed and leaned over to press her face against his. "A wise moron," she whispered fondly.

"That's an oxymoron," Jake muttered as he put his arms around her waist.

Neytiri pulled back to look at him with an open expression of confusion on her lovely features. "Another human slang I don't know."

"Sorry," he apologized. "It just means a contradiction."

She shook her head and gave him a rueful look. "I wonder when I will ever understand your terms."

He smiled toothily at her. "You haven't said a broken English sentence in a while now. I'll have you cussing like a sailor in no time."

Her lips quirked. _That_ term, she was familiar with. "Mother will be so pleased. Jackass."

Jake burst into laughter. "What did I do to deserve _that_?"

She tilted her head, looking absurdly ignorant. "I thought that word was used as a term of affection."

"No, you didn't," Jake countered, onto her little game. He caught her around the waist and pulled her onto the bed and into his lap, ignoring her shrill protest. "You don't fool me."

"Jake, your back—"

"My back is feeling fine now. I've got other body parts that could use some attention, though." He shifted her in his lap so that she could feel specifically which body part he had in mind.

Neytiri pressed her lips together and glanced down. "That part of you proves it is healthy, each day." She raised her eyes to his and grinned softly. "I thought that you wanted me to speak with Ni'nat, Jake."

He sighed. "Yeah, I know. Business before pleasure. I guess I've got to let you go." He nuzzled her neck and placed a hand over her lower abdomen. It would be several weeks before her body began to show visible signs of her condition. Still, he had become fond of laying his palm over the area that housed their growing offspring.

"Just do something for me when you come back," he murmured, nuzzling her hair and breathing in her scent.

"What is that?" She asked softly, closing her eyes in pleasure as his lips brushed against her ear.

"Lock the door and cover up the window so we can have a little privacy. You said you wanted to play when I felt better, so..."

She smiled at him and traced his sculpted features with her fingertips. "We will see."

Jake grinned as she climbed off of him and walked to the door. He admired the swish of her tail and her firm little bottom. He knew that "We'll see" meant "absolutely" and he relaxed against the propped-up bed, anticipating delightful activities that he had sorely missed during his recovery. He looked down the length of his body and wiggled his toes. It was easier for him now and he wondered how long it would take him to regain feeling in his legs.

* * *

"Ni'nat, I must speak with you alone for a moment."

The singer recognized the authoritative tone in Neytiri's voice and she immediately stopped treating the hide she was preparing. E'quath politely minded his own business, focusing his attention on crafting new arrows. Norm was presently helping out in the lab, before the day's training exercises were to begin.

Ni'nat walked alongside her clan sister, away from the avatar cabin and into the native gardens. "Is something the matter, sister?"

Neytiri stopped and swiveled her ears as she looked around to be sure they were alone. "Nothing to worry about," she assured her, "unless you are undecided."

Ni'nat wasn't about to pretend ignorance. "Then you have noticed."

Neytiri nodded. "Many have. I came to ask you this, before he completes his _Iknimaya._ Do you have other mating interests besides Normspellman to consider?"

Ni'nat lowered her gaze and blushed in a way that would have had Norm flabbergasted. "There were before, but as I have come to know him better I have lost interest in them."

"You are certain? Once you are mated before Eywa, you cannot change your mind." Neytiri gazed up at the taller woman steadily and it occurred to Ni'nat how much she had grown spiritually during the Time of Sorrow. She would make a great _Tsahik_, when Mo'at passed the title down to her.

Ni'nat nodded without hesitation. "I am certain. He is the only one I see myself with, if he'll have me."

Neytiri smiled. "I don't think you have to worry about Normspellman refusing any invitation you give him, sister." She reached out and patted Ni'nat on the arm. "When the time comes, you have our support. Jake and I both think you have made a good choice."

"Thank you, Neytiri." Ni'nat pressed her hand over her heart in a sincere gesture of gratitude. "This approval means much to me. What is it like, being with a male?"

Neytiri smiled, un-offended by the question. "It can be many things. Sometimes your passion will make it hard to breathe. Other times, it can be tender and unhurried. All of it is wonderful."

Ni'nat sighed, allowing her imagination to paint wonderful images in her mind. "Patience is hard to practice, now."

"I understand," Neytiri soothed. "When you know he is the one you want, thoughts of being with him distract from everything else. You must resist temptation, until he is accepted as one of the People."

Ni'nat nodded, smiling a little painfully. "Even if I forget myself, Norm will not. He...is stubborn."

"Honorable," Neytiri corrected with a chuckle. "And that is a good thing, sister."

* * *

Jake was in _Tsahaylu_ with Sebastian when Neytiri returned to his hospital room. Sebastian was seated in the chair beside Jake's bed and their queues were linked together. She waited in respectful silence while her mate worked with the other male to break down the remaining barriers crippling his mind. Jake's expression was strained but determined and he spoke aloud to Sebastian in calming tones as he worked, encouraging him. Neytiri smiled. She was proud of him for putting the needs of others before his own, even when he had such difficulties to overcome.

It was because of this selfless devotion that he made such a fine clan leader. She knew in her heart that her father and Tsu'tey would have approved of his leadership. His charisma and bravery quickly won the hearts of her people—even the ones who would have shunned him, before.

After several minutes, Jake ended the link and caught his breath. He smiled at Sebastian, who appeared to be somewhat disoriented. "I think we're finally finished. How are you feeling, Sebastian?"

"I feel," answered the smaller male slowly, "almost like myself again." He took a steadying breath and smiled at Jake like he was a hero from a storybook. "I can't thank you enough for this, Corporal Sully."

"There's no need to," Jake insisted. "I'm happy to help. If you think we need to work on it a little more just tell me."

Sebastian shook his head. "No, I'm back now. The only thing I need to work on now is getting used to life in a Na'vi body. You have my eternal gratitude."

Jake shrugged, looking a little embarrassed by the praise. "Just take it easy and try to move on. You might even start liking your new body, once you get used to it."

Sebastian looked down at his hands and slowly flexed his fingers. "I suppose you're right. The increased strength is what concerns me the most. You have _no_ idea how many things I've broken, entirely on accident."

Jake laughed. "You might be surprised. I found out that one of the rules for medical staff when a driver first wakes up in an avatar body is to avoid trying to physically restrain them, unless they don't have a choice. If the new avatar gets out of line, they either get one of the other avatars to take care of it or they rely on tranquilizers. I guess a few people got hurt when the program was new."

Sebastian smirked and nodded in understanding. "I vaguely recall Dr. Spelling holding me down when I first woke up. The rest of the staff kept their distance." He glanced at the watch on his wrist and got out of the chair. "Well, I'll give you some privacy and put a meal together for you and your family. Best of luck with your legs, Jake."

"You don't have to do that," argued Jake.

"It's the least I can do." Sebastian gave Neytiri a respectful nod and left without further comment, not giving Jake the chance to protest further.

Neytiri shut the door behind him and locked it. Mo'at would be finished with her meditations soon but Neytiri knew her mother would understand when she found the door locked. She approached her mate with a little smile and she walked around to the left side of the bed. Neytiri lowered her head to give him a kiss and he responded with eager passion, startling her a little.

"So, how did the talk go?" Jake murmured when he broke the kiss. His fingers glided teasingly over her shoulders and arms, making the skin tingle.

"I think it went very well," she answered, shivering a little in response to his touch. "She has chosen Norm as her only mating interest. He has nothing to worry about, as long as he passes his _Iknimaya_."

"That's what I thought," Jake said in a pleased tone. "Too bad I can't tell _him_ that so he'll stop worrying, but maybe believing he's got competition will give him incentive. Come here."

Neytiri resisted a grin as he cupped the back of her head and drew her head down for another kiss. His tongue stroked hers cajolingly and her pulse quickened. She placed her hands on his chest and sorely wished the hospital gown wasn't concealing his body. She had never told him how much she loved his chest, but she suspected he knew already, due to how often she found excuses to touch it. His heartbeat drummed strongly beneath her palms, picking up rhythm as the kiss deepened. Now that she was pregnant, her body's urges weren't consuming but she was by no means immune from sexual desire.

"Don't you have something for me?" Jake murmured huskily against her lips. His hands slid around behind her to cup her bottom.

"Maybe." Neytiri was worried about putting weight on him, in truth. As much as she wanted him, she didn't want to accidentally damage his healing back. "Jake, are you sure you are well enough for this?" She bit her lip when she glanced down and saw the tent forming in the sheets over his genitals. The sight of his obvious arousal made her excitement grow and she shut her eyes, fighting the urge to pounce him.

"I'm positive," he answered. His lips moved over her throat and placed soft, urgent little kisses there.

Still suffering misgivings but too aroused to ignore her body's urgings, Neytiri gently disengaged from him and took one of the sheets she had folded up and placed on the visitor's couch. She went to the door and unlocked it so that she could open it a crack. She cleverly draped the top of the sheet over the top of the door and shut it so that it would hold the sheet in place. Twisting the lock again, she turned to face her mate and she smiled. She would need to be gentle with him but she trusted him when he said he was recovered enough to mate.

* * *

"Hey guys, where are you going with the food trays?"

Sebastian and Katherine turned to greet Ramona as the zoologist approached. "It's for Sully and his family," answered Sebastian.

Ramona blinked at him. "That's the first time I've heard you speak an unbroken sentence, kiddo. Are the holes all patched up, now?"

Sebastian nodded and smiled. "Yes. Jake finished the job a little while ago. I'm more or less healed."

"Well, all right! It's great to see you back to your old self again...er...so to speak. I missed that sexy accent of yours."

Sebastian chuckled modestly and shrugged. "Am I really the only Brit on this base?"

"I think there might be one other guy in the army," answered Ramona. "Maybe you two can get together and have some tea and scones."

"And the cultural stereotypes begin," Sebastian sighed. He continued walking and the women fell into step with him.

"Aw, you can make fun of us Americans if you want," offered Ramona.

"Yes, feel free to make fun of the way we spell 'color' and pronounce words like 'bastard'," agreed Katherine with a smile.

Sebastian grinned at her, appreciating the way her eyes lit up with amusement. It was on the tip of his tongue to say he'd never make fun of Katherine but he didn't want to make his infatuation with her too obvious. He caught sight of Ramona's sly smirk and he winced inwardly. At least one person knew how he felt about Kath.

"So Sebastian," Ramona said conversationally as they walked down the hallway, "what would a British street gang call itself, 'The Bloodies'? Ahh! Don't poke me, Katherine!"

"Stop picking on him and I won't poke you." Katherine almost spilled her tray and she righted it quickly.

He laughed softly. "We have soccer hooligans. I think they'd give your street gangs a run for their money."

"What did you do for a living, before you joined the Avatar program?" Katherine asked, changing the subject gracefully.

"I was a hmmker," he muttered.

Katherine frowned. "A what?"

He cleared his throat. "I was a hacker. A computer hacker."

"A hacker?" Both women said in unison, staring at him.

"What?" He replied defensively. "The pay was good!"

Ramona snickered. "Wow, you're such a nerd."

"You're the one wearing a lab coat," Sebastian reminded her. "You're as much a science geek as I am."

"Touché," Ramona conceded with a grin. "So what made you decide to leave the hacking business behind?"

"I began reading up on Pandora and the Na'vi and I became engrossed in it," he answered honestly. "It fascinated me, so I took some language and diplomacy courses and took a chance putting in my application for the Avatar program. I could hardly believe it when I got the phone call to go in for orientation training." He sighed. He had been so excited but he couldn't have anticipated their true motives for choosing him. He had wanted to make a difference...wanted to do something special. They had just used him. They weren't interested in his skills at all.

"Sebastian," Katherine said softly, "regardless of what they did to you, there's still a lot of good you could do here. I know it's hard to adjust but try to think of this as an opportunity. You can go _anywhere_ on this moon, without the inconvenience of needing an exopack. You know the language and the culture. You could help maintain good relations between the natives and us."

Sebastian thought about it and he decided she was right. Things were hard now but there was an undeniable advantage to his new body. Grateful that she had shown him a silver lining around the dark cloud hanging over his head, he smiled at her. "Thanks, Kath."

"Well, here we are," Ramona said when they reached Jake's room. "Here, I'll knock on the door, since you guys have your hands full. Hmm, what's that sheet doing draped over the window?" She knocked and called out to the occupants. "Lunch time!"

"We're...uh...busy right now," Jake's voice replied from behind the door. "Can you just...leave it?" A low groan followed the response.

Ramona's eyebrows shot up and she pressed her ear against the door, shooting a wide-eyed look at her two companions. The sound of Neytiri moaning Jake's name floated through the door, loud enough for Sebastian and Katherine to hear it. Sebastian glanced uncomfortably at Katherine and he almost laughed at the delicate blush that immediately stained her cheeks.

"The guy's got a spine injury and they're _still_ screwing," Ramona whispered incredulously. "Am I the only person on this base who _isn't_ getting laid?"

Katherine hid a giggle behind her hand and cleared her throat. "Well you know, Mona, I've seen Lee give you a few interested looks. Maybe things aren't as hopeless as you think."

"Really? Lee?" Ramona considered the tidbit of information. "He's a pretty hot tamale but isn't he married?"

"Divorced," supplied Katherine. "I thought you knew that."

"Damn!" blurted Ramona. "No, I _didn't_ know that or I'd have jumped that stud a long time ago!"

Sebastian bit his lip and wondered if Lee had any idea what he might be getting into.

"I'll see you guys later, all right?" Ramona was grinning like the cat that swallowed the canary. "I've got someone...uh...something to do."

She took off without waiting for a reply and Sebastian and Katherine watched her go with equally bemused expressions.

"In hindsight, maybe I shouldn't have said so much," Katherine pondered.

"She certainly isn't modest about expressing herself," Sebastian replied with a grin.

Katherine laughed and shook her head. "No, she isn't. I suppose six years in cryo and limited opportunities give her the right to be aggressive, though." She looked at him sidelong and chewed her lower lip.

Yes, all that time in cryo didn't help curb libido or lessen frustrations. Sebastian stared at Katherine and he debated himself over whether he should try to initiate something beyond friendship with her. She was so pretty, with her layered chestnut hair and warm, hazel eyes. He found himself staring at her mouth and admiring the shape of it. What would she do if he tried to kiss her right now? He still wasn't convinced that she saw a man when she looked at him; more like an exotic, intelligent animal.

"Kath, I really enjoyed the picnic we had the other day," he said, deciding to keep things simple for now. "What would you say to having another one today?"

She gave him a warm smile that made his heart skip a beat. "I'd say that's a great idea. Let's go." She linked her arm in his and together, they walked away from Jake's room and headed for the kitchen. Sebastian had some extra native food stored in the fridge there, so there was no need for him to gather more for his own lunch.

* * *

"Hey Rick," Ramona called when she spotted the avatar on her way outside, "Have you seen Lee anywhere?"

"Last time I saw him, he was heading for his sleeping quarters to get something," answered Rick.

Ramona smiled. This couldn't be more perfect if she'd planned it. "Thanks. You're a big help."

She made a brief pit-stop at her own quarters and she undressed completely before pulling her lab coat on and buttoning it all the way shut. Anyone she crossed paths with on the way to Lee's quarters would probably just assume she was wearing a skirt under the lab coat. With that in mind, she selected a pair of pumps and slipped them on. Whistling softly, she left her quarters and made her way to Lee's swiftly. She glanced around before knocking on the door and she was delighted when it opened to reveal he was in his avatar body. Unfortunately, he had to wear an exopack to breath in the Human section but she wasn't going to let a mask stop her from satisfying her curiosity about Na'vi male endowments.

"Hi," Ramona greeted as he looked down at her with surprised amber eyes. "Can I come in for a minute?" She felt a moment of insecurity and she hoped to hell Katherine wasn't just trying to make her feel better when she told her Lee was interested in her.

"Sure," he answered politely, standing aside for her to walk through the open door.

Ramona moved toward the bunk and began undoing her lab coat while Lee shut the door. "You might want to lock it, cutie."

"Why?" He turned to look at her just as she let her lab coat drop to the floor. His jaw dropped, along with the scanning device he was holding in one hand. It clattered to the floor un-noticed as his gaze roamed her exposed brown body. "Um...Ramona? You're...kind of naked."

She noticed the way his track pants began to poke out tellingly in the crotch area and she smiled up at him, her confidence fully restored. "So are you going to do something about it?"

He hesitated and she thought for a moment that she had erred. When he locked the door and crossed the distance between them, she knew she had guessed right. He immediately started to lean down for a kiss but he remembered the mask blocking his way and he swore softly in frustration.

"Hold your breath," Ramona suggested. When he complied, she lifted the mask and put her arms around his neck to draw his mouth to hers. He had to hunch over quite a bit but he made no complaints. The urgency in his kiss told her that she wasn't the only one suffering sexual frustration. When he lifted her into his arms and lowered her to the bunk, she knew she had him right where she wanted him. He had no choice but to stop kissing her and pull his mask down again after a moment but she didn't mind.

Soon, Lee William's custom tailored tracksuit pants ended up on the floor with Ramona's discarded lab coat.

* * *

"You must be faster, Normspellman."

Norm grimaced and tried again. E'quath stood nearby instructing him while Ni'nat held up the fake Ikran head and neck she had constructed. It was on a stake of wood so that she could raise it to the approximate height for accuracy. She wasn't holding it still for him, which made sense because a real ikran certainly wouldn't stand there and let him rope it without a fight.

"You will have only one chance, Norm," reminded Ni'nat. "The ikran that chooses you will not accept you as a rider until you have bested it. Keep trying!"

He nodded grimly and wordlessly as he drew his banshee catcher back and began to spin it again for another go. Norm was getting tired and frustrated, but he refused to complain or ask for a break. He didn't want to appear weak in front of his companions—particularly the beautiful singer.

E'quath looked up at the sky and gauged the position of the sun. "I will prepare lunch," he said to the both of them. "Keep training until our meal is ready."

Norm nodded gratefully and Ni'nat did the same. The tracker left then, walking back in the direction of the cabin. Now that they were alone together, Norm found it more difficult to concentrate on his task. His eyes kept straying to the female's legs, hips and breasts, admiring her graceful motions as she guided the ikran puppet to make him work harder.

"You are supposed to be looking at the ikran," chided Ni'nat with a knowing smile. "Not my body."

Norm flushed with embarrassment. "Sorry," he apologized, though she didn't seem the least bit offended by his attentions.

Ni'nat shrugged. "Males like to look. There is no shame in that." Her eyes swept him from head to toe and her grin became a bit feral. "Females like to look, too."

Norm groaned inwardly and begged his body to behave itself as her flirtation awakened his lust further. "That really isn't fair play."

She chuckled without argument and continued moving the puppet. Norm took a steadying breath and narrowed his focus. He made two more failing passes and he received the expected, constructive criticism from her as a result. At least she and E'quath weren't insulting when they lectured. They always offered advice with their criticism and they spoke respectfully to him, assuring him that they didn't think badly of him for missing.

Norm suffered two kinds of growing frustration as the practice continued. Each time Ni'nat's pert breasts bounced with her movements, his traitorous eyes latched onto them helplessly and his concentration was broken. It was on the tip of his tongue to suggest that E'quath should take up the role of playing the ikran and she should coach him from the side, but he didn't want to insult her. He silently berated himself. He was an adult, not a teenager. Surely, he could demonstrate more self-control than this.

Eventually, his frustration reached a peak and he narrowed his eyes with determination as he made his next pass. He wasn't thinking of capturing an ikran when he released the bola this time; he was thinking of capturing the teasing female whose movements and subtle flirtation were driving him to distraction. This time, the banshee catcher whipped out and wound around the puppet's snout. Ni'nat gave a small hoot of excited approval but Norm didn't give her a chance to congratulate him. He tugged firmly on the bola and dragged the puppet and the woman holding it across the distance, making Ni'nat stumble with surprise.

Ni'nat could have let go but for whatever reason, she didn't. That suited Norm's purposes just fine. He couldn't ignore his Na'vi instincts as he reeled her in and he offered no explanation as he gave into his body's demands and put an arm around her slim waist.

"Practicing mounting your ikran?" Ni'nat teased breathlessly as he pulled her tight against him. She dropped the puppet head to the ground and threaded her fingers through his hair, suggesting she knew exactly what he was doing and she didn't mind.

Norm didn't have the gift of verbal wit, so he demonstrated his intentions without attempting a snappy comeback. He lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her, letting all of his desire and passion express itself in the gesture. Her low purr of delight as she parted her lips and returned the kiss assured him that she was enjoying it. He traded dominance of the kiss with her, allowing her to explore his mouth without resistance when she lanced her tongue in. She wasn't timid or submissive with her responses, which only turned Norm on more. He didn't know if it was because Na'vi females were raised to be strong-willed and independent or if it was because she was naturally fierce, but he certainly had no complaints when she plundered his mouth.

Ni'nat rubbed against him and made soft sounds of distressed need in her throat, prompting Norm to slide one hand down to caress her smooth, firm bottom. He pulled his hand away with effort and reluctance a moment later, knowing that too much exploration of her body would drive him to pick her up and carry her into the bushes.

"You see?" Ni'nat sighed against his mouth, breaking the kiss for a moment. "So clever."

"That is _not_ training," interrupted a stern male voice before Norm could answer her. "Unless the two of you are training to mate."

The anthropologist hastily pulled away from Ni'nat and his face burned as he looked at E'quath. The tall hunter had his arms crossed over his chest and his chiseled features were hard with authority, like a parent who had just walked in on his kid making out instead of studying.

"I know how this looks," Norm said with a placating gesture, hoping he wouldn't end up having to fight the man who he now thought of as his friend.

"It looks like you two cannot keep your hands off of each other when you are alone," answered E'quath, shooting a remonstrating look at Ni'nat.

"Are you my father?" She challenged, but she was blushing as brightly as Norm.

"I am your clan mate and your friend," countered E'quath. "And I know how both of you feel for each other. Come, the food is ready."

Ni'nat cast a sidelong look at Norm and she squeezed his hand briefly before leaving the practice area. Norm retrieved his banshee catcher from the puppet on the ground and gave E'quath a contrite look as the other male approached him.

"I wouldn't have let it get too far," Norm promised softly. "I respect her too much for that."

E'quath's features relaxed a bit and he nodded graciously. "If it were most any other male, I would challenge you to a fight, Normspellman. Because I have come to know you and trust your self-control, I choose to believe you when you say you will wait. Keep to your training and you will soon be worthy of claiming your mating rights with her. Until then, you must control yourself, no matter how much she entices you."

Norm grimaced. "Actually, I started it," he admitted. "She isn't to blame."

E'quath gave him one of his rare, reserved smiles. "But I know how Ni'nat charms males with her body language and gaze. You are the only one she has pursued this far but many of the men in the clan would take the first opportunity to seal a bond with her. You may have initiated it, Normspellman, but I am sure some of the fault lies with her."

"She doesn't even have to try to tempt me," confessed Norm with a sigh. "Maybe we need a chaperone until I complete my trial."

E'quath tilted his head in puzzlement. "What is a...shap-rown?"

Norm smirked ruefully. "It's someone that escorts a couple around, to make sure they're never alone together. It's a practice usually reserved for teenagers to keep them out of trouble, but in this case..." He sighed again and shook his head.

"Hmm," E'quath responded thoughtfully, stroking his chin. "Then I will be your shap-rown, until you are initiated into our clan."

"Thanks," Norm said. "I hate to admit it, but that might be for the best."

* * *

Jake was steadily regaining feeling in his lower extremities as the days wore on. He was able to rotate his feet by day six and at the end of the week, he managed to pull his knees up without aid. Neytiri stayed with him but Mo'at returned to Hometree to oversee clan affairs in his absence. E'quath, Ni'nat and Norm stayed on the base as well, providing meat and helping Jake's recovery whenever possible.

Norm continued preparing for his final trial while simultaneously helping with Jake. The tension between he and Ni'nat continued to grow and he was glad that E'quath was watching over them. Ni'nat seemed to understand his trepidation and she didn't press him for contact, content to enjoy the days training him and hunting with him.

When Norm succeeded in roping the ikran dummy nine times out of ten, Ni'nat and E'quath decided he was ready for the real thing. The three of them went to Jake's hospital room to inform him that they would be traveling to the Hallelujah Mountains in the morning for Norm's final trial.

Jake gave Norm an encouraging smile and put his legs over the side of the bed with effort.

"Jake, what are you doing?" Norm stared nervously as his friend stubbornly got to his feet. Neytiri rushed to Jake's side and put a supportive arm around him as his knees threatened to give out. "You're not supposed to be trying to walk yet!"

"I know my body," Jake grunted. He took one excruciating step after the other toward Norm and the anthropologist was frozen to the spot, hardly believing what he was doing. Ni'nat and E'quath likewise stood unmoving, but they gazed at their chieftain with proud awe as he persisted in walking to Norm, one faltering step at a time. Neytiri looked up at him with a combination of worry and pride as she helped him.

"You're crazy, do you know that?" Norm said when Jake stopped before him and gave a tight smile of satisfaction.

"I just don't let doctors tell me what I can't do," replied Jake in a strained voice. His forehead was beaded with perspiration from his efforts, but he held his balance well. Jake reached out and laid a hand on Norm's shoulder. "_Tsmukan, nari si. Eywa ngahu._"

Norm swallowed. "_Irayo, Tsmukan._"

Any doubts over whether Jake had truly become one of the People were laid to rest for Norm. He definitely had the heart of a Na'vi and though his sense of humor was still human, the respect for Eywa was evident in his eyes as they exchanged dialog. Norm could only hope that if Jake managed to fit in so well, he would succeed too.

"You have shown off enough," Neytiri chastised, steeling a little of Jake's dignity. "You are on the verge of collapse, my Jake. Get back into bed."

Jake sighed and shot a rueful smirk her way. "Yes ma'am. I wouldn't want to get myself in trouble."

Ni'nat chuckled softly and Norm smiled.

* * *

-To be continued

**Translations:**

_**Skxawng**_Moron.

_**Tsahik**_= Matriarch. Spiritual leader of the clan who interprets the will of Eywa.

_**Iknimaya **_= Final rite of passage in which a Na'vi must capture and bond with his/her first ikran.

_**Tsmukan **_Brother

_**Nari si **_= Be careful, or watch out

_**Eywa ngahu =**_Goodbye, Eywa be with you

_**Irayo **_= Thank you


	10. Chapter 10

"Between worlds"

Chapter 10

* * *

_**Author's note: See footnotes at the end of the chapter for Na'vi/English translations. Those who have left reviews have my sincere gratitude. It's very heartening to know that this story is being well received, especially since it's my very first try at an "Avatar" fanfiction. **_

* * *

*Disclaimer: I do not own Pandora and I make no profit from writing fanfiction based on the "Avatar" film.

* * *

Norm had to stop and catch his breath. While his body had become used to physical exertion, he didn't have as much experience as his two companions. The air was thinner up in the floating mountains and he ran out of breath faster. They could have chosen to take a few more hunters in training with them but Ni'nat and E'quath mutually agreed that Norm would do better without the additional audience and pressure. Norm gasped an apology as Ni'nat stopped on the ledge above him and gazed down at him with concern.

"I just need a minute," he explained to her, feeling inferior. "I'll be okay."

"Take your time, Norm," she advised patiently.

She was also breathing heavily, so at least he knew he wasn't the only one running out of breath. E'quath shouted an inquiry from somewhere above them and Ni'nat hollered back, assuring him that they would be along shortly.

Norm put his hands on his knees and bowed his head. His braid fell over his shoulder to dangle beneath him as he recovered his strength. He felt a hand stroke his hair and he looked up to see Ni'nat smiling down at him encouragingly. Sweat glistened on her cyan-striped skin in the morning light and her eyes were warm and understanding. He smiled back, feeling a bit better over his need for a break. When he felt strong enough to continue, he nodded at her. She offered a hand down to him and he took it, un-offended by her desire to help. Together, they climbed up the broken steps of floating rock until they joined E'quath on the larger island above.

"Are you ready to jump, Normspellman?" E'quath studied the island above them and gauged the distance between themselves and the vines hanging down from it.

"As ready as I can be," answered Norm truthfully.

E'quath nodded and waited for a moment, before leaping out and catching one of the vines. Norm took a deep breath and waited for another to rotate closer to him. Ni'nat's soft encouragement from behind lent him strength as he gathered his muscles and leaped. For one terrifying moment, he felt his grip slipping on the damp vine and he thought he was going to slide down and off to fall to his death. He held on and clung to the vine, gasping as he waited for his heart to stop pounding so hard. He heard a soft grunt of exertion to his left and he glanced over to see Ni'nat clinging to the vine across from his. Steeling himself, he began to climb. It wasn't that difficult, once he got moving. He wasn't as fast as his two companions but he made it to the larger island above without slipping further.

"Take a moment to rest," suggested E'quath as he helped Norm climb off of the vine and balance himself. "We are here, now. You need full strength."

Norm nodded and sank down beside the waterfall, which dropped over the side of the island. Ni'nat filled her drinking skin with the waterfall and she sat down beside him, offering him the canteen. Norm took it with a smile of gratitude and drank thirstily before handing it back to her. She drank as well and their eyes remained on each other until Norm heard E'quath sigh. Norm hastily looked away from his love interest, embarrassed over his own smitten behavior.

Norm waited until his muscles stopped twitching and his breath came easily again. When he was sure he was ready, he stood up and nodded at E'quath. The tracker approached him and his features warmed as he laid one hand on Norm's shoulder.

"Good luck, brother. You can do this, I know."

Ni'nat stood up to offer her encouragement as well. "You will succeed." Her eyes were full of promise that had nothing to do with the task ahead of him.

Norm took another deep breath and gave them both a nod of thanks. "I have learned a lot from both of you," he said in Na'vi. "I will not disappoint you."

Both of them smiled at him supportively and Norm removed his bow and handed it over to E'quath. He readied his banshee catcher and cautiously moved between the cliff wall and the falling water, reminding himself not to look down. At one point, he felt his foot slip and he nearly panicked, but he caught his balance and he felt his companions' reassuring presence coming up behind him as he continued. He could hear the shrieks and cries of the wild ikran as he passed beneath the waterfall and when he emerged on the other side, he was shocked by how many there were.

Norm didn't take time to wonder how he was going to pick his ikran out from the mass of creatures nesting on the rocky ledges. He knew from what he had been told and the books he had read that he would know which one was for him when he looked it in the eye. He walked cautiously among the rocky path, stopping before each ikran he met and studying it for a reaction. The others followed at a respectful distance, silently watching as Norm tested each creature with his senses. By the time he reached the other side of the island, he was beginning to think that none of the banshees there were for him and his confidence began to lag. He finally spotted a sleek female with purple flesh and blue markings and something inside of him _knew_ that this was the one.

Norm approached the female and studied her silently, half-expecting her to fly off like the others he had confronted. Her yellow eyes stared into his and she spread her wings as she shrieked challengingly at him. His adrenaline spiked and he loosed his banshee catcher, quickly calculating for an opening as she hunched down and glared at him.

* * *

Ni'nat and E'quath watched closely as Norm loosed his banshee catcher and began to twirl it. He was keeping his distance, which was prudent. Ni'nat murmured his name under her breath and instinctively reached for her hunting knife, ready to defend him if things went sour. E'quath stood tense beside her and he called out encouragingly to the other male.

Jake had warned that Norm likely wouldn't use typical methods and they weren't disappointed. Rather than immediately try to rope the ikran, he lashed out with his bola and smacked her on the backside. The ikran looked over her shoulder at the unexpected sting, distracted. She returned her attention to Norm a moment later, only to have him pop her again.

"Interesting," E'quath commented with furrowed brows, "I have never seen a hunter use that technique, before."

Ni'nat grinned. Norm's technique was indeed "interesting" and it was keeping the animal distracted enough not to lunge at him. Most hunters just jumped right into it, but he was using every small advantage he could get. As he distracted the ikran with stinging slaps from his catcher, he climbed up to level out the playing field, so that his adversary didn't have the higher ground. He smacked the animal again once he was on the rock outcropping with her and when she looked over her shoulder this time, he lashed out with the banshee catcher and muzzled her before she returned her attention to him.

"Good, Norm!" Ni'nat hooted as he jumped onto the ikran's back.

He already had his queue in one hand and he quickly grabbed hold of one of the creature's antennae to establish the bond. The ikran nearly threw him off and Ni'nat and E'quath tensed, prepared to go to his aid. Norm was ready for the struggle, however. He had his legs wrapped tightly around the sinuous neck and he demonstrated his knowledge that time was of the essence. As he had admitted to Ni'nat, he wasn't the strongest or most skilled hunter, but he made up for lack of physical prowess with an abundance of brainpower. He didn't waist time. With an audible grunt of effort he yanked the antenna close and merged it with his queue, sealing the bond faster than most other hunters managed.

Ni'nat ran toward him with a shout of exuberance and E'quath followed closely behind, grinning broadly. The ikran was momentarily stunned by the bond contact and she blinked in disorientation as she righted herself, with Norm seated securely between her shoulder blades.

"I have never seen an ikran tamed so quickly," announced E'quath when he and Ni'nat reached Norm.

"Well, she would have won in a test of strength," Norm admitted with a shaken laugh. He was breathing heavily and the expression on his face indicated that he was as surprised as they were by his quick success. He patted the creature's neck soothingly. "Steady, girl."

"You must seal the bond," advised E'quath.

"I know," Norm sighed. "This is the part I've really been dreading." He took a firm hold of the ikran's antennae and positioned himself. Unlike Jake, he knew the first flight would be rocky and he was evidently prepared for it. "Let's go, girl."

The ikran spread her wings and lurched to the edge of the mountain, diving off with Norm hanging on tight. Ni'nat heard him hiss a curse as they took off but the anthropologist immediately began instructing the beast with mental commands. Ni'nat and E'quath raced to the edge and looked out anxiously as Norm and his new mount soared away. The flight path was wobbly but Norm seemed to have anticipated this and he steered the animal away from the floating islands and out to the open sky.

"You were right," E'quath said to Ni'nat as Norm steadily gained control over his mount's flight. "He really _is_ more clever than most."

Ni'nat knew she was beaming with pride, but she couldn't restrain her expression. "Let us join him, brother." Both of them had brought their mounts with them and left them at the foot of the mountains. Knowing their bond-riders' needs, the animals would have followed their progression up the mountain.

E'quath nodded and he called out for his ikran. Ni'nat did the same and before long, a red-striped ikran and a green-spotted one flew in and landed before them. Ni'nat stroked Waytelem's snout and murmured to her softly before mounting her. E'quath patted Txep's neck and hopped onto his back. Together, they took off to join Norm. He was so engrossed in commanding his new mount that he gave a visible start of surprise when Ni'nat closed in on him and called out.

"You scared me," he announced with a breathless laugh.

She grinned and flew in closer to him. "My clever Norm," she called, laughing in delight.

E'quath closed in on Norm's other side and he hooted, saluting the anthropologist with the traditional hunter's gesture. Norm gave another start before smiling and returning it unsteadily. While he had evidently caught on fast concerning controlling his mount, he was clearly terrified.

"We will land now," E'quath shouted over the wind. "The bond is sealed and you look pale, Normspellman."

Norm nodded and Ni'nat suppressed a chuckle. It would take time for him to get used to flying and it occurred to her that he probably wouldn't have done this if it weren't a requirement. It hardly mattered, now. He was a true hunter and by the next turn of the planet, he would be Omaticaya forever. Her heart soared with pride, even as it ached with love she never would have expected to feel.

* * *

Jake looked up at Norm's flushed, excited face and he immediately guessed that his friend passed his test. The fact that Ni'nat was grinning so proudly and E'quath was regarding the anthropologist with new respect in his eyes sealed the impression.

"So, what do you think of flying, Norm?" Jake smiled at him as he approached the bed, pleased beyond measure that he had succeeded.

"I think I need a little time to get used to it," confessed Norm, "but it was an interesting experience, to say the least."

Neytiri blurted a small hoot and raised a fist in victory, making Jake chuckle. She calmed herself a moment later and smiled brightly at Norm. "You are a hunter, now. What name did you give your ikran?"

"I named her _Lrrtok_," answered Norm, "because I swear she was grinning when we first dove off that mountain."

The others laughed, appreciating the name. Jake regarded Ni'nat and E'quath when he spoke again. "Was I right? Did this guy pull off something weird or what?"

"His methods were definitely 'weird'," agreed E'quath with a subtle grin in Norm's direction. "But he tamed his ikran faster than any other hunter I have ever seen."

"He distracted her," added Ni'nat with an admiring look Norm's way. "He slapped her in the flanks with his bola and jumped on her back when she was not looking. It was very clever."

"See, I told you." Jake smirked. "Showoff."

Norm shrugged modestly, looking a little embarrassed. "I just worked with what I had. I don't think I could have wrestled with it like you did, Jake."

Neytiri cast a sidelong, admiring look at Jake and her lips curved into a smile. Jake remembered his first ride and he grinned back at her. Maybe his methods weren't subtle but Neytiri obviously was still impressed by his show of strength. "You did good, Norm. You used your wits and you got your ikran. I just wish I could have seen it."

Norm hesitated for a moment and cleared his throat. "You're going to be there, right? For my initiation and the rebirth?"

Jake sobered and nodded sincerely. "I'm not missing that for the world. I don't care if they've got to wheel me in on a plank; I'll be there."

Norm smiled. "I really owe you, Jake."

"Don't be dumb," Jake snorted. "You earned this."

"Even if I did, I wouldn't have had the opportunity if you didn't push for it," Norm persisted. His eyes were warm with uncommon gratitude as he approached Jakes bed and offered his hand. "You're a good friend."

Jake returned his smile and clasped his hand. "I wouldn't have pushed for it if I didn't think you could do it. Congratulations, Norm."

* * *

"Just take it easy, Jake." Max held his hands out in a placating gesture as Jake struggled along the supportive bars with Sebastian's help. "You don't want to push yourself too hard, okay?"

Jake shot a grin his way and bit his lip. He was trembling with effort but he was too stubborn and determined to admit defeat. Trudy stood next to Max and she watched as their comrade forced his legs into motion.

"Telling him to take it easy won't do any good," she whispered to Max, grinning as Jake stumbled along. "You should know better than that, bud."

Max grunted and combed his dark hair back from his forehead. "He could hurt himself if we aren't careful. He's made a damned miraculous recovery so far and I don't want to jeopardize it."

Trudy watched Jake's tall form persist in the exercise and she smirked. "I think he knows what he's doing, Max. He's not going to risk putting himself in a wheelchair again, if that's what you're worried about."

"That's exactly what I'm worried about," grumbled Max, "but I guess you're right. Jake's already been crippled once and he's probably not going to risk it happening again."

"My ears are burning, guys," Jake commented with a smirk. "You know I just heard everything you just said, right?"

Trudy grimaced sidelong at Max, who looked entirely too embarrassed. "We're just watching out for you, big guy."

Jake laughed softly. "Relax. I know my limits. Neytiri will kick my ass if I push it too hard."

Trudy grinned. "Figures. You're so whipped, Jake."

Sebastian politely tried to hide his smile as Jake glanced at him for a second opinion. "Yeah well...maybe I'm a little whipped but I'm enjoying it."

Max cleared his throat. "Okay, stop horsing around. How is it feeling, Jake?"

"Pretty good," answered Jake after a second's thought. "I think I've got it."

"May I ask what's so pressing?" Sebastian inquired in his cultured, soft voice.

"Norm's initiation is coming up," Jake grunted. "I've got to be there for it. Oh, and you guys are invited."

Trudy and Max glanced at each other with raised brows before the pilot responded. "Are you saying we get to come to a Na'vi ceremony?"

Jake nodded and stopped, taking a couple of deep breaths before regarding her with a smile. "That's what I'm saying. It's the first time in history that outsiders are allowed to watch it. You two can come because you helped fight against the Sky People. I'm sure Norm will appreciate you being there."

"Damn, Jake," Trudy muttered, shifting uncomfortably. "That's just...what if we piss someone off by saying the wrong thing?"

"Then we don't talk," suggested Max. He smiled at Jake. "This is going to be amazing. Thanks for the invitation, Jake."

Jake nodded before draping an arm around Sebastian's supportive shoulders again. "Mo'at suggested it. She sent word through a messenger this morning after she heard that Norm finished his trial. She likes you guys."

"See?" Trudy nudged Max playfully with her elbow. "Jake's got the coolest mother-in-law around."

* * *

The time for Norm's initiation ceremony came around and Jake refused all suggestions that he stay in the hospital.

"I've got to do this," he said with finality to Dr. Jacobs. "I have to be there. I'll come back when it's finished, but this is really important."

Roy sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I can't very well stop you Sully, but you must remember that you have some therapy to go through before you're in the clear. Do you promise you'll return for the remainder of your recovery, once this is finished?"

Jake nodded. "I'll come right back. I've just got to see this through."

He stood up and put an arm over his mate's supportive shoulders as Max wheeled in an appropriately sized wheelchair for him. Neytiri helped Jake ease himself down on it and Max refrained from taking hold of the handles, rightly guessing that Jake would want to push himself to the air transport.

Dr. Jacobs looked at Max, once Jake and Neytiri left the room. "You'll be sure to bring him back?"

"Of course," Max agreed.

* * *

Norm listened to the drums and the voices of the chanting Na'vi. He closed his eyes, hardly believing he was finally getting what he had wanted for so long. Ni'nat dipped her fingers into the bowl of white paint and she reverently decorated his body with tribal whorls and sigils, gazing at him with quiet pride as she worked.

"You have done well, Norm," Ni'nat complimented softly. Her fingers painted the symbols over his chest with graceful care. "Soon, you will be one of us."

Norm opened his eyes and returned her gaze levelly. "It's all I ever wanted."

Ni'nat smiled with pleasure before dipping her fingers back into the white paint and dragging them slowly over his face, completing the symbolic pattern. When she was finished, she dropped her hands to the sides and leaned towards him to press her mouth against his.

"I see you," she murmured.

Norm felt his heart swell and he reached out to place his hands on her shoulders. "I see you," he replied sincerely.

She kissed him once more before dipping her fingers into the bowl of water to clean the paint from them. Once that was done, she took one of his hands in hers and she guided him away from the secluded spot, towards the gathering of clan members waiting around the base of Hometree. Jake stood between Neytiri and Mo'at, watching quietly as they approached. One almost couldn't guess that he was in a weakened state, by his strong, determined stance. The only thing that gave away his injury was the way Neytiri kept one arm around him to steady his balance.

Norm saw Trudy and Max standing near the back of the crowd and he was comforted by their presence. He approached Mo'at with solemn dignity, favoring her with a heartfelt gesture of respect as she smiled at him.

"You have completed your trials, Normspellman," Mo'at announced, loudly enough for everyone to hear. "You have proven that you are worthy to become one of the People. From this day forward, you are one of the Omaticaya. You are a brother to us. What harm comes to you, comes to us all. My people, welcome our newest brother."

She laid her hands on his shoulders and Jake and Neytiri did the same. Other hands touched Norm from behind and he could feel the circle of comradery close around him, embracing him with acceptance and warmth. He saw E'quath a few feet back to the left and the tall warrior gave him a subtle smile and a nod of respect. Norm responded in kind, hardly believing he had accomplished his goal.

Far in the back, Trudy hastily reached under her mask and wiped her eyes. Max caught the gesture and he leaned toward her with a smile.

"Are you crying?"

"Got something in my eye," she excused with a telling sniffle. "Don't get too excited."

Max smiled but the gesture was strained. Norm's trial wasn't completely over, after all. His human body was waiting in the Samson they had piloted there. The real test would come when they ended the link between Norm's human body and his avatar body, so that Mo'at could attempt to guide him through the eye of Eywa. If it succeeded, Norm Spellman's human body would die and he would be living in his avatar body for the rest of his life. If it failed, Norm would simply die.

* * *

"Norm are you _absolutely_ sure about this?" Max knew he had asked it at least a dozen times now, but as he walked beside his friend into the glade surrounding the Tree of Souls, he felt compelled to ask again.

"I'm positive," Norm answered, hardly pausing his steps. E'quath walked nearby, carrying Norm's avatar body. Ni'nat was at the warrior's side and she gazed at Norm with obvious concern and love.

"It's his call," Trudy reminded Max in a low voice. "I think he can pull it off."

When they arrived at the base of the huge tree, Ni'nat took both of Norm's hands in hers and whispered fond encouragement in Na'vi. Jake was seated near the roots of the tree next to Neytiri, having worn himself out to the point where he could not stand any longer. Mo'at gestured for Norm and E'quath to come forward and Norm dutifully did so. If he minded the ivy leaves covering his human body, he didn't show it. He lay down on his side as instructed and E'quath carefully lowered his avatar body down next to him and arranged the limbs.

The assembly quieted when Mo'at lifted her arms. She looked out at her people, then down at Norm before beginning. "Great Mother, we pray to you," she called out.

The gathered Na'vi repeated her, including Jake and Neytiri. Tendrils of light glowed along the ground as their gathered thoughts and desires sifted from their queues to the tree.

"This being has proven himself worthy," Mo'at continued, "we ask that you help him pass into a new life!"

Trudy began to tense without even realizing it as she watched the fog of Norm's breath on his mask slow. She felt Max's hand slide into hers and she squeezed it impulsively, holding her breath as the prayers and pleads continued until Norm's body stopped breathing. Jake had struggled to his feet with Neytiri's help and he was watching Norm with grim determination.

"Oh God, please let this work," Trudy whispered.

She had been nonchalant about Norm's decision before but the realization that he could easily die in this ceremony struck her like a ton of bricks. She noticed his Na'vi girlfriend up the front as Ni'nat stood up from her place on the ground and looked at Norm's two bodies anxiously.

Mo'at held up her hands for silence and the chanting stopped. The ground at the roots of the tree continued to glow as she squatted down over Norm's avatar and stroked his hair, examining his face intently. For several heartbeats, it seemed that the process failed. Trudy swallowed hard, fighting back a moan of grief. She saw Max blink his eyes and set his jaw from her peripheral vision.

* * *

Norm felt himself floating away from his body and he knew with dread certainty that he was dying. He saw a tunnel of scintillating light; not unlike the one he saw in his mind's eye when he linked with his avatar. A blue-striped feminine hand suddenly reached through the tunnel and caught hold of his.

"Come on, kid. I've got you."

Norm looked into a pair of dearly missed eyes and his heart clenched. "Grace?"

She smiled. "The one and only. Let's get you sorted out."

The fading feeling went away and suddenly he was rushing into his avatar body with such speed, it was dizzying. Grace vanished and Norm felt the hard-packed earth against his cheek.

* * *

Norm's avatar suddenly blinked, opening disoriented, amber eyes. Jake grinned broadly and nearly collapsed. Neytiri swiftly supported him while Mo'at helped Norm to sit up. Looking around with stunned confusion, Norm's eyes swept over the assembly.

"That was...weird. Did it work?" Norm asked in a sleepy voice. He looked down at his human body and he stared. "Oh. I guess it did."

"This body is empty now," Mo'at reminded Norm in a kind voice. She helped him to stand up and she placed a hand over his heart. "You have received our Mother's blessing, Normspellman. This is your body, from now on."

Trudy couldn't help it; she hollered at the top of her lungs as if she were at a rock concert. Several Na'vi turned to look at her with looks ranging from annoyance to amusement but she hardly cared. "Yah! You did it, Norm!"

Norm looked over the crowd at her and he gave a modest, happy smile to her and Max. He touched his forehead in a gesture of respect to Mo'at as he struggled to orient himself. "Thank you for this, _Tsahik_. I will not take this gift for granted."

* * *

As happy as Norm was over his successful transition, he couldn't look down at his human body without a faint twinge of alarm. "What will they do with me? I mean...it?"

Jake came to his side and hung onto one of the tree's branches for support. "They'll give a respectful burial. You don't have to participate in it, Norm." His golden eyes were frankly worried on him. "Are you okay?"

Norm hesitated a moment before answering. "Yeah, I'm okay. It's just a little strange." He gestured at his human body. "It feels almost like that was the avatar and this is where I was supposed to be."

"I get that," Jake said sincerely, nodding. "It's going to feel more natural in a few days. Sometimes it's even hard to remember I used to be human. Oh, and Grace wanted me to tell you she's proud of you. I was waiting for the right moment and I think this is it."

Norm stared at Jake as if he'd sprouted a second tail.

"Hey, I'm not making this up," Jake insisted. "I know it sounds crazy but while I was out and getting my back worked on, she stayed with me."

"You were under the influence of a Na'vi sleep potion," Norm reminded him with raised eyebrows.

"I know what I saw. She said I've got no luck with thanators and she also said you're a good kid and I'm a troublemaker." Jake grinned.

Norm began to believe him, despite all logic. "That does sound like her. So, she just came to you?"

"In her avatar form," answered the other male with a nod. "And she was just as feisty and snarky as ever. I told her you probably wouldn't believe me and she said you could take it or leave it, as long as I got the message to you."

Norm thought about what happened during his passing through the eye of Eywa. "I believe you, Jake."

"You do?" The other man looked surprised.

Norm nodded and looked him in the eye. "When I was going through the transference, I almost didn't make it. I thought I was going to die but then..."

"What?" Jake prompted, tilting his head.

"Grace helped me. It was only for a moment but she took my hand and she helped me get into my avatar body. I wouldn't have made it without her."

Jake nodded slowly and Mo'at smiled, having overhead the conversation. "Spirits help those they love, when they can."

People began to approach Norm to offer congratulations to him and their conversation was put on hold. Norm didn't have much of a choice except to thank each Omaticaya that stepped up to pat him on the shoulder and welcome him to the clan. The crowd began to thin as people left to return to Hometree.

"Where are Neytiri and Ni'nat?" Norm asked Jake after accepting E'quath's hearty congratulations. He looked around, a bit disappointed that Ni'nat hadn't approached him like the others.

Jake was looking to the east and he nodded his head in that direction. "Looks like they're having some girl talk," he said.

Norm followed his gaze and he spotted his intended off near the forest, speaking with Neytiri. Jake's mate leaned in to whisper something in Ni'nat's ear and the two of them looked directly at Norm. Ni'nat's eyes widened and she smiled, muttering something to Neytiri. The other woman nodded and patted her on the shoulder with a grin.

"Oh, shit."

Norm looked at Jake, startled. "What? Is something wrong?"

Jake studied the two women for a moment before leaning closer to Norm and answering him in a low murmur. "I think I know what they're talking about and I'm going to give you a piece of advice."

Norm shrugged. "Okay."

"If Ni'nat starts reaching for your tail, you'd better brace yourself."

Norm was sure he had a comical look of confusion on his face. "Uh...sure. Why, though? I never read anything specific about Na'vi tails—"

"You won't find this in a book," Jake chuckled, shaking his head. "Just trust me. You're going to be screwed if she starts playing with your tail."

Norm was sure Jake had to be messing with him. He stared at him suspiciously and prepared to ask him exactly what he meant by that, but Max and Trudy interrupted him.

"Congratulations, Norm." Max stuck a hand out and Norm shook it with a smile. "You had us pretty worried for a moment, there. I'm relieved that you pulled through."

Trudy took his place a moment later and the small, tough brunette hugged Norm around the waist, hard enough to make him breathless. Norm chuckled and patted her on the back. "I'm all right," he assured her.

"I know," Trudy said as she pulled away and regained control of her emotions. "It just freaked me out when you stopped breathing. Can you blame me?"

Norm shook his head and smiled. "No, I can't blame you. We're even though. I wasn't exactly calm when I found out you were alive."

Trudy laughed and elbowed Max. "Yeah, I thought you and Jake were going to hug me to death. Then Max here turned into a big baby."

"Nothing wrong with being loved," Jake insisted with a grin.

Max glanced down at Norm's human body and he shivered a little. "Well Jake, we need to get you back on the helicopter," he said, changing the subject. "You made a promise to keep with your therapy until you're healed and you look like you're about wiped out."

Jake gave the doctor an annoyed look but he sighed and nodded. "Norm, would you get Neytiri for me?"

Mo'at came to his side and touched his forehead with a frown, checking his temperature with maternal worry. "You have pushed yourself too hard, son."

"I'll go and get Neytiri for you," Norm promised, seeing the exhaustion in his friend's stance that he had hidden so well up until now.

He jogged over to Jake's mate, feeling a little guilty. The only reason Jake had worn himself out was so that he could be there for Norm's initiation and ascension. Norm dearly hoped that Jake hadn't hurt himself. He saw Neytiri but Ni'nat was no longer there. Confused by her disappearance, Norm fought a frown as he approached.

"They're getting ready to board the aircraft," he explained to Neytiri when he reached her side. "Jake needs to get back to the hospital and get some rest."

Neytiri's eyes shifted to her mate with concern and she nodded. "I will be sure he rests. You stay with the clan and celebrate."

Norm agreed with her logic. It would be rude to take off right after being embraced by his new family. "I'll come and visit in a couple of days. Um...do you know where Ni'nat went?"

Neytiri smiled warmly at him and Norm had to take a moment to admire her beauty. No wonder Jake was so crazy about Neytiri. She really did have a sweet, beautiful smile when she chose to share it with people.

"You will find her in the lake nearby," explained Neytiri, pointing to the eastern part of the forest behind her. "She wanted to bathe for you."

"Oh." Norm's words were lodged in his throat like a piece of half-swallowed food and he had to swallow to get more out. "S-so should I go and look for her?"

Neytiri chuckled softly. "You act like Jake, now."

Norm caught on that she was politely calling him a moron and he coughed to cover up a laugh. "I guess that means yes."

"If you wish to be mated to her, yes," agreed Neytiri more soberly. "I can tell you now. She has chosen you, Norm. _Only_ you. All that is left is for you to accept and bond with her."

Norm felt a smile growing on his lips and he was powerless to stop it. His heart was beating so fast he was sure Neytiri could hear it. "Really?"

Neytiri tilted her head and a teasing glint shone in her amber gaze. "Are you still Norm, or are you my Jake, trapped in his body?"

"I heard that," Jake called out from the tree.

Norm bit his lips on a smirk. "He's got great hearing."

Neytiri laughed openly and patted Norm on the arm. "He knows I play. Now go. Seal the bond you have both waited for and enjoy the night. Welcome to our clan, Norm."

Norm caught sight of E'quath and the tracker gave him a subtle smile and a nod of approval. His way was clear now, on all accounts. "Thank you, Neytiri," he said with all sincerity. "I'll see you and Jake in a couple of days."

* * *

"You told her about the tail thing, didn't you?" Jake murmured the inquiry into his mate's ear as the aircraft lifted off.

Neytiri looked at him sidelong and there was smug satisfaction in her eyes as she shrugged. "All women should know how to please their mates."

Jake snorted. "On Earth there's a saying. 'She's got you by the balls'. It usually just means a guy's so stuck on his woman he can't see straight but when it comes to that tail spot, it's practically literal."

Neytiri looked faintly puzzled, only understanding half of what he said. "But you like it when I massage your 'balls'."

"That isn't what I meant," Jake laughed, shaking his head. "I just mean...well, maybe you gave Ni'nat too powerful a weapon to use, so early."

Neytiri grinned and she checked to make sure Max and Trudy weren't looking through the cockpit before laying her head on Jake's shoulder. She stroked his chest and kissed his neck. "You complain, but I know you like it when I stroke your tail."

Jake's breath caught and his groin stirred shamelessly. "Okay, so I like it...a lot. It's just really intense. I don't want to find out Norm and Ni'nat have mauled each other by accident, you know?"

"I am sure Ni'nat will practice restraint."

"Ha! You mean like the kind I used on you after you stole my loincloth?" Jake smirked at her. "As much as those two want each other, do you really think either of them are going to be able to hold back?"

Neytiri paused in her seductive actions and she frowned, seeing Jake's point. "It could be that I told her too soon," she admitted.

"I win." Jake grinned at her and before she could do more than give him an indignant look, he cupped her chin and kissed her.

"Damn, do you two _ever_ stop?" Trudy's voice came through over the transmission.

Jake broke the kiss and looked at the pilot, who had turned around in her seat to check on them. Her shades concealed her eyes but her teasing grin was wide as she peered through the separating transparent barrier from the cockpit. Max was pretending not to notice a thing, sitting in the copilot seat beside her and staring out the window with intense concentration.

"Wait till you get married one day," Jake countered with a grin.

"According to every married couple I know, sex stops after the rings are exchanged," Trudy shot back. "Maybe Humans should adopt Na'vi mating practices."

"Tree," Max said. "Trudy, there's a _tree_!"

"Whoops. I got it...calm down."

Jake instinctively held Neytiri close as the Samson abruptly inclined. "How about you pay a little less attention to what we're doing and a little more to your flying?"

"Nag, nag, nag." Trudy replied. "I'm so under-appreciated."

* * *

_-To be continued_

**Translations:**

_**Waytelem**_ = Songchord

_**Txep**_ = Fire

_**Lrrtok**_= Smile


	11. Chapter 11

"Between worlds"

Chapter 11

* * *

_**Author's note: See footnotes at the end of the chapter for Na'vi/English translations. Warning: Graphic sex in this chapter (plenty of it). Poor Jake...he cops so much crap.**_

* * *

*Disclaimer: I do not own Pandora and I make no profit from writing fanfiction based on the "Avatar" film.

* * *

Norm pushed aside plants as his footsteps took him deeper into the forest. He wondered for a little while if he was on the right track, but he heard the sound of splashing water up ahead. He kept going, mulling things over in his mind.

"Ni'nat, I love you. No, that's too abrupt. Ni'nat, I want you. Damn, too cheesy."

He kept muttering under his breath as he went, hardly paying attention to his own footsteps. He had his bow and his hunting knife of course, but there was hardly a need for the weapons, this close to the Tree of Souls. The forest animals rarely attacked Na'vi here. Norm continued to work up scenarios in his head, battling his Human cultural upbringing as he tried to think of the best way to express his love for the beautiful Na'vi woman.

"Ni'nat, I..." He pushed aside some native ferns at that moment and his words abruptly lodged in his throat. He had reached the lake. Ni'nat was utterly naked and the luminance from the plant life on the lake floor made the body of water glow. She was submerged to the waist and washing her hair. Norm could see every detail as Ni'nat tilted her head back and scrubbed her dark hair with natural plant extracts. Her perfect breasts were fully exposed, her dark nipples were erect and her eyes were shut.

"Oh...god," Norm whispered, feeling like a peeping Tom. He stared helplessly at her glorious, dripping beauty and he imagined that he would soon catch flies, if he didn't shut his mouth.

Ni'nat paused and glanced in his direction before ducking beneath the water to rinse out her loosened hair. Guessing that she probably knew he was there, Norm gathered his wits as best he could and he straightened up. There was no sense in staying hunkered down in the bushes and unless he was completely off-base, her actions were deliberately enticing.

"Ni'nat?" Norm called softly when she emerged again, pushing his way past the bushes.

He half-expected her to duck down into the water to hide her nudity but she gazed directly into his eyes, with no modesty at all. Rivulets of water dripped down over her smooth, naked skin and Norm's eyes followed them dumbly.

Na'vi women were raised to express what they wanted, once the time was right. There was no shame or hesitation in her eyes as she smiled at him. "Norm," she purred, holding out her hands invitingly. "Come."

Norm could think of about a dozen juvenile responses to her simple command and his body's reactions would certainly have confirmed them. Desperate not to insult her, he managed to choke out: "Okay" before walking thoughtlessly to the edge of the lake. His right foot got caught on her discarded garments and he shook her loincloth off of it. He flushed when he realized that he was about to walk right into that lake without removing his clothing or weapons. Ni'nat was smiling coyly at him, as if she realized the same thing. She deliberately arched her back to display her breasts better and Norm almost took a running dive.

"Remove your clothing," she demanded with a heated, sweeping glance of his body.

Norm wasn't about to argue with her. He immediately fumbled with his weapons harness, cursing under his breath as his inordinately clumsy fingers failed to cooperate with him quickly enough. He got the laces untied and he practically yanked the article off of him, hardly paying attention as it landed with a plop next to Ni'nat's discarded gear. He slipped out of his loincloth more easily and he suffered a moment of acute embarrassment as her yellow eyes settled on his erection.

"I am a very blessed female," Ni'nat breathed, her gaze fixated on Norm's endowments.

Norm didn't know whether to be flattered or worried. It wasn't the first compliment to his size that he had ever received, but this wasn't about length or girth. He took a deep breath and he began to wade into the lake, towards the female who seemed suddenly shy. Ni'nat didn't pull away from him as he closed the distance and Norm gazed into her eyes. He traced her features with dampened fingertips and smiled gently at her.

"Am I really the one you want?"

Ni'nat nodded and turned her head to kiss the palm of his hand. "The only one," she assured him.

He lowered his mouth to hers without further hesitation. Her wet body pressed against his and his libido flared to an almost painful state as her breasts pushed against his chest. He kissed her desperately and his tail lashed in the water. She responded with equal desperation, winding her arms around his neck and moaning low in her throat. Beneath the water, his stiffened groin pushed against her lower abdomen and she gasped into his mouth, suddenly hopping up. Her thighs embraced his waist and Norm barely had time to realize that the growling sound he heard was coming from his throat before she panted his name.

His painful, long-held desire for her overthrew any logic he might have possessed and he cupped her bottom and supported her. He began to wade to the embankment, curling his tongue against hers with deprived need. When he reached the shore, he lowered her onto the moss and covered her body with his.

"Ni'nat," he panted, feeling like he could explode with lust, "I've wanted this so much."

"My Norm," she replied huskily, kissing his throat. She cupped his bottom and spread her thighs invitingly.

Norm fondled her breasts with one hand for a few moments, admiring the way her lips parted and her body writhed with pleasure beneath his. He slipped his hand down and he gently stroked a finger against the flushed nub of flesh just above her feminine folds. Ni'nat gasped his name and writhed against him as he fondled the area until he felt the slippery, natural lubrication that he needed.

"I can't wait anymore," Norm apologized as he lined his waiting erection up. He paused for a moment to grasp hold of her braid, dragging it close to his. "Ni'nat," he gasped as their queues connected and he felt her desire flowing into his.

He caressed her face and looked into her heavy-lidded eyes as he pressed himself against her entrance and drove in. In his greed to be inside of her, he completely overlooked her virginity. Norm stopped in complete shock when he broke past the barrier and felt her pain through the link.

"I'm sorry," he whispered raggedly, kissing her over and over again. "I'm sorry, Ni'nat. I...wasn't thinking."

She was tense for a few moments beneath him, but she reached up and stroked his damp hair, smiling reassuringly at him. "Shh," she advised calmly. She licked his chin before pressing her forehead against his chest. "It will pass."

Norm stayed still within her, shutting his eyes with remorse. If he had taken time to think, he would have been much more gentle. Her natural sensuality and confidence had fooled him, even though he knew in the back of his mind that this was going to be her first time. He waited until the pain he felt through the link faded before lowering his head to nuzzle her.

"Are you okay?"

Ni'nat kissed his jaw and hugged his waist with her thighs. "You did not hurt me much, my Norm."

"I would rather not hurt you at all," he whispered sincerely, holding her eyes.

She smiled softly at him and she traced his features with her fingertips. "It feels better now," she assured him. "Norm, do not stop."

He felt the lingering ache from her but he also felt the growing pleasure and need. He gave her a few moments, kissing her softly and whispering to her as he waited for her discomfort to ebb.

When he thought she was ready for more, he began to move slowly.

"Oh," Norm gasped, unprepared for the combined sensation of lovemaking and the direct sharing of feelings, "N-Ni'nat."

She closed her eyes and adjusted to the feel of his swollen flesh moving back and forth inside of her. Ni'nat parted her lips and moaned his name unsteadily, clutching at his shoulders. He felt her confused pleasure through the link and Norm kissed her deeply, his breath escaping through his nose. He rocked slowly against her, being as gentle as he could while her body got used to his invasion.

She began to hesitantly move against him, undulating her hips until she was in synch with his motions. He could feel the resistance of her tight sheath easing, as well as her increasing pleasure. The link they shared allowed him to know exactly how she was feeling and he groaned softly and kissed her again. He muttered her name tensely and he began to thrust a little harder, feeling the blood rush to his face as his passion increased.

Now that she was more or less comfortable with the sensation of having him inside of her, Ni'nat began to touch him with increasing boldness. Her hands slid down his back to cup his bottom and when he kissed her again, she thrust her tongue into his mouth eagerly. The action excited Norm further and he had to stop his pumping for a moment and take several deep breaths. She breathlessly asked him if she did something wrong and he gave her a strained smile before reassuring her.

"You're doing everything right," he panted. "A little _too_ right. I've just got to calm down a little."

She must have felt his sexual tension through the link because she smiled up at him gently. Her nails skimmed pleasantly over his buttocks and she kissed his chest and throat tenderly, holding still for him while he recuperated. When Norm felt that he could continue without the risk of orgasm too soon, he began to move again. His lips met hers and he balanced himself with one arm so that he could explore her damp body with one hand. She trembled as he fondled a breast and teased the nipple to hardness.

Feeling the pleasure that his touch was giving her, Norm decided to use his mouth. Ni'nat gasped and arched her back as he lowered his head and drew on her nipple with his lips. He stroked his tongue over the hard bud and kept his rhythm steady and smooth, groaning deep in his throat. He switched to the other breast to give it the same attention and he felt her rising tension through the link. She mewled his name in that special way of hers and her body began to tense warningly. Norm kept at it with determination, panting softly as he eased her into her climax. When she came, he felt it acutely and between the shared sensation and the feel of her inner muscles contracting around his sex, he was driven to join her.

Norm gasped her name and kissed her hard as he pulsed inside of her. Ni'nat moaned loudly and embraced him tightly. Their mutual pleasure fed on each other, drawing out their orgasms for much longer than Norm considered natural. He certainly didn't mind. He came until he had nothing left to give and Ni'nat was still clenching around him after he was spent.

Norm supported his weight on both elbows to avoid crushing her and he kissed her with sated, loving feeling as she spiraled back down to Pandora. She returned his kisses and her hands stroked his back and bottom leisurely. He didn't withdraw from her because he sensed how much she enjoyed the feel of his softening member inside of her body. After several minutes of unhurried kissing and caressing, Norm began to recover and he was a little surprised by how quickly he began to stiffen again inside of her.

He sensed a little soreness from her end but when he carefully eased out to the tip and slid in again, there was far more pleasure than discomfort. "Do you want me to stop?" Norm asked her softly as he gently began to move.

She shook her head and the pattern of luminescent spots on her face and throat glowed brightly. "Please," she purred, "Don't stop."

Norm thought she was the most fantastic woman in existence and he let her know as much out loud before he knew what he was saying. Her shaken, breathless laugh made him smile and he kissed her as he resumed his lovemaking. Ni'nat's hands wandered his body attentively, the fingers kneading his shoulders and back before sliding lower to fondle his flexing bottom again. They skimmed over his tail and he found the sensation pleasurable.

Norm thought nothing of it until her fingers curled around the base of his tail. He remembered Jake's warning and he slowed his pumping, looking down at her curiously. She began to scratch the underside of it at the base and Norm's eyes went wide as the sensations zipped up his spine.

_ ~So that's what Jake meant. It's like a g-spot or someTHING!~_

Norm's thoughts were abruptly put to a standstill as Ni'nat discovered a particularly sensitive spot that made his back arch.

"Oh, wait," He begged breathlessly, trying to gather his wits. "Unh...Ni'nat...ah!"

She didn't stop and Norm was overwhelmed by the intensity of it. He panted her name and pushed hard and deep into her before moving his hips restlessly from side to side.

"Oh god...oh, Ni'nat...I can't," Norm gasped, hardly aware of what he was saying. She growled aggressively, sharing his pleasure as she stimulated the spot. Norm started thrusting rapidly, helpless to control his body. He tingled from head to toe as she relentlessly played and he cried her name with each thrust of his hips. He pressed his mouth to hers for a passionate kiss and she responded with blissful enthusiasm, her cries muffled by his mouth.

Norm had never felt anything quite like this before and he struggled to contain his moans and cries as his lover manipulated his body to the breaking point. He growled, warned and finally pleaded with her as Ni'nat's touch drove him beyond all control. She whimpered his name and she didn't relent. Norm pumped harder and faster, kissing her desperately as his ecstasy consumed him. Her cries grew louder and rougher as she matched his motions. The nails of her free hand raked his back and she mewled his name again.

He couldn't take it any longer. He stared down at her blankly as he pushed hard and deep inside. His lips parted on a moan and she stared up at him with equal fascination, her muscles clenching rhythmically around his flesh as she climaxed with him. Norm shuddered with pleasure as her body milked his seed from him and he blurted her name one last time in a raw voice. All of his strength left him with the expulsion of his seed and he collapsed on top of her, panting heavily.

"Norm," Ni'nat gasped, stroking his wet hair. "My Norm."

"That," Norm panted, "was mean."

Ni'nat had the grace to look at least a little chagrined but he could see the spark of satisfaction behind her eyes as he studied her flushed features. Norm began to smile, despite his accusation. He kissed her slowly, still breathing heavily from his latest release.

"You did not like it?" Ni'nat questioned when his mouth parted from hers again. Her voice was ragged with pleasure and out of breath.

"Oh, I liked it," Norm assured her, flushing a little with bashfulness. He was sure she knew exactly how much he had enjoyed it, so there was no point in pretending otherwise. "I just wasn't expecting something so intense."

She stroked wayward, damp strands of hair away from his forehead and smiled up at him proudly. "I liked doing that to you, Norm. Your reactions pleased me."

He nearly groaned. Everything about Ni'nat was so sexually appealing. He knew he would be the envy of plenty of males for mating with her. She was definitely sore now...there was no denying it. He was sure he would harden again soon if he stayed inside of her so he carefully eased himself out, kissing her softly when she made a low sound of discomfort. When he glanced down and saw a small smear of blood, he winced with guilt and he kissed her again.

"Come on," Norm whispered, gathering her into his arms.

"What are we doing?" Ni'nat murmured sleepily as she put her arms around his neck and allowed him to lift her.

"Bathing again." He examined her and he smiled. "You have moss in your hair and dirt on your back. The water should help sooth you a little, too."

"I am all right," she insisted, even as she bit her lip when her pelvis shifted.

"I know you are," he assured her, "but you're still hurting and I'm half at fault for that."

She smiled at him and sighed with content, resting her cheek against his shoulder as he carried her into the water. They bathed one another slowly, taking time to familiarize themselves further with each other's body. Norm nuzzled her and apologized again when he gingerly checked her tender parts and she winced. He told her to wait while he broke _tsahaylu_ and submerged into the water. Ni'nat watched curiously as he gathered some plant leaves from the bottom of the lake before resurfacing. He waded to the shore and searched until he found a specific berry bush he was looking for.

"Norm, those are poisonous, aren't they?"

He smiled reassuringly at her as he squeezed the berries to get the milky extract from them. "Only if you ingest them. They have antiseptic properties when applied topically."

She looked at him blankly and he remembered she wasn't familiar with half of the words he had used. "That is, they can be used as a numbing medicine. I'm just going to mix them with the juice from some of this lake kelp and I'll have you feeling better, okay?"

She smiled at him, making him feel like he was doing something heroic by tending to her aches. He tried to avoid looking at her nudity, knowing that too much visual attention to her damp body would only put him in another state of arousal. Her long hair hung in a wet curtain down her back and her shoulders sparkled with droplets of water in the moonlight. Norm forced himself to look away from her and pay attention to the mixture he was putting together in his palm.

"Okay, it's ready," he announced when he was satisfied with the blend of the plant gels in his palm. "Will you come here?"

She waded to the shore and stood before him trustingly. Norm took a deep breath before encouraging her to part her legs enough to give him room and she put her arms around his neck as he lowered his hand to smooth the ointment over her labia.

"It might sting a little at first," he warned her.

She nodded and accepted his ministrations without more than a little hiss of complaint. He cursed himself as his body reacted to touching her intimately, despite the purpose behind it. Ni'nat was no help; she reached down and petted his stiffening shaft with curious delight.

"Maybe you shouldn't do that right now," Norm whispered. His cock swelled further and he clenched his jaw, enjoying her gentle touch far too much.

"You do not like it?" She was grinning saucily at him, hinting that she knew better.

Norm chuckled and he gazed into her eyes. "Of course, I like it. I just...well, I guess I'll just have to control myself." She certainly had the right to familiarize herself with whatever body part she wished.

"My Norm," she sighed happily, kissing his throat as she gripped his thickened flesh and stroked it lovingly.

He put his arms around her and allowed her to touch him at her leisure, even as his breath quickened in result. Fortunately, Ni'nat was merciful and she kept going until he came in her hand. In the back of his mind, Norm wondered if they were ever going to get clean and stay that way. She kissed his gasping lips and murmured endearments to him as his climax ran its course. Once he recovered, he bathed his lower parts once again and she rinsed her hands off in the lake.

"Okay, this time we really need to dry off and get back to Hometree," Norm insisted, though he was grinning like an idiot.

* * *

"So, have you been...busy?" Jake's shameless grin left little doubt of the meaning behind the question. Nearly a week had passed since Norm's ascension and subsequent mating bond with Ni'nat. Fortunately, Neytiri was out hunting so Norm's embarrassment was between himself and Jake.

"I meant to come and visit sooner," Norm said, trying to change the subject.

"But she had you by the tail, I'm sure." Jake's dry comment was followed up with a laugh.

Norm shrugged, blushing hotly. "You could say that. You didn't tell me it would be that...intense."

"Hey, I warned you that you'd be screwed if she started playing around with it," Jake reminded him. "That should have given you a clue."

"Yeah, that's fair," agreed Norm with a sigh. "How is the therapy coming along?"

"Great," answered Jake. "I can walk on my own now without support. Max and Roy think I ought to be able to try running in a week but they're being pretty strict, right now."

"Good, they need to be," Norm said firmly. "So how many times have you gotten caught wandering around when you aren't supposed to be?"

"Seven, so far. Neytiri really let me have it last night so I've been behaving myself today."

Norm laughed and rolled his eyes. "You're braver than you are smart, Jake. I wouldn't want to make Neytiri angry."

Jake shrugged, grinning with good humor. "I can always fall back on the 'moron' excuse. Besides, she never stays mad at me for long." He cleared his throat meaningfully, hinting that he had other ways to ease her temper that were best left unsaid.

"You're just asking for trouble," Norm warned. "I wouldn't push it, if I were you."

"I _said_ I'm behaving myself today," Jake pointed out, chuckling.

"Like that's going to last. What else has been going on around here while I've been away?"

Jake scratched his head where the new hair growth was steadily getting longer and thicker. "Not a lot. Sebastian comes by a lot. He's a nice guy but I wish he'd stop treating me like King Arthur back from the dead. It's kind of embarrassing."

Norm smiled. "You saved him from a life of mental instability. He's probably going to express his gratitude for a while."

"I guess so. Hell, if it makes him happy I can put up with it for a while longer. I thought about faking a fall the other day so I could give him a reason to help me and tell him we're even."

"That's just..." Norm sputtered.

"Stupid, I know." Jake smirked at him. "I didn't go through with it. With my luck I would have really hurt myself and ended up stuck in here longer."

"Well at least you used a little common sense and changed your mind. Do us all a favor and keep that up, Jake. We don't need you pulling any stunts and slowing down your recovery."

Jake sighed. "Yeah, yeah. So when are you and Ni'nat going to start making the rugrats? Is our kid going to have a playmate to grow up with?"

"W-we _just_ paired up less than a week ago, Jake!"

The clan leader shrugged. "So what? Lots of couples are taking advantage of the piece and quiet while it lasts and working on bringing our numbers back up. Besides, I'd feel a little better knowing you were going through it too. I haven't forgotten that crack you made about Lamaze breathing."

"Right, because that's just what we need," Norm countered, "both of us screaming our heads off."

Jake laughed at the mental image. "You don't think it's scary at all?"

Norm shrugged. "Being a parent for the first time is scary for anybody. Sharing the labor is only going to be a temporary part of it, Jake. Once that's over, you're going to be worrying about every cut and bruise your kid gets and someday, you'll have to explain the facts of life. If you have a daughter, you'll be worrying about males trying to get too familiar with her. If you have a son, you'll worry about him getting into fights."

Jake became increasingly anxious as Norm described all these things he had never even thought of. "That's it...you go home and get Ni'nat pregnant right now. I'm not doing this alone."

Norm laughed, not only because it was a ridiculous demand but because Jake's expression was dead-serious. "You'll have Neytiri, remember? You won't be doing it alone. Besides, it's not something I can just push even if I wanted to. You know Na'vi reproduction doesn't work that way. I can't just run home and 'decide' to get Ni'nat pregnant. When she's ready, she'll let me know."

"Yeah, she'll let you know, all right." Jake thought about how many times he and Neytiri mated when she was ready to start on their family and he grinned, surprised her vigor didn't cripple him before the thanator smacked him into the tree. He sighed. "I guess there really isn't such a thing as accidental pregnancies with the Na'vi."

"No, but there is such a thing as unplanned ones," Norm corrected. "The women don't breed unless they're in heat but that doesn't always mean they're mentally ready for it. It's hard to say who's got it worse, if you think about it. At least Humans can abstain if they don't want to risk it but it can get physically painful for Na'vi women if they don't satisfy their mating urges."

Jake's eyebrows shot up. "I never knew that. I mean I know they get really frisky but I didn't know it can hurt. Damn, what do they do if they aren't mated or if their man's away somewhere...masturbate?"

"I guess they could do that," Norm shrugged, "but Na'vi women are really in touch with the cycles of life. If they don't have a mate available, they don't go into heat. The same goes for when there isn't enough food to go around or when the clan is on the verge of overpopulation. It's pretty simple." He frowned at him. "You don't know all of this by now?"

"You're the anthropologist," Jake said dryly. "I'm the marine, remember? Biology isn't my strong point."

"Well if I can learn to hunt and shoot and fight, you can learn this stuff." Norm took a seat in the chair. "There are a lot of things you need to learn, so pay attention."

Jake groaned. "Aw, come on...I'm not in the mood for—"

"Too bad," interrupted Norm. "You're the leader of our clan and you need to know at least some of this."

Jake sighed and tried not to look bored as Norm began to tell him little facts and details about his adopted species that he never knew. At first, he just suffered through it but Jake found his interest growing as Norm shared little-known facts and details about Na'vi biology and ceremonies. Some of the things Jake already knew—particularly the details about ceremonies, since he had participated in so many of them first-hand since joining the clan. Other things such as immune systems and life cycles were new to him.

By the time Neytiri returned with dinner, Jake was fully absorbed in the lesson. She looked a little surprised when she came in and saw Norm but she smiled in greeting at him and invited him to eat with them. He accepted gratefully and the three of them discussed clan affairs and the goings-on at Hometree while they enjoyed their meal.

* * *

By the end of the week, Jake was able to have longer walks, without getting tired or winded. With the doctors' approval, he began taking short jogs outside. Neytiri began experiencing morning sickness and it was Jake's turn to take care of her. He started taking care of getting their breakfast in the mornings and he had to coax her to eat it each day after she recovered from her sickness spell. He was coming in from one of his jogs one afternoon when a bit of chaos struck.

"Gain way, coming through!" Jake hastily moved aside as the small, brown skinned woman charged down the hallway, carrying an animal in her arms. He recognized it as a viper wolf pup when he caught a glimpse of it. Though small by Na'vi standards, the animal barely fit in Ramona's arms. Medical staff jumped out of the way as the zoologist kept running without slowing down. One of them opened the doors to her assigned lab room for her and she gasped a "thank you" before disappearing into it.

"Guys, I could use a hand in here!" Ramona's yell floated down the corridor. Lee was just coming out of one of the examination rooms and when he heard her cry, he hastened to the lab.

"What's going on?" He asked her as he joined her at the examination table. Like the avatar medical wing, her lab wasn't oxygenated because any native animals she brought in needed Pandora air to breathe.

"The little fellow's hurt," she explained in a rush. "I heard him whimpering outside the gate. It's his front leg, see?" She turned on the overhead light and shone it on the baby animal. There was a long gash in his foreleg, just above the paw.

The pup yelped in pain and fear and Ramona showed uncommon maternal instincts as she spoke to it in a soothing, gentle voice. "It's okay, sweetie. Nobody's going to hurt you." She looked around and nudged Lee. "Hand me that bottle of antiseptic and the gauze over there, will you? Quick!" She reached up and smacked him on the butt when he didn't move fast enough to suit her.

Lee grimaced at her but he hurried over to do as she asked while she began strapping the animal down to keep it still. The doors opened and Katherine came in, having heard the commotion on her way to her own lab.

"Hey, what's going on?"

"Found a stray," answered Ramona distractedly. "Since you're here, do you think you could lend a hand?"

"Sure." Katherine blinked when she saw the animal. "Maybe you should muzzle it, Mona."

"He's just a baby," argued the zoologist, but then the pup's mouth closed over her wrist and she hastily yanked her arm away, hissing as the small but sharp teeth scratched her.

"You see?" Lee chastised as he returned to her side with the antiseptic. "Now you're going to need this."

Ramona hastily took a square of gauze and applied some of the antiseptic to the shallow bite. "Ouch, that stings. Hey Katherine, can you get me ten cc's of the tranquilizer in the fridge over there? This puppy's going to squirm too much if I clean his leg without dosing him first."

"Okay, but I really think you should have someone look at your arm as soon as you finish taking care of this animal," she cautioned.

"Yeah," agreed Lee. "You could get rabies or something."

Ramona rolled her eyes at him. "There's no rabies on Pandora, you goof."

"But there's other stuff," he reminded grimly.

She grimaced. "Yeah, you got me there. Shit, I'm going to have to run some tests on this fellow to make sure he doesn't have anything I don't want to catch." With Lee's help, she wrapped a bandage around the pup's snout to muzzle it and prevent further biting.

"At least we have treatment available if you find anything," Katherine said as she measured out the dosage of the requested medication.

"I'll worry about it if I find anything." Ramona wrapped up her wrist with Lee's help and she slipped on a pair of latex gloves. She thanked Katherine when the other woman brought the syringe to her and she carefully administered it in the pup's straining flank, murmuring a little apology to him when he yelped.

"That should do it," Ramona sighed with relief when the medication began to work and the animal's struggles lessened. "I'll have him stitched up in no time."

"Where are you going to keep him while he heals?" Lee asked.

"We've got pens outside for holding native animals," she answered. "I can't send the little guy back out into the wild...he'll starve to death on his own or get picked off by a bigger predator."

"Well what are you going to do about feeding him?" Katherine asked. "It isn't like we have a supply of viper wolf milk."

"Viper wolves can eat meat, by this age." She looked up at Lee thoughtfully. "You're going out on an assignment today, aren't you?"

"Yeah, as a matter of fact I'm going to have to go in a minute, or I'll miss the flight out." Lee looked at her suspiciously. "Why do you ask?"

"You can shoot straight, can't you?"

"You want me to hunt something," he guessed.

"You got it. It doesn't have to be anything huge. One full-grown hexapede should keep Fluffy fed for a week."

"'Fluffy'?" He glanced down at the sedated animal with raised brows.

"Well, I've got to name him something," she insisted.

"He doesn't have any fur," Katherine chuckled.

"Fine...I'll name him Bowser then. So how about it, Babe, will you bring something back for junior here?"

Lee sighed. "I can try. You might want to check with Sully though. His mate brings back fresh kills every few days and I don't think they'd mind sharing some of the meat with you. You know how Na'vi respect viper wolves."

"Say, that's a good idea," she enthused. "Katherine, would you mind asking them for me while I finish up here?"

"Not at all," agreed Katherine.

"Thanks, girl. Hey, where do you think you're going?" She grabbed hold of Lee's tail as he started to leave, stopping him. "Where's my kiss?" She held her breath and pulled her breathing mask up, puckering her lips.

He smirked a little and lowered his mouth to hers for a brief kiss. He jumped when she pinched his bottom and he scolded her softly before straightening up again. "Not in public."

Ramona pulled her mask back down and grinned up at him cheekily. "Bah, Katherine was already out the door when I did that. Don't be such a prude."

* * *

"What is she going to do with it?" Neytiri asked warily when Katherine went to her and Jake to explain the situation with the wounded pup.

"She'll heal him," Katherine assured. "Believe me, Ramona likes animals as much as she likes people and she'd never hurt one. She's just going to keep him until he's big enough to survive on his own. The only thing we don't have for him is meat."

Neytiri relaxed and Jake spoke up. "No problem. Neytiri, we've got leftovers stashed in the kitchen somewhere, right?"

She nodded. "In the...what is it called? Ice-box? There is plenty to spare for the _nantang_. It is wrapped in leaves so that no Humans mistakenly eat it."

"Thank you," Katherine said graciously. "I'll be sure and wrap it back up after I cut off what we need for the pup."

She left them alone then and when she shut the door behind her, Jake pulled his mate into his arms. "Now, where were we? And no tearing my loincloth...it's the only one I've got with me and they just started letting me wear it again."

Neytiri grinned. She was happy to see him out of the silly hospital gown but once he got her started, it was difficult to remember not to yank it off of him. She supposed he could always borrow avatar clothing if he had to but she preferred him in their clan garb.

"You're not feeling sick, are you?" Jake murmured against her neck as he kissed it. "I don't want a repeat of yesterday morning, if we can help it."

Neytiri blushed, remembering the incident all too well. She had slept on top of him during the night and he woke her up with a kiss. At first she was fine and she wanted nothing more than to enjoy a morning coupling with him, but her nausea came on suddenly, just as he started undressing her. She had tried to climb off of him fast enough but there wasn't enough warning and poor Jake ended up getting retched on.

"It only happens in the mornings," she assured him bashfully.

"Just make sure you warn me if it feels like the schedule's going to change." He smiled against her skin and he cupped her bottom, drawing her closer.

Neytiri closed her eyes and sighed his name as the growing evidence of his arousal pressed against her pelvis. She skimmed her nails over his back and arched her throat to his eager mouth. He started to lift her and she hastily murmured a warning, shaking her head. He grumbled a little but he stopped the action obediently. She smiled and stroked his hair. He too easily forgot himself when he became excited and she had to remind him constantly that his injury needed further healing before he tried to lift anything—including her.

A knock on the door interrupted them and Jake groaned into Neytiri's hair with frustration. "Who is it?"

"It's Max," came the response on the other side of the door. "It's time for your X-ray, remember?"

"Damn, I forgot," Jake sighed. He stepped back from Neytiri and shot a rueful look down at his crotch. "Uh, give me a minute or three, Max. I'll meet up with you in the examination room."

"All right."

The footsteps on the other side of the door retreated and Neytiri chuckled when her mate gave her an accusing look. "You started this and I have no control over that part of your body, my Jake."

"Think so, do you?" He smirked. "Don't kid yourself; you rule that part of my body, gorgeous."

She stepped closer to him, holding his gaze with her own. "Do I?" Her hands settled on his chest, gliding over the muscles with appreciation. "Then I can command it to do whatever I want."

"Come on, quit playing around," he said breathlessly as she brushed her lips over his chest in soft caress. "You're just making it worse."

"But I like it," she purred, dropping one hand down to grip him through the loincloth. He grunted and cursed softly, making her grin.

"Neytiri," Jake gasped, "I can't go in there like this!"

"Why not?" She struggled not to laugh.

"B-because...it's embarrassing."

"You are embarrassed to be a virile male?" She smiled up at him and licked one of his nipples, making it pull taut immediately. She steadily rubbed his length through the soft leather and he unconsciously began to hump her gripping hand.

"What do you think Max is going to think when I walk in there with a hard-on? I don't want these guys getting the idea I have a kink for medical checkups."

This time she couldn't hold back a laugh, having learned enough of his favorite terms to understand the meaning behind his comment. She took pity on him and stopped her petting. Jake still had some human modesty issues that she doubted he would ever completely be rid of. Humans found shame in the oddest things.

"Very well, Jake. I don't want to embarrass you."

He sighed and she couldn't tell whether it was done in relief or disappointment. "Thanks. Now I just need to put some ice down there or something. I don't think this one's going down on its own anytime soon."

"Why would you want to torture it that way?" She asked with a frown. She couldn't imagine ice placed directly on the genitals feeling very good.

"Because it'll make it deflate," he growled, "and I can't get it down with you standing here. You're too sexy."

Neytiri hid a smile behind her hand and shrugged. "Then I will leave the room and give you time to calm down. I don't want you putting ice on it. It cannot be good for it."

It was Jake's turn to laugh. "Do you still think you don't rule it?"

Her eyes flashed with amusement, silently telling him she knew very well that she "ruled" it. Without saying anything further, she left the room and waited outside in the hall for him. Jake sighed and shut his eyes, trying to cool his libido down.

* * *

"Looking good, Jake." Max carried the image screen to him and he cycled through the X-rays he had taken of the other man's spine. "You wouldn't even know you suffered an injury."

Jake and Neytiri peered at the images and Jake shrugged. "I'll take your word for it. So how soon do you think I can get out of here?"

"I want to give it a couple more weeks," Max said. When Jake grimaced, he held up his hand. "You're healed up but you need to strengthen the muscles again, Jake. I want to be damned sure there's not a chance of anything slipping out of place. Just put up with two more weeks of therapy, that's all I'm asking."

Jake opened his mouth to argue but he glanced at his mate and he saw the warning, firm expression on her face. He sighed. "I don't think she's going to let me say 'no'."

Max smiled at her when she shook her head. "Thank you, Neytiri. I don't know how we'd keep this guy in line without you."

Jake scowled at him.

* * *

Neytiri made up for overruling Jake's objections, as soon as they returned to the hospital room. She draped one of the spare sheets over the door to block the window before turning the lock. She answered the silent, intrigued question on Jake's face by crossing the room to him and tugging his loincloth down, exposing him completely.

"Sit," she advised, pushing on his chest to back him up against the edge of his bed.

"What am I, a pet dog?" He was grinning with delight, however. He complied with her order and sat down, leaving his legs hanging over the side of the bed. He started to put his arms around her and pull her into his lap but she resisted and shook her head.

"I want to do something else," she informed him.

"Uh...should I have mentioned kink, earlier?" He looked rather nervous.

Neytiri smiled in a half-predatory manner and she combed her fingers through his hair. "Don't fear, Jake. I want to give you something I know you enjoy."

"I can think of about a dozen things that could be." He grinned.

She kissed him, silencing any further questions or witty remarks. He responded to the kiss readily, teasing her tongue with his own before delving into her mouth. Neytiri caressed his chest slowly with her fingertips before dropping her hands lower and stroking his inner thighs. She slid her hands to his knees and coaxed him to spread his legs, while breaking away from his mouth to start kissing her way down his body. He caught on to her intentions and his breathing rhythm picked up. Neytiri slid one hand up his left thigh and she traced the lines of his pelvis, softly stroking the flesh with her fingers.

Jake murmured her name huskily as her fingertips skimmed the base of his stiffening sex. She avoided full-on touching of the organ, choosing instead to tease him and make him squirm with anticipation.

"That's cruel, Neytiri," Jake gasped.

He shifted restlessly on the bed and she lightly swatted him on the side of his bottom, silently warning him to be still. He chuckled and bit his lip, holding still with obvious effort. His breath caught as she licked around his navel and she smiled when his thigh tensed beneath her other hand. She loved how cooperative her mate was. He even seemed happy to let her have the upper hand most of the time, though in truth she was only playing when she "bossed him around", except in cases like the examination room earlier when she thought he wasn't using his head.

She took her hand off of his thigh and reached around behind him for his queue so that she could link to him. The only thing better than pleasuring him until he broke was feeling his emotions and sensations while she did it. Neytiri connected his braid to hers and then she lowered her head between his thighs and gave the underside his swollen erection a thorough, slow lick from base to tip. He groaned and she felt his frustration when her tongue completed the swipe and left his hardness. She resisted another smile as she blew lightly on the flushed cap at the tip, tickling it with her breath. A bead of viscous fluid came out and Jake growled.

"You be still," she ordered with a warning glance up at his tense face.

"You know I'm going to get you back for this," he promised as he grabbed handfuls of sheet and struggled to comply.

She chuckled silently and traced a fingertip around the base of his sex. She liked the pattern of stripes on the cyan skin of his erection and she loved the pink, heart-shaped tip of it. "You can try, Jake. For now, behave."

She pressed a soft kiss on the head of the organ before giving it a lick. It twitched under the attention and she grasped the shaft with one hand to hold it steady. Jake hissed and she purred, thoroughly enjoying the flash of pleasure that came through the link. She took her time, only giving him brief, loving kisses and swipes of her tongue...just enough to cause a shock of sensation that made him tremble. Becoming more aroused by the moment, her aggression began to spike and she moved the hand that had grabbed his queue around behind him, seeking out his tail.

"Not the tail," Jake groaned. "Come on, give me a break, Neytiri!"

She ignored him and she began to stroke his erogenous spot. She chose to be gentle about it this time because she knew too much would make him buck his hips if she overdid it and that would cause her some difficulty. She finally closed her lips around the girth of his shaft and she began sliding her mouth up and down the length of it, taking as much in as she could without gagging. His gratification pulsed through her and his low moan made her want to straddle him and mate with him until he passed out. The hormonal changes caused by her pregnancy sometimes made her almost as excitable as being in heat did.

One of Jake's hands began to stroke her hair and he offered no further complaints about the tail stimulation when she kept it gentle. "You're so good at this," he gasped, his breath coming faster with each moment.

Pleased with the compliment, Neytiri increased the rhythm of her mouth. She didn't try doing this sort of thing for him until after the night he orally pleasured her. Before that moment, she was worried he might think she was strange if she told him she wanted to kiss and lick him this way. Discovering that he enjoyed it as much as she had made her eager to do it more often, of course.

Neytiri listened to his harsh gasps and soft growls as she sucked him harder. He began to groan her name with greater volume as his bliss increased and he stopped stroking her hair to grip the edge of the bed. His hips pumped shallowly but she could tell he was trying to be as still as he could for her. She steadily massaged the underside of his tail as she strove to give him the release he needed and she reached under his shaft with her other hand and massaged his balls. She felt it approaching and she purred encouragingly.

"Shit," Jake blurted in a shaken voice. His body tensed and he twitched in her mouth.

Neytiri swallowed his thick seed without complaint and she licked him thoroughly clean, ceasing her attentions to his tail. She rubbed his scrotum for a moment longer before stopping. He was panting heavily and he caressed her shoulders, gazing down at her with heavy-lidded eyes.

"What did I do to deserve you again?"

"You fought for our people," she reminded. "Oh, and you are handsome, too."

He laughed breathlessly and urged her to get up. When she did, he pulled her into his lap and nuzzled her cheek. "I could wake up hearing that every day."

She grinned. "Then you would become an arrogant _Skxawng._"

"But you could go around telling everyone you're with a dumb snob. What's not to like?"

She sighed as if annoyed, but her smile remained.

* * *

-To be continued

**Translations:**

_**Tsahaylu **_= The connection Na'vi can make with each other, certain animals and trees through use of the neural fibers protected by the queue (braid) they grow from childhood.

_**Nantang**_ = Viper wolf

_**Skxawng **_= Moron


	12. Chapter 12

"Between worlds"

Chapter 12

* * *

_**Author's note: See footnotes at the end of the chapter for Na'vi/English translations. This chapter spans several months. Thank you everyone for the helpful reviews so far! **_

* * *

*Disclaimer: I do not own Pandora and I make no profit from writing fanfiction based on the "Avatar" film.

* * *

Jake suffered through two more weeks of therapy, examinations and tests, as promised. When the time was up, he told Max in no uncertain terms that he was finished.

"You said everything looks good and I ran four laps around the compound yesterday," Jake insisted stubbornly. "Unless you spotted something wrong in those last X-rays, I don't see any reason for me to keep hanging around."

Max sighed and nodded. "You're right, of course. I can't keep you here when you've shown every sign of recovery. I'll be honest with you Jake; I was procrastinating to make sure you got plenty of time. I know how active the Na'vi lifestyle is and I thought if I could give you and extra two weeks to regain your strength, it would be best for you."

Jake narrowed his eyes at him. "Max, are you telling me I could have gone home the day Ramona brought that viper wolf in?" Beside him, Neytiri also looked surprised but she was smiling faintly with understanding of Max's caution and logic.

"That's right," answered Max. "You have to admit though, the rest has done you some good. You couldn't run far then and you've almost recovered completely during the extra time here. The restrictions on your activities are to thank for that."

"Unbelievable," Jake muttered with a scowl.

"Jake," scolded Neytiri softly, "you would not be walking now, if this man and the other _toktor_ had not helped you."

Jake's expression relaxed slowly. He sucked at holding grudges, anyhow. "You're right." He offered a hand to the other man. "I guess I owe you one. Thanks, Max."

Max shook the offered hand in his smaller one. "Anytime, Jake. I'm just glad Na'vi are so resilient."

"Well, I guess we'll be getting our things and heading out of here," Jake said. "Remember, if you get any transmissions from Earth or motherships, I want you to contact me. I'm going to take a new transmitter with me as a spare, to make sure you can get in touch if you need to."

Max nodded, looking a little uncomfortable. Jake noticed the expression and he frowned. "What?"

"I didn't want to tell you before," explained the doctor carefully, "because you needed to focus on getting better and I wasn't sure how it was going to go at the time. We got a transmission from Earth a couple of weeks ago, Jake. They got Selfridge's report and they think this base is under hostile takeover. Apparently they think he was unhinged and they didn't believe everything he said in his transmission back to them."

Jake sighed and pressed his lips together. "That's just great. What did you say to them?"

"I explained what the real situation is here but I don't think they were convinced that I wasn't being coerced. I'm trying to keep communications going to stay on working terms with them. If I can do that, I can monitor the schedules and keep the information flowing. I don't know how long I can keep it up, though. I'm having a hard time keeping them convinced we aren't 'traitors'."

"There's nothing they can do until one of the ships makes it into orbit and there's not much else we can do either," Jake said. "I get why you didn't want to say anything to me before." He caught Neytiri's hand and squeezed it. "We've all got plenty of other things to do until we've got something solid."

Max nodded with agreement, appearing relieved that Jake wasn't angry with him. "So you're leaving right now? You're really in a hurry to get out of here."

Jake smirked. "I've been holed up here for a month. I'm ready to get back home and take up where I left off."

"You're lucky it wasn't for longer," Max said candidly, "If the injury had been worse or if you had been in a human body, it could have taken several months to a year for you to recover this much...if you recovered at all. I want you to keep that in mind, Jake. You need to avoid overdoing it until you're back at full strength, okay?"

Jake nodded and glanced at his mate. "I've got someone to keep me in check," he said dryly. "Give Doctor Jacobs my thanks, will you?"

"I'll do that."

* * *

Norm heard the excited voices that evening as he returned to Hometree with a string of freshly caught fish. He perked his ears and listened closely, trying to make out individual words amongst the babble. He smiled when he deciphered what all the fuss was about and he picked up speed. When he made it around to the main entrance of the hollow tree, he saw a familiar pair of ikrans land near the outskirts. People were hurrying across the distance to greet their returned _Olo'eyktan _and the next _Tsahik._

He excused himself politely as he made his way past people and he waited as Jake and Neytiri dismounted their banshees and accepted the warm greetings of their clan. Mo'at was already there and she smiled at them both and asked questions when they had the free time to answer them. Finally, the crowd broke up. Jake spotted Norm and he gave him smile as they closed the distance.

"They let me out for good behavior," he joked. "So where's Ni'nat?"

"Still out hunting. She ought to be back soon." Norm looked at the setting sun and frowned, a little concerned. "At least, I hope so." After what happened to Jake on their last hunt, it was hard not to get worried whenever Ni'nat was out alone until sunset.

"I'm sure she'll be fine," Jake said.

Norm sighed and nodded. "Are you two hungry? I've got plenty of fish to go around." He lifted the string of his bounty from his shoulder and presented it.

Jake's eyebrows went up. "Damn Norm, it looks like you've got a knack for fishing. I never knew you were an angler."

Norm shrugged. "It surprised me too." Actually, it was a bit of a relief to him. He could never guarantee that he would bring home his share of meat for the clan when he hunted but so far, he hadn't failed to provide plenty of plant produce and fish. He had caught enough to feed six people and the leather satchel slung over his other shoulder was full of vegetables and fruits.

"I will help you prepare your catch," offered Neytiri. "You seem to be fitting in well, Norm."

He smiled and nodded. Some of the Omaticaya still didn't know him well enough and saw him as an outsider, but many of them fought at his side in the battle against the RDA and they were friendly with him.

* * *

Ni'nat walked her direhorse into the territory and she checked to make sure her kill was still securely strapped to its back before guiding the mare down the hill. Her ankle throbbed and she grimaced down at it, hoping that she hadn't done serious damage to it.

She could smell the food cooking inside the den as she drew nearer to the tree and her stomach growled. The hexapede she had tracked sensed her presence too soon and her shot went wide, wounding it but not bringing it down. As much to ensure the creature didn't suffer as to bring home a kill, Ni'nat had chased it. Her foot got caught up in a vine as she gave chase and she barely managed to catch herself and recover. She didn't notice the pain in her ankle until after she closed in on the animal and finished it off.

When she made it to the base of the tree, she unfastened the straps securing her kill to the back of the direhorse and she painstakingly lifted it off, setting it on the ground before patting her mount and whispering to her. The mare trotted away to rejoin the grazing heard nearby and Ni'nat began to drag her prize into the den. She made it just through the entrance when she heard Norm's voice call out to her. She turned to see him approaching from the firepit and she smiled in greeting, forgetting about the pain in her ankle.

"I was starting to think I should go out looking for you," he admitted. "Here, I'll help you with this."

Ni'nat thanked him warmly, glad for the help. She gasped as she put too much weight down on her foot when she took the hexapede's back legs and Norm stopped, frowning at her.

"You're limping. Did you hurt your foot?"

"It is nothing," she excused, giving him a slightly strained smile. "I was snared for a moment while I was finishing this animal off. My ankle is just tender."

Norm's look of concern didn't fade. "I would like to have a look at it after we hang your kill up to be skinned."

She inclined her head agreeably, seeing no reason to argue with him. Together they carried the kill to one of the back chambers, where hunters hung up game to be shared with the rest of the clan. One of the young people would take up the task of skinning and processing it, doing their part for the People through preparation until they were old enough to begin hunting themselves.

Norm put a steadying arm around her as they returned to the main part of the den and he helped her over to the firepit. "I have a meal waiting for you," he said to her.

She caressed his face appreciatively. "You are very thoughtful."

He lowered his eyes modestly. "No more than you are. I'll bet none of the other men get sung to sleep by their mates every night."

Jake and Neytiri were sitting by the pit and they handed their empty leaf plates over to one of the youths that were collecting them. They saw the other couple approach and they gave Ni'nat equal looks of concern when they noticed the way Norm was supporting her weight.

"She hurt her ankle," Norm offered in explanation. "It's probably just a sprain but I'm going to check it to be sure."

"Welcome home," Ni'nat said to them both as she eased herself down onto one of the roots arching up from the floor. Norm handed over the covered plate he had set aside for her and she thanked him before lifting the leaf off of it. The fish was still warm and she sniffed at it in appreciation before she began to eat.

"It's good to be back," Jake said. "I think Max would have liked to hold me hostage for a couple more weeks, but we escaped just in time."

Ni'nat was innocently confused by his words. "He was holding you prisoner?"

"He's just being sarcastic," Norm explained with a smile. "I think?"

"Sort of," answered Jake. "I found out I could have come home about two weeks ago but the little sneak told me I needed more time in therapy."

Ni'nat winced as Norm began to probe her ankle with gentle fingers. "Why would your friend lie to you?"

"Because he was worried," replied Neytiri. "He wanted to be certain that Jake gave his body enough time to finish healing."

"He didn't exactly _lie_ to me," Jake admitted. "He just didn't tell me when I could have gone. He asked me to stay until I recovered more of my strength and I figured he knew what he was talking about, so I put up with it."

"It's probably a good thing he convinced you to stay longer, Jake. Hmm, this is swelling up," Norm muttered absently, his attention becoming absorbed in examining his mate's ankle. "Try to move it for me?"

Ni'nat swallowed the bite of fish she was chewing and she gingerly rotated her ankle. He nodded in satisfaction and rubbed her foot as he looked at her. "I'm pretty sure nothing's fractured or dislocated but I think I'd like the _Tsahik_ to look at it too."

"I can go and get mother for you," offered Neytiri. She got up and wandered off to fetch Mo'at while Norm continued examining the injured ankle.

"Do you need me to get anything for you Norm?" Jake asked.

Norm glanced at him and considered the question. "Actually, if you could get some hide strips, a bowl of water and the bowl of horn berry extract from the medicine supply chamber it would help."

"Sure. What does the horn berry extract look like?"

"Kind of seedy and gooey, like the pulp from a fig," Norm described, "except it's red. It should be sitting in the middle cubby, unless we've run out. If we have I'll go out and gather some more."

"Got it. I'll be right back." Jake got up to retrieve the items for him.

"Norm, it could wait until morning, if there is no ointment left," Ni'nat told him gently.

He shook his head stubbornly. "Your ankle could be black and blue and swollen to three times its size by then. I want to treat it before that happens."

Ni'nat sighed but she smiled at him, admiring the way the firelight highlighted his sweet face. Perhaps he didn't have the chiseled, noble features most Na'vi females found attractive in a male, but she noticed some of the unmated women watching him tend to her with subtle envy. It seemed she wasn't the only one who valued a gentle male and she suspected that his expressed devotion to her impressed more than a few of her sisters. She continued to eat and she watched her mate from beneath lowered lashes, intending to reward him for his efforts when they retired for the night.

Mo'at approached after a few minutes with Neytiri and she knelt down smoothly beside Norm to examine the ankle he was massaging. Before she became the clan's _Tsahik_, she was a healer and she never ceased serving her people's needs with her medicinal gifts. She whispered for him to lift Ni'nat's foot and Norm carefully did so, scooting aside a little to give Mo'at light to see by. The older woman touched the injured ankle with practiced fingers, feeling along the joints in much the same way Norm had.

"It is not serious," she confirmed. "What do you intend to use on it, Normspellman?"

"I thought rubbing some horn berry extract into it and wrapping it for the night should work, but I'll take any advice you have to give, _Tsahik_."

"Very good," she approved. "You have made the right decision with the horn berry. I think you will do a fine job of caring for her injury."

Norm's face lit up with pleasure at the compliment and Ni'nat wanted to kiss him. Jake came back and he set the bowl of water he was carrying down before presenting another, smaller bowl to Norm and Mo'at.

"Is this the right stuff? It looks like what you described to me but it was dim in there."

Norm leaned over to peer at the contents of the bowl and he nodded. "That's it. Thanks." He took the bowl from Jake and then he took the strips of hide offered next. He dipped the strips in the water and let them soak while he began to smooth the extract over Ni'nat's ankle.

"This is going to stain a little," Norm apologized with a glance up at her face, "but it should make the swelling go down and help with the pain."

She shrugged gracefully. She didn't mind having a stained ankle for a few days if it meant she would heal faster. The others watched as he tended to her, including Mo'at. The matriarch looked impressed as Norm evenly spread the berry ointment over her skin and followed up by wrapping her foot and ankle with the damp hide strips. Mo'at seemed satisfied that he had it under control and she excused herself and left.

Neytiri and Jake watched with interest as Norm finished up. When he had her ankle securely bandaged, he rubbed Ni'nat's foot again and looked at her. "How does it feel?"

She wiggled her toes and smiled at him. "It feels better already. You take good care of me, my Norm."

He blushed a little and she grinned, endeared to him.

"It looks like you've got this handled now," Jake said. He covered his mouth on a yawn and Neytiri stroked his shoulder.

"You are tired from the journey," observed Neytiri. "We should retire to our hammock, Jake."

He didn't argue with her. Ni'nat guessed that it would take time before he regained all of his former endurance. He and Neytiri bid them goodnight and walked away together. Norm watched them go with a frown and Ni'nat looked at him questioningly.

"What is it, Norm?"

"I just realized you probably shouldn't be trying to climb with that ankle." He gave the mentioned part a worried glance.

It was on the tip of her tongue to insist she could do it but Ni'nat smiled slowly as another idea came to her. They didn't _need_ to sleep in the branches of Hometree, after all. In fact, there was no real privacy in the hammocks, surrounded by their fellow clan members. Some Na'vi found ways to mate without making it too obvious to their neighbors but Ni'nat learned that she was too vocal to maintain that kind of subtlety.

"We could sleep on the ground," she suggested. "At the foot of the hill on the outskirts of Hometree." It wouldn't be the first time they slept under the stars together, since becoming a mated pair.

"That sounds like a good idea," he agreed. He waited for her to finish eating and he put away her leaf plate for her. They left the den together and walked the short distance to the spot she had suggested, close enough to Hometree for them to sleep safely.

The moss was soft enough to offer some comfort as they lay down together and Ni'nat wasted no time in expressing her appreciation to her mate. She kissed him with loving sensuality and stroked his body until he was gasping her name and ready for her. Their gear and clothing soon lay piled beside them and Norm spooned up behind her to keep his weight off of her. His old identification tags were the only adornment she didn't remove and they glinted against her chest in the light of the flora surrounding them and the stars above. The couple mated with unhurried passion, taking time to explore one another and make it last. They at last lay spent and breathless together and Norm's braid remained draped over her waist with his arm as he snuggled against her contentedly.

* * *

Sebastian and Katherine became closer as the weeks passed. Ramona remarked candidly that he ought to make a move on her soon, before some other man did. He hated the thought of losing the opportunity but he held back, still convinced that even if she harbored romantic feelings for him, she would take it badly if he tried anything.

"Suit yourself," Ramona sighed in annoyance, "but I'm telling you, that Na'vi body of yours isn't likely to scare her away."

Sebastian smiled at her. "I appreciate your encouragement, but I don't think Katherine sees the Na'vi that way. Not that she doesn't hold great respect for them but I can't shake the feeling that she's very much aware that they are a separate species...and that includes me, now."

Ramona frowned at him. "Where are you getting this stuff? I think it's all in your head, mister. I've got to practically climb my guy when he's driving his avatar. Not that I've got a complaint with that, but Katherine would have it easier with you. You won't have to worry about exopacks getting in the way and seven feet isn't as much to tackle as nine."

Sebastian smirked. "I suppose adjusting to this would have been a lot more difficult if I had grown to full size. Be that as it may, I think I'd like to give Katherine some space and test the waters a bit more."

"If you say so. I think you've tested the waters plenty already, though. If you wait too much longer some other guy might snatch her up and before long she'll end up being one of the mothers on this base."

Sebastian frowned at that. Ramona did have a good point; the Na'vi weren't the only ones working on bringing their numbers back up. A lot of the human population at Hell's Gate had begun pairing off and though it wasn't the most ideal childrearing environment, natural urges won out. Part of the recreation building had been converted into a nursery and there were plans to use some of the briefing rooms for schooling, eventually. Several infants had been born to people so far.

"Children," Sebastian murmured with a little pang. He didn't know how Katherine felt about having a family of her own someday but he had no reason to believe she didn't want one. He highly doubted he would ever be able to give her that now, unless the amount of human DNA in his body somehow enabled reproductive compatibility.

"I think I know what's on your mind," Ramona observed, turning her attention away from the stingbat she was temporarily keeping captive for study and testing. "I shouldn't have even said anything. You know, I've never seen Katherine get doughy over any of the babies here. Maybe she doesn't even want kids. I know I don't."

"Then I hope you're using some sort of contraception with Lee," Sebastian remarked seriously.

"Do I look stupid?" She chuckled. "Of course we are. You never know; maybe if Kathy does want a baby somewhere down the line you could give her one after all. I mean, Sully and his mate have one on the way and I don't think the mailman is responsible for it."

Sebastian chuckled. "No, I can't imagine Neytiri ever being unfaithful to Corporal Sully, or vice-versa. It's my understanding that it's almost unheard of for Na'vi mates to cheat on each other."

"Meaning we humans are sluts," Ramona said dryly.

He shrugged. "Humans don't have the bonding capabilities of Na'vi. The queue linking gives them such a profound method of sharing and communication. Humans have to rely on words and expression—and hope their partners are being honest with them."

"Sounds reasonable," she nodded. "So how about it? Are you going to think about putting the moves on our girl or not?"

"Let's just change the subject," he suggested smoothly. "How is your viper wolf coming along?"

"Fang's doing great," she answered. "Lee's been good about hunting for him on his assignments, when the meat supplies get low."

"I thought you named him 'Bowser'."

She shrugged. "I figured he deserves something a little more dignified. He's not a golden retriever or a terrier, after all. A wolf of any kind should have an appropriate name. He's getting big fast, too."

"I hope you aren't getting too attached to him," warned Sebastian.

Ramona lowered her gaze. "So what if I am?"

"He's a wild animal. You said so yourself, he's no domestic house pet."

"I know that," she snapped. "Don't lecture me about this. I'm the zoologist here and I know exactly what Fang is. I just..." she sighed.

Feeling bad for upsetting her, Sebastian stepped closer and put a hand on her shoulder. "What?"

Ramona shook her head and looked up at him. "I don't know if he'll have a chance in the wild even when he matures enough to be let go. Viper wolves are pack animals. He might be able to take down small prey on his own but without the protection of a pack, I'm not sure he'll last long out there. He might find his old pack but would they accept him again with our scent on him? My guess is no."

Sebastian considered the problem. "Perhaps you should let him choose when the time comes, then."

"This is all my fault," she said.

"How is that?"

"I'm the one that brought him here," she reminded him. "Now he's got a major disadvantage, because I couldn't leave it be."

"You were only doing what felt right," he told her firmly, "you helped an injured animal. Do you really think you could have left him out there to die through infection or get eaten?"

"No," she agreed. "There's no way I could have done that. It might have been kinder if I'd euthanized him though."

"Does he seem happy?"

She nodded. "Yes. He's really an affectionate fellow, once he trusts you. He plays a little rough but I wear protective gloves and he's getting better about watching how hard he bites when we wrestle."

Sebastian forced a smile to hide the concern he felt. Ramona was a smart woman but sometimes he wondered if she was a little too reckless with her affection for animals. "Well, there you go. Maybe he can adjust to living here and if he seems content and healthy, it isn't such a bad thing."

She smiled a little. "Thanks, Sebastian."

* * *

Neytiri was mid-way through her second trimester, approaching week twenty-three. She was still nearly as active as before, though she was more cautious when she hunted, now that she was getting heavier. She also found herself sleepy at mid-day and she began to have little naps. Like other females in her state of pregnancy, Neytiri had fashioned a tunic of treated plant fibers and leather to cover the front of her torso. She also wore her riding leggings each day. This was not a matter of modesty. The additional clothing was commonly employed by expecting women to protect themselves and their unborn from insects and skin irritation. The changes in their bodies often came with altered sensitivity and their scent was sweetened, attracting blood-sucking insects that would have otherwise chosen to feed on animals.

One morning, Neytiri woke to the sound of her mate calling her name. She groaned softly and opened her eyes, wincing against the morning light. She had slept in again and Jake's handsome face was slightly concerned as he gazed down at her from his seat on the tree limb.

"'Morning, beautiful," he greeted her with a smile. "Our hunting party's waiting on us. Are you up for it?"

Neytiri propped herself up on her side and the hammock she shared with him swayed gently. She rubbed her eyes and nodded before hiding a yawn behind her hand. "I will get my hunting gear," she murmured drowsily.

Jake studied her curiously as she climbed out of the hammock and he offered her a hand to help her onto the limb. She started to reach up to her _P'ah s'lvil chey_, hanging next to Jake's. Before she could retrieve her items from the handcrafted rack, he stopped her with a gentle hand on her arm and looked her in the eye.

"If you don't feel like hunting today, you know you don't have to."

Neytiri glanced at him guardedly. Jake was usually wonderful about not letting his human upbringing make him overprotective of her but sometimes, it got the better of him. "I will hunt. I must do my part to provide for our people."

He slipped his hand down her arm and rested it over the growing swell of her abdomen. "You're already providing something really important to the clan," he said seriously. "You don't have to prove yourself and taking one day to relax isn't going to hurt."

Affection for him mingled with annoyance and she reached out and combed her fingers through the loose strands of hair framing his face. She was glad that it had grown out and soon, she would need to help him braid more of it into his queue to keep it out of his face.

"I will be fine," she assured him.

Jake's mouth thinned with frustration and he quickly took hold of her braid to meld it with his, before she could stop him. Neytiri gasped softly as always when she felt his presence mingle with hers and she bit her lip, wishing it didn't always have such an erotic effect on her.

"Okay, so you aren't exactly fibbing," he said with a little smile, "but you're more tired than you let on." He cupped the back of her head and pressed his forehead against hers. "Look, I've been pretty open-minded, haven't I? I've never tried to tell you not to hunt or fly or do whatever else you wanted, even though people from my old culture handled pregnancy a lot differently. You know I respect you; I just want you to take care of yourself too. "

She listened to his speech with a little sigh, but her annoyance didn't last because she felt his sincerity through the link. "Are you trying to forbid me from hunting?" She asked, testing him.

Jake chuckled. "You ought to know better. I can't 'forbid' you from doing a damned thing. I'm just asking you to slow down a little when you're tired, that's all. You can miss one or two hunts out of the week and the rest of the hunters can make up for it. You're also not eating enough meat."

Her annoyance returned. "Meat does not taste very good to me right now."

"But you need your protein," he argued. "Eat more nuts, or eggs if you want them."

"Eggs?" Her stomach growled. She hadn't had eggs of any kind for over a week.

Jake grinned upon hearing the sound. "How about this; you spend the day relaxing a little. Take a swim or work on the baby carrier you've been making. Do whatever relaxes you. I'll see if I can scavenge up some eggs for you. Does that sound fair?"

She was tempted to be stubborn and insist on joining the day's hunt anyway, but his suggestion sounded reasonable and Neytiri had to admit, a relaxing day sounded good. She smiled grudgingly and nodded. "I think I can agree with that, for today."

* * *

The hunting party consisted of Jake, Norm, Ni'nat and E'quath. They had grown comfortable working together and when they weren't hunting solo or in larger parties, they generally preferred each other's company along with Neytiri. E'quath and Ni'nat brought down a tetrapteron bird each and Jake found an unguarded nest full of eggs. Fortunately, Pandora avian eggs had leathery shells like Earth reptiles, making them much more durable than the common, hard-shelled eggs of Jake's old homeworld. He collected them for Neytiri, wrapping them in leaves for insulation and putting them in his scavenging pouch.

They stopped for a ration break around noon and Norm decided to try catching fresh fish for them, since he hadn't made a kill. Jake watched with bemusement as the anthropologist fitted a fishing arrow into his bow and peered intensely at the water, judging the movement of the fish within it. Norm fired after a few heartbeats and the arrow struck with a faint splash, trailing the sinew fishing cord behind it.

"I don't believe it," Jake snorted as his friend reeled in a decent-sized common fish. "You can hardly hit the broad side of a sturmbeest, but you can shoot a moving fish through water."

Norm shrugged. "I can't explain it. Here." He swiftly murmured his thanks to the fish and cut its head off with his hunting knife before handing the catch to Jake.

Jake grinned and shook his head as he carried it back to the small cooking fire they had set up. Ni'nat took it from him and began cooking it while Norm worked on reeling in another one. Jake rejoined him and he saw the shadow of a particularly large fish. Guessing by the distorted shape beneath the water that it was a giant gargoyle fish, Jake pointed and whispered to Norm.

"I dare you to get that one."

Norm measured the size of the fish and its depth in the water with calculating eyes. "That's a pretty big target, Jake. It looks like it's about three feet long. Are you sure you don't want to pick out something a little harder to hit?"

Ni'nat overheard some of the conversation and she left E'quath to watch over the currently cooking fish to join the two other men at the edge of the pond. "It would provide plenty of meat." She smiled engagingly at her mate.

Norm glanced sidelong at her and Jake quickly controlled the twitch in his lips when he looked back at him again. "They're good eating, brother. Go on, catch it for us."

"Why am I getting the feeling there's something you two aren't telling me?" Norm hesitated as he positioned his fishing arrow into his bow.

Jake shrugged, keeping his expression as bland as possible. "If you don't think you can get him, just say so." He saw Ni'nat's shapely lips curve for a brief moment and he refrained from giving her a conspiring look.

Norm still looked suspicious but he shared the same weakness as most other men when it came to impressing the woman of his fancy. "Stoke up the fire," he said with confidence.

If Norm had looked over his shoulder at E'quath, he would have seen the warrior shake his head and put his face in one hand. Blind to the gesture, he lined up his arrow and narrowed his eyes. He trained the point of his fishing arrow and followed the motion beneath the water. He was just about to shoot it when Ni'nat leaned closer to him and blew on his ear, making it twitch and spoiling his concentration.

Norm looked at his mate with a chastising expression, but Jake saw him grin slightly. "Stop that," Norm whispered.

He tried again and Ni'nat blew into his ear once more. Jake covered up a laugh as Norm's eyes visibly lost focus and fluttered shut for a moment.

"Ni'nat," Norm complained in a low, husky murmur, "Do you want me to get this fish or not?"

"My apologies, sweet mate," she answered in a voice unsteady with laughter. "I will control myself. Please, continue."

Norm heaved a suffering sigh, smirking a little as he tried again. Jake crossed his arms over his chest and waited while his friend lined up his shot once more. Norm took a slow, deep breath before shooting. His shot was successful but before Norm could react with any pride, the water rolled with turbulence and the cord attached to his wrist snapped taut as the animal dove.

"Crap," Norm blurted as he wound the cord around his hand and tried to pull his catch in. He staggered from the force of the resistance and Jake burst into laughter, even as he grabbed hold of the fishing cord to help.

"Giant gargoyle fish," Jake grunted with a broad smile. "Like I said, they're good eating but they're strong as hell."

Ni'nat was also laughing as she caught her mate around the waist to keep his feet from sliding on the bank. "Your eyes are so wide," she giggled.

"Very funny," Norm grimaced. "I almost went in head-first!" He tensed his muscles and with Jake's help, he tugged hard on the line.

The gargoyle fish came flying out of the water abruptly, somewhat resembling a manta ray in shape. It arched over their heads and Norm overbalanced, falling backwards against his mate. Ni'nat gave a breathless little cry of surprise and she barely managed to arch her body aside as she tumbled backwards to the ground with Norm. Jake turned in time to see E'quath snatch aside the skewer of fish he was roasting and jump hastily away. E'quath narrowly avoided getting hit in the face with the impaled gargoyle fish and it landed next to the fire, flopping on the ground.

"I'm sorry," Norm apologized breathlessly to Ni'nat as he partially landed on her. He rolled over and scanned her with wide eyes, apparently forgetting his annoyance at being the butt of a joke. "Are you okay?"

Ni'nat looked a little stunned but she laughed after a moment and placed a hand on Norm's chest. "You did not land full weight on me," she said between snickers.

Jake grinned down at them before approaching the struggling fish and pulling his knife from the sheath. "Great catch, Norm. Sorry about that, E'quath." He glanced at the other warrior, who was recovering from his sudden lurch.

"It _is_ a good catch," agreed E'quath, "but you might have warned Normspellman, _Olo'eyktan_."

"Nah, it wouldn't have been as much fun." Jake smirked and quickly pulled the arrow from the fish. He finished it off with his knife and murmured his thanks to it, before standing back up to check on Norm and Ni'nat. The couple was still entwined on the moss and they were staring at each other.

"Norm, you've got a meter long fish to skin," Jake reminded, clearing his throat.

* * *

"What's the word, Maxi?"

"I asked you not to call me that." Max slid a sidelong look at Trudy as he studied the transmission panel.

Her small, strong hands squeezed his shoulders and she chuckled. "Makes you think of girly products, eh?"

"Not until you said that." He searched through the database again and shook his head. "This isn't good."

Trudy let go of his shoulders and looked at the screen. "What isn't good?"

"We haven't gotten any more transmissions from the RDA for two weeks."

They had already discussed what such a thing could mean and Trudy pushed back her feeling of dread, trying to be positive. "Maybe their equipment's borked again. That's what you said happened the last time you lost touch with them, right?"

Max turned the screen toward her and tried to enter his access code. "When that happened, I got an error message stating that there was an insufficient connection," he explained. He finished entering the code and he sent it.

The words: "ACESS DENIED" loomed large in red caps on the box that appeared on the screen.

"What do you say to that, Trudy?"

She stared at it and nodded slowly, her jaw tense. "I say we get ready for another shit storm, double-time." She patted the gun she kept constantly holstered at her hip. "We'll give those bitches something serious to think about when they show their faces here again. Any idea what the rotation schedules are looking like?"

"It's going to be a few more months before the next transport comes in," he answered. "But if they're cutting us off, we won't get any more information about it."

"They're going to keep us on our toes," she sighed. "Want me to touch bases with Jake and Norm? You look stressed."

He nodded. "I appreciate it, Trudy. It feels like I'm always the bad news reaper, lately."

"No problem," she said. "Don't forget, we've been gearing up for this, Max. It's coming closer but the fire isn't here yet."

* * *

-To be continued

**Translations:**

_**Toktor **_= Doctor

_**Olo'eyktan**_ Clan leader, or chieftain

_**Tsahik **_= Matriarch. Spiritual leader of the clan who interprets the will of Eywa.

_**P'ah s'lvil chey**_= Personal belongings rack. A carved hardwood rack that Na'vi hang for use as storage for their gear, clothing, jewelry and other belongings. Usually given as a gift from a loved one but sometimes gifted as a show of respect.


	13. Chapter 13

"Between worlds"

Chapter 13

* * *

_**Author's note: See footnotes at the end of the chapter for Na'vi/English translations. Writing this chapter gave me a headache. **_

* * *

*Disclaimer: I do not own Pandora and I make no profit from writing fanfiction based on the "Avatar" film.

* * *

After getting the news from Trudy that Earth had cut off all communications with Hell's Gate, Jake arranged a private discussion between himself, Norm and Neytiri. They went a short distance into the forest for privacy and Jake sighed, leaning against the trunk of a tree. The sun was setting and he squinted against the orange light as he regarded his mate and friend.

"We really need to know what we're up against," Jake said grimly. "I was willing to wait and assume before but now..." He shook his head and his mouth narrowed into a thin line.

"I agree," Norm said with furrowed brows, "but how? We can't rely on intel from the base anymore, if the RDA won't exchange information with them."

"I'm going to have an _Uniltaron_. I'll start fasting now and I'll do it tomorrow at sunset."

Norm stared at Jake and Neytiri lowered her gaze. _Uniltaron_—a Dream Hunt. It was similar to the practice of the Native Americans on Earth to go on a Vision Quest, to find answers in the spirit world. The Na'vi practice, however, involved the seeker capturing a _kali'weya_ in a stone jar and allowing it to sting him or her whenever the seeker is ready to begin. The arachnoids were scorpion-like and their venom had mind-altering properties that aided the seeker's trance and visions. The poison from the sting was very painful to the recipient and it could be fatal, if left unattended.

"Jake," Norm began anxiously, "You're talking about deliberately weakening yourself and letting a poisonous arachnoid sting you."

"I _know_ what I'm talking about," countered the warrior, setting his jaw. "I've done it before and so have you."

"But that was for the rites of passage," argued Norm. "It was part of the necessary process."

"You do not respect the sacred traditions of our people?" Neytiri challenged Norm.

"Of course, I respect them," Norm assured her hastily. "I just don't know what this is going to accomplish."

Jake gazed at him levelly, without a trace of his usual easygoing humor on his stern features. "When you passed through the eye of Eywa, did you see Grace or not?"

"Y-yes, but—"

"Then you know spirit visions are real." Jake's expression relaxed a little and he regarded Norm with sincerity. "Look, if someone came to me and talked about this stuff a year ago, I would have called bullshit." He glanced at his mate. "Sorry."

"You know better now," Neytiri excused.

Jake smirked and returned his attention to Norm. "I've seen too much since then to disbelieve it. You've seen it too, Norm. This could be the only way we can find out exactly what to expect when the next ISV gets here."

"Okay, let's rationalize this," Norm pleaded. "Even if you do have a vision, you can't guarantee what it's going to be."

Jake nodded stubbornly. "Yes, I can. Eywa knows what I need and if she grants me a vision, it's going to give some kind of insight about what the RDA is planning."

"_If_," Norm stressed. "If you get a vision at all, Jake. People have _died_ doing this ritual."

"And people have died because of the RDA!" Jake snapped angrily. "People died when they blew up the pillars of the old Hometree! People died when we united the clans and fought, and people are gonna die again when they get here to try and finish what they started...unless we can find a way to get the upper hand."

Norm recoiled, startled by Jake's sudden burst of passionate rage. Jake calmed himself with visible effort and Neytiri settled a supportive hand on his tense shoulder. Jake shut his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath before speaking again.

"Norm, I've got responsibilities to this clan. One of those responsibilities is to do everything I can to keep them safe. I can understand if you're having trouble getting on board with what I want to do but don't get in my way. I've made my choice."

Norm heaved a sigh and lowered his gaze. "I guess there's no talking you out of it."

Jake shook his head. "Sorry to disappoint you."

Norm raised his head and he looked Jake in the eye with a stanch expression. "Then let me be there when you do it. I'll gather some octoshroom roots to make anti-venom and if it starts looking like you're taking a bad turn, I'll give it to you. Will you at least agree to that, Jake?"

Jake relaxed and a brief, crooked smile flitted over his lips. "Yeah, I can agree to that." He reached out and clasped Norm's forearm in a gesture of friendship.

Norm returned it and studied the horizon. "Well, I'd better go and get those roots now, while there's still enough light. Will you tell Ni'nat I'll be back soon, when you go back to the den?"

"We will tell her," Neytiri promised.

Norm excused himself and walked deeper into the forest to scavenge what he needed. When they were alone, Neytiri stood before Jake and put her hands on his shoulders. "Your decision to do this makes me proud. You put our people before yourself."

Jake was a little embarrassed and he shrugged. "It's not just for our people. It's for our child's future too...and ours." He cupped her chin and kissed her. "You should go and have dinner. I'll be at the lake, getting cleaned up."

"I will join you after I eat," she said. She brushed her lips against his and started to go but he remembered what he'd collected in the pouch at his hip and he caught her arm.

"Hold up," he said with a little grin. "A promise is a promise. These are for you." He freed the pouch from his gear harness and handed it over to her. Neytiri opened it curiously and when she scooped out one of the eggs and unwrapped it, she smiled.

"You really found some for me."

"I told you I would, didn't I?" He was ridiculously pleased by her smile. "I'll bring you as many as you want, if that's what it takes to make sure you're eating right."

Neytiri replaced the egg in the pouch and gave him a fond, exasperated look. "For now, concentrate on getting through your _Uniltaron_ safely, Jake. If you do that, I will eat well even when I don't feel hungry."

Jake smirked. "I'm going to hold you to that promise."

* * *

The next day at sunset, Jake met up with Neytiri, Mo'at and Norm in one of the hollows midway up the trunk of the tree. There were five of them in all, designated specifically for Dream Hunts, so that seekers could have privacy when they underwent the task. A hide covering was stretched over the entrance and a mat of woven plant fibers lay on the living wooden floor.

Mo'at was there to observe and tutor, but it would be Neytiri's task to release the arachnoid on her mate's body and oversee his journey once its potent sting began to take effect on him. As the future _Tsahik_, she was required to practice these things. Mo'at thought that the greatest test of her daughter's convictions would be to guide Jake into his Dream Hunt.

Jake reclined on the mat and Neytiri sat near his head and folded her legs beneath her. Mo'at tapped the bladder lanterns hanging on the walls of the small room, disturbing the glowing insects living inside to make them light up. The soft luminance bathed the interior in blue light and Neytiri looked down at her mate's upturned face and stroked his hair.

"Are you ready, my Jake?"

"Yes." He was uncommonly solemn and sober-faced as he gazed up at her.

Mo'at picked up the stone jar that held the creature Jake had captured for this task and she handed it over to her daughter silently. Neytiri took it and set it beside her on the floor before reaching for the wooden tongs designed to handle the arachnoid safely.

Norm took a deep breath and watched silently. He held the wooden cup of anti-venom he had prepared; ready to force it down Jake's throat if the other male appeared to start having fatal reactions to the venom. He was also prepared to administer some to Neytiri if—Eywa forbid—her grasp on the arachnoid failed to keep it from stinging her. The venom could cause her to miscarry if it wasn't purged quickly enough but Norm didn't dare argue with either of the two women over the decision to let Neytiri handle the creature.

"Remember Jake, the time you spend in the dream world moves faster than the time passing here. You must focus on your goal and return to us quickly." Neytiri stared into his eyes, stressing the importance of not lingering for longer then necessary.

Jake was familiar with all of this, having done it once before. He understood her subtle expression of concern for him and he managed a confident smile for her. "I'll be careful."

Neytiri hesitated, making everyone wonder if she was about to lose her nerve. She was about to cause pain to the man she loved and the expression on her face said that she had a war going on inside of her. She scooted back a little and bent over her prone mate, lowering her head to kiss him on the mouth. "Hunt well," she whispered against his lips.

Jake returned her kiss and he nodded. Neytiri straightened up again and she held the tongs in one hand while lifting the lid off of the stone jar with the other. She slipped the grasping tool into the opening and peered inside, moving the tongs carefully. When she pulled them out again, the black, scorpion-like creature came with them, firmly grasped between the wooden paddles. It squirmed but Neytiri had a good hold on it. Jake kept his eyes on her face as she lowered the captive animal to his left bicep and slowly released it, hovering the tongs over it in readiness.

Jake winced but held obligingly still when the stinger jabbed into his skin. Neytiri waited, pressing her lips together grimly. She let it sting him twice more to be certain enough of the toxin was delivered and then she grasped the arachnoid quickly to prevent it giving him too much. Norm picked up the stone jar and held it out for her and Neytiri dropped the creature back into it. Norm replaced the lid and set the jar aside.

"Relax, my son," Mo'at bade Jake as they waited for the venom to begin working.

Jake obediently let his body go as slack as possible and he didn't take his eyes off of Neytiri. Her beautiful face and the child she carried served as a reminder of why it was so important for him to succeed in this Dream Hunt. He reached over with the hand closest to her and he rested it on her knee. She dropped her hand on top of his and held it gently, while caressing his face with the fingertips of her other hand.

As the minutes ticked by, Jake's pupils began to dilate and his eyelids drooped. His breath became uneven and his gaze lost its focus. Neytiri started to chant in a soft, lulling voice, praying to Eywa to guide her mate's spirit and grant him a clear vision. Jake was no longer looking at anything in the room. His consciousness began to fade and Neytiri's low chanting helped ease him into his trance.

Moat studied the young chieftain silently and when his body tensed for a moment in pain and his eyes went completely blank, she nodded. "He is in the dream world now. All that we can do is wait."

A shudder wracked Jake's body and perspiration broke out on his skin. A feverish flush crept over Jake's face and Norm quickly reached for the bowl of water they had brought with them and handed it to Neytiri, along with a soft cloth. She set the bowl down and dipped the cloth into it, soaking it and wringing it out. She murmured to Jake softly as she began to bathe the sweat from his trembling body. As more time passed, the effect of the stings worsened and Jake began to unconsciously writhe on the mat.

"Restrain him," ordered Mo'at quickly. She clamped her hands down on his ankles and Norm hastily did the same with his wrists, holding them down on either side of his body with effort. Jake tossed his head and shouted something unintelligible, consumed by his trance.

"Shh, my Jake," Neytiri murmured in a tight voice. She pressed her hands down on his shoulders to help hold him still and she kept speaking to him, hoping that her voice could reach him enough to soothe him.

* * *

The last thing Jake saw before everything went white was Neytiri looking down at him. He heard a rushing sound in his ears that reminded him of being put down for surgery and a moment of panic consumed him. Was he back in the hospital? Had the past six and a half years been nothing more than a dream? Did he ever go to Pandora or was it all a delusion created in his mind, to escape the reality of being crippled for life? Was his brother still alive after all?

Completely disoriented, Jake opened his eyes and struggled to focus them. He wasn't in an operating room. He was in a cryogenic pod. In fact, he was _crammed_ into the pod like a grown man stuffed into a kid's toybox. He realized why when he raised his hands to push against the underside of the lid and saw the pale cyan skin and the pattern of darker blue stripes on the hands and forearms. He remembered that he was on a Dream Hunt and he relaxed.

Why he ended up inside one of these things was a mystery to him, unless Eywa intended to show him something significant from his past that related to the situation in the present. He grunted as he pushed at the lid. Jake forced the lid open and grimaced at the pain of the fluorescent white light surrounding him. He took a moment to adjust his vision and he looked around with narrowed eyes as he sat up.

His location looked exactly like the cryobank he had woken up in when his ISV arrived in orbit around Pandora. The exception was, none of the crew floating around checking on the sleeping passengers were familiar to him. He got out of the ill-fitting pod he was in and he walked from one capsule to the other, looking at the unfamiliar name tags labeling each one.

"This isn't the Venture Star," Jake muttered.

None of the conscious people in the cryobank paid any attention to him and he realized they couldn't see or hear him...because he was only there in spirit. He thought it was funny that they didn't seem to notice one of the cryovaults opening up on its own and he turned around to look at the one he'd come out of. It was closed. He went over to it and peered into the small observation window to see that it was occupied by a woman.

"That's freaky...I was in there with her?"

"You weren't 'in there' at all, Sully. Your mind just played it like you were."

Jake abruptly turned around at the sound of that hated voice, remembering the southern drawl and the cruel, indifferent tone all too well. "What the hell are _you_ doing here, Quaritch? Didn't Neytiri kill you enough?"

"Ah, your piece of native tail," mused the colonel with a nasty smirk. "Evidently, she killed me just enough, Corporal. Like you, I'm not really here. I'm your vision guide."

Jake stared at him. "Like hell, you are. Why would Eywa choose you as my guide?"

"She didn't," answered Quaritch. He pointed a ruddy finger at Jake. "_You_ did."

"Bullshit," spat Jake.

The older man shrugged and walked up to him. Strangely, he was the same height as Jake, even though his human body should have only come up to Jake's waist. "Believe what you want, Sully." He tapped a finger against the scars on the side of his head, where some native beast had clawed him during his service on Pandora. "Your subconscious mind chose the form and attitude I'd take. You wanna know why?"

"If you try to tell me it's guilt over your death, I'll punch a hole in your fucking face—guide or not."

Quaritch gave him one of those cold, lopsided grins and he shook his head. "That isn't very respectful, Soldier. No, I'm here right now because your mind is fixated on the damage I caused." He stepped even closer, until his face was only a couple of inches away from Jake's. His eyes narrowed. "I'm here because all you can think about is how many of your blue friends died when I ran the show. That's a neat trick you've been pulling; hiding it from your pussycat like you do even when you're linked. I'll bet she doesn't know about those nightmares you've been having, Sully."

Jake couldn't seem to get enough air. Images of Neytiri lying in a bloody heap next to burning, broken limbs of Hometree wormed their way into his brain. Images of himself finding her that way and holding her, calling her name while simultaneously trying to pick up the tiny, still body of their prematurely born infant.

"Yeah, you don't wanna share _those_ thoughts with her, do ya Sully? You know what? Those nightmares of yours just might come true."

Jake reached out with blurring speed and caught Quaritch around the throat. He lifted him one-handed and pulled his lips back from his teeth, hissing aggressively. Quaritch didn't seem to have any trouble breathing and no matter how Jake tried, he couldn't close his hand tighter around the man's throat.

"Now, you can hiss and spit like a mangy tomcat all you want, son. It won't change anything." The colonel was completely calm, opposite of Jake's panting rage. "If you want to know what's really going on here, you ought to put me down and let me give you the tour. You chose me, after all."

It took Jake a moment to comply. He was so full of blind fury that he could barely see straight. He thought he heard Neytiri's voice whisper his name, from somewhere far away. It broke through the red haze and washed over him like a soothing balm. Jake lowered Quaritch back to the floor and stepped away from him, breathing heavily and glaring.

"Eywa would never be this cruel," he growled with certainty. "She wouldn't send a guide that would gloat over the deaths of her chosen people, no matter what's on my mind!"

"I told you before; Eywa isn't responsible for me being here. Buckle up and use your head, Sully. You asked for guidance for your vision and she gave it to you. If I seem a little too real to you, it's because you're making me that way. We can stand here shooting the breeze as long as you want but your time here is limited."

Jake forcibly pushed his emotions back and gave the other man a curt nod. "Then let's go."

Quaritch immediately began to walk out of the cryobank with brisk footsteps. Jake hastened to follow him and they traveled down tunnels and corridors. Jake discovered that there were more air transport vehicles, weapons and AMP suits on this ship than there were on the one he had traveled in. A _lot_ more. Eventually, they came to an area Jake hadn't seen when he boarded his transport.

"This is where they keep all the avatars," Quaritch told him as he pulled open a sliding door.

Jake followed him in and he was stunned by how many incubation tanks there were. He swept the circular chamber with wide eyes, counting in his head. When he joined the program, they told him they only had a dozen or so avatars in operation. Of course according to Max, the research and creation was a constantly evolving thing. Jake had expected to find out more avatars were incoming and he'd expected some of them to be like Sebastian, but he wasn't prepared for this.

"There's fifty of 'em, if you're having trouble counting," Quaritch said. "And there's three more chambers like this, each with fifty of their own. Now usually, the drivers are kept in cryo like you were...but you knew that already, didn't you?"

Jake felt like doom was breathing down his neck. "Where are the drivers for these?" He noticed that all of the avatars were fully grown.

"Don't you know that already?" Quaritch smirked. "The drivers _are_ the avatars, just like your friend that came in on the last transport."

The implications weren't lost on Jake. This was even worse than he had feared. "And this is the next ISV scheduled to reach Pandora?"

"That's right. Only a handful of these guys are scientists. The rest of them are special forces, just like you. I thought you'd make a potent agent son, but think about what these soldiers can accomplish. They can breathe wherever they go and your savages won't have the upper hand on physical strength anymore. They're going to bring all of you down, unless you pull another rabbit out of your ass."

"I think you mean; 'pull a rabbit out of your hat,'" Jake corrected distractedly, his mind reeling over what he was hearing and seeing.

"Since the only thing you ever wear is a piece of hide over your crotch and a few straps of leather here and there, I think my version's a little more accurate."

Jake ignored him. "Two-hundred enhanced avatar soldiers," he murmured. "That's two-hundred men and women they could have killed if they screwed up. They didn't even care about getting Collins' confirmation that it worked on Sebastian."

"These people knew what they were getting into." Quaritch jerked his chin at one of the tanks, which held a female avatar. "They signed up for it, Sully. The RDA didn't feel like waiting on Collins' report so they had their science team go ahead with it as soon as the avatars were made."

"When they were made?" Repeated Jake. "Not when they finished growing?"

"Your people only found half of the info concerning this operation," answered Quaritch. "Bishop Collins shipped out before the new program was complete. He didn't know about the changes to the process when he screwed around with your stunted friend."

Jake shut his eyes and shook his head. He liked to think that if he had known all of this back when he first started the program, he never would have helped the RDA so much before having a change of heart. He couldn't be sure of that, though. His biggest concern back then was following orders and getting his ability to walk back. His change of attitude came gradually, as he learned more about the Na'vi people and started falling for Neytiri.

"What's the matter, Corporal?" Quaritch taunted, "Afraid you'll wake up one day and find out you're still just like them?" He nodded at one of the floating avatars, which housed the spirit of a trained killer.

Jake scowled. "I've heard about enough from you."

"They're your thoughts, son. I'm just relaying them back." Quaritch checked his watch and raised his eyebrows. "Well look at that...your time's up, Soldier. Better get your umbrella ready for the downpour. Oh, and one more thing: it wasn't a robber's bullet that killed Tom Sully."

Jake's eyes went wide with the grim implication. "What do you mean, Quaritch? They said—"

"They told you what they were told. I needed someone I could count on to work on the inside and a science geek wasn't going to cut it. I knew before I rotated out that I'd get faster results if I could put a military man in the Avatar program. It wasn't a coincidence when they recruited you to take your twin's place—I had some people cut some corners to get me what I needed. They told you just what you needed to hear so you'd get on board and you played right into our hands. See you around, Jake."

Jake opened his mouth to ask another question but suddenly Quaritch, the avatar storage chamber and even the ship he was on rushed away from him. He was hurtling backwards through space, heading for the moon of Pandora. He wondered how he could still be breathing in space but as he turned over, he had a greater concern. He was falling through Pandora's atmosphere and the ground was rushing closer and closer. He shut his eyes and yelled, flinging his arms over his face as Hometree loomed fast in his vision.

* * *

"How is our _olo'eyktan_? Has he completed his Dream Hunt yet?"

Norm shook his head and glanced over his shoulder at the hide curtain. "Not yet. His struggles are weakening and if he doesn't wake soon, I'm going to have to give him the anti-venom."

Ni'nat rubbed Norm's arm and gave him a reassuring look. "Few hunters have died in the process of _Uniltaron_, Norm. The sting of the _kali'weya_ is usually only deadly to the elderly, weak or very young if it is not treated. Jakesully is strong. I am sure we have nothing to worry about."

"Maybe I'm just being paranoid," Norm sighed. "He's fully recovered from his back injury and he's done this before. I just want to be sure. He hasn't had a very good season for luck."

Ni'nat smiled. "No, he has not. In that light, I can understand your concern."

Mo'at's voice came from behind the concealing hide, interrupting the conversation. "I believe his is waking, daughter. Speak to him quickly."

Ni'nat saw the anxious look on her mate's face and she urged him to go in and help. Coming out of a dream trance was disorienting, painful and even frightening. There was no telling where Jake had gone during his journey and if he suffered confusion over where he was, he could inadvertently hurt his mate or Mo'at in his struggles. Ni'nat waited outside of the room while Norm pushed the cover aside and went in to help with Jake.

* * *

Jake rolled onto his side as soon as he woke up. He curled up, shivering violently from the poison in his system. "_They killed Tommy!_" he cried raggedly. "They fucking..._used_ me and they killed him!"

Norm's brows drew together and he stared at his friend with wide-eyed concern. Neytiri and Mo'at both looked helplessly confused by the outburst, but they were doing their best to sooth Jake.

"Jake," Norm said carefully, "Tom was killed by a mugger."

"No." Jake shook his head. His voice was raw with pain and fever. "That was a lie. Someone in the RDA staged it. Quaritch wanted...a military operative in on the Avatar program because they weren't finished with the enhanced avatars yet. He planned to...send a covert operative in...from the beginning. They had the avatar but they had to get rid of Tommy to get me in on it."

Norm almost tried to deny it, but he abruptly remembered the underhanded things that operatives in the RDA were capable of and he thought of the horrible, merciless destruction of the old Hometree. "Jake, are you _sure_ about this?" He and Tom had gotten along well when they went through avatar training together. The thought of the very people who had hired him bumping him off made Norm's skin crawl.

"Yes, dammit, I'm sure!" Jake had a greenish tint to his complexion and it likely wasn't just due to the toxins in his system. Neytiri was stroking his hair and wiping at his brow with the wet cloth. She and her mother both looked at Norm inquisitively.

"Tom was his brother," explained Norm. "He died before Jake came here."

"He died because of me," Jake gagged, and suddenly he was retching. Because he had fasted, he had nothing in his stomach to throw up other than bile. Mo'at quickly grabbed one of the empty bowls in the corner and she held it under his head, catching what little came up from his stomach.

Norm wished that he could write Jake's words off as deluded ranting but he could see the truth in his eyes while he waited for his tortured heaving to end. He sighed and put a consoling hand on Jake's arm when the other man finished and rolled onto his back. He understood with frightening clarity now why Selfridge insisted that it was so "lucky" Tom had a twin brother. There was probably nothing lucky about it. Someone with the right connections must have looked up Tom's records and found out he had a twin in the marines.

"I'm sorry, Jake. Really. I knew Tom and I...I just don't know what to say."

"I'll kill every single one of them," Jake growled through clenched teeth. He groaned a moment later clenched his hands into fists. Neytiri wiped his mouth off and stared down at him with concerned distress.

"Okay, that's enough," Norm said, reaching for the anti-venom he had waiting. "Try to drink this down, okay? "

Jake turned his head away when Norm tried to bring the cup to his lips, nearly making him spill. "Come on, Jake," Norm urged, "drink it!"

"No." Jake shook his head and glared at Norm with livid yellow eyes. "I'll ride it out. It's not gonna kill me."

"Stop this foolishness," Mo'at demanded in her most authoritative voice. "Your grief is making your reasoning insane. Do not forget why you took this spirit journey."

Jake opened his mouth with an expression that said he intended to refuse again, but Neytiri added her worried pleas to her mother's demands. Jake looked up at her and some of the rage and pain faded from his features. With a defeated, tired look, he nodded. Neytiri supported the back of his head and helped him lift it while Norm brought the cup to his lips. Jake grimaced as he swallowed the brew but he drank most of it.

"I've seen what they're bringing with them," Jake said after several moments, when the medicine eased the cramps in his body and the delirium in his head. "Max was spot on. They're sending in more people like Sebastian, but most of them are military operatives in full-grown bodies. There's a lot more of them than I expected, too. There are two hundred on the ship that's due to come in next. Quaritch said—"

"Wait a minute," Norm interrupted, holding up a hand. "Did you just say 'Quaritch'?"

"Yeah," answered Jake. "My dream guide took on his form. He said it was because my mind is on what happened the last time the RDA attacked and since Quaritch ordered most of the destruction, I guess my subconscious picked him."

Norm winced. "That must have been...uh..."

"Yeah, it was," Jake finished for him. He shuddered faintly, either from the remaining toxin or the memory of having the bastard serve as his guide. "Anyway, he said a few of the new avatars are scientists but the rest are all Special Forces, like I was. He also said they did the transference when the avatars were first made, before they shipped out."

"So they transferred their consciousness into embryos?" Norm scratched his head. "But linking to an immature avatar is...well, just look at what happened to Sebastian."

"They made some improvements around the same time our transport was on the way to Pandora," Jake explained haltingly, having no head for science. "Don't ask me what they did differently...all I know is they did the transfer some time before they even sent the ISV out and for whatever reason, Dr. Collins never got the memo."

Norm calculated the time in his head. "So they were doing this when we were finishing up with Avatar training," he reasoned. A frown tugged at his lips. "Sebastian's team got here around seven months after we did."

"And Tommy was killed a week before he was supposed to ship out," Jake said tightly, "What the hell _difference_ does it make?"

"I'm trying to figure out the timeline, Jake." Norm kept his tone and expression placating. "It could be important. Do you know how long Quaritch was on Pandora before we got there?"

"About six months, I think."

"So his cohorts in the RDA started making their plans to get Tom out and you in sometime between when Quaritch left and when the Venture Star was scheduled to leave," Norm murmured, almost to himself. "Maybe they were just going to kick him out of the avatar program, but if they did that...uh..." Norm trailed off and looked at Jake uncomfortably.

"If they did it that way they never would have gotten me on board," finished Jake with a scowl. "Unless they got the idea that I'm an asshole that would steal his twin brother's dream from him. Listen Norm; these people were ready to commit genocide to get what they wanted. If they could do that, they wouldn't think twice about murdering one guy."

Norm sighed. There was no way to get around it. "I know. But what I'm trying to figure out is why Collins did what he did to Sebastian at all. You said he 'didn't get the memo' but there couldn't have been a very large time span between when Sebastian's transport left and the one with all of those other enhanced avatars on it left. Did your guide say the new avatars were grown to maturity on earth, or during transport?"

"They would have had to have grown them during the trip," Jake said. "If it takes a few years for them to get to full size they would have had to send them out while they were still...embryos. Right?"

"Unless they found a way to accelerate their growth, yes," Norm agreed. "Otherwise we wouldn't have to expect to see the first new avatars for another five years and they as much as told Max they'd be sending in their 'secret weapons' soon. Did you ask your guide how long we have until they arrive?"

"No," groaned Jake. "I was so floored by everything I found out, I didn't ask."

"But he said they did this after Sebastian's ISV rotated out." Norm felt like he had a lead ball in his stomach. "They would have wanted to get these enhanced fighters here as fast as they could and Max already said he found information saying they had some on route."

"I guess so."

Norm remembered something else and his eyes widened. "I forgot! Jake, Max said Earth communications were messed up for a while and they couldn't get word too or from the RDA headquarters. That's probably why Collins went ahead with his experiment while the transport was on its way here. He didn't _know_ they improved the process and went ahead with the operation. He thought he was still supposed to confirm whether it would work. So, he used the process on Sebastian, panicked when he realized it was flawed and set it up to look like a glitch in Sebastian's cryovault caused his death."

"It adds up," Norm continued, oblivious to Mo'at and Neytiri's utterly confused expressions or Jake's increasingly grim one. "Quaritch arrived, then six months later we got here. A little more than seven months after that Sebastian and his team arrived. That should give us—" He felt the color drain from his face as he realized the amount of time that had passed since Sebastian and the others got there.

"No time," Jake said dully. "They could be here any day now."

"But Max said the last schedule he looked at had the next mothership scheduled months from now," Norm reminded, a little relieved as he recalled it. "I think it would have taken them longer to send it out, because they had to transport all of those incubation tubes to the ISV."

"And weapons," added Jake. "Don't forget those."

Norm heard the flat, dead tone in Jake's voice and it brought him out of his contemplations and into a state of awareness. Jake still looked too pale and his eyes were too bright. Neytiri was gently stroking his shoulder but Jake didn't look like he really felt it. There was grief in his expression.

"Jake, I was only trying to work out what's happened," Norm said remorsefully.

Jake closed his eyes. "Norm, I know it's important to figure all this out and I admire your brain power, but I just found out my brother died because the Quaritch and some other people in the RDA wanted to use me to get the Omaticaya out of the way. I did just what they wanted, too. Can we just save this for later? Or maybe you should take this up with Max, if you've got to work out your theories. Right now, I just don't care."

Norm felt like an insensitive prick and what was worse, Tom was his friend. He thought of everything Jake had been through and it occurred to him that it was something of a miracle that the man hadn't fallen into a pit of depression before now. He got shot in the back and crippled. His brother died. He fell in love with a woman whose people he nearly helped destroy. He got a new body only to nearly become crippled again and just when things started leveling out, he found out that his brother died because people in the RDA wanted him to take his place.

And Norm had sat there babbling about time lines and tossing Tom's name out as if he were a stranger that meant nothing to anyone.

"I'm sorry, Jake. You just rest. I'll take care of getting word to Max, okay?"

Jake's expression hardly changed. "Sure."

Norm got up and left the small room. He almost ran into his mate, who still stood outside the hide cover. "Did you hear?" he whispered.

Ni'nat nodded. "I did not understand most of it, but I understood the part about Jakesully's brother. You knew him?"

Norm lowered his eyes and nodded. "He was a friend." His tone became bitter. "You probably wouldn't guess that based on how casually I was talking about what happened to him, though."

"You have a lot on your mind," Ni'nat excused, rubbing one of his arms soothingly. "And I think you have grief of your own to manage, Norm."

"I'll manage my own grief later," he sighed. "Right now I've got to make up for being a giant jerk-off and tell the others what Jake found out."

"We can fly there in the morning," Ni'nat suggested. "You, E'quath and I. Our chieftain can get the rest he needs."

* * *

Mo'at used some of the herbs she kept on her person and she mixed them with water from the jug sitting in the far corner.

"Here. Drink."

Jake looked at the cup Mo'at offered him as he propped himself up on his side. "What is it?"

"A mild potion," she answered. "To help you sleep."

"You need your rest, Jake," Neytiri coaxed when he looked reluctant to take it.

He reached for the cup half-heartedly, still wearing that flat, hopeless expression on his face. He drank it down without a word and nodded to Mo'at as he handed it back to her. She put the cup aside and sat quietly as Jake pillowed his head on one bent arm and lay there on his side. Neytiri stroked his hair continually, feeling his pain so acutely she almost checked to see if their queue's had linked without her knowing it. His braid was draped over his waist, confirming to her that _tsahaylu_ wasn't necessary for her to empathize strongly with her mate. She knew he had a brother who died but he had never given her his name or told her what happened.

Jake's eyes drifted shut and after his breathing grew deep and even, Mo'at motioned to Neytiri. The two women quietly left the room together and stood outside. Moat waited for a passing clansman to go by before she spoke to her daughter in a low voice.

"You should stay close to your mate for a while, Daughter."

Neytiri nodded, feeling her throat burn with tears for him. "I have never seen him this way. So...defeated."

"His guilt," Mo'at replied with a nod. "It is poison to his spirit."

Neytiri lowered her gaze. "He blames himself for the death of his brother."

Mo'at laid a hand on Neytiri's shoulder. "He was deceived by the Sky People. His brother's death is not all that weighs on him. He is a good man who was fooled into doing evil and his efforts to correct his mistake only bring more challenges. He worries for you and he worries for our people."

Neytiri could sense Eywa's warning, like her mother. She feared this would break him beyond repair. "I will not leave his side."

"He is strong, Daughter. He has been through much already and yet, Jakesully's smiles come easily. I do not think this will weaken his spirit for long but until he remembers his own strength, he will need his mate to remind him of it."

Neytiri wiped her eyes and nodded. Even when he was lying in the Human medical place unable to feel his legs, he hadn't fallen into depression. He even cheered _her_ up whenever her anxiety weighed her down. Quick to make witty comments and reassure her, Jake seemed like nothing could bring him down for long.

* * *

Neytiri slept fitfully beside her mate on the mat. Rather than wake him to try and coax him into their hammock further up the tree, she chose to let him sleep where he was and she cuddled up to him from behind. The discomfort of the hard floor, combined with her condition and her concern for Jake made it difficult to get to sleep. She finally drifted off in exhaustion close to midnight.

It seemed like she was only asleep for a short time when she woke up again. She could no longer feel Jake's warmth against her body and she opened tired eyes and sat up, looking around for him anxiously.

"Jake?" Neytiri whispered.

He was nowhere to be seen and he didn't answer her soft call. Thinking of the warning feelings she had been getting, she got to her feet quickly and left the room to search for him. Most of her clan was asleep, but she came across a couple of them who were still up or had gotten up to get something and she asked them if they had seen her mate. The man hadn't but the woman she met near the sleeping level said that she spotted Jake heading for the ikran nests.

Neytiri's brief feeling of relief was clouded by a terrible thought. What if Jake's grief and rage drove him to the point of delusion? He hadn't eaten for twenty-four hours, he had been through a Dream Hunt and his emotions were wild right now. She imagined him taking off on his banshee and getting himself killed with some reckless action.

She increased her pace, climbing the spiral as fast as she could without risking losing her footing. When she made it to the top and ran outside, she called out to Jake desperately. She stumbled to a halt when she saw him crouched at the end of one of the tree branches. He turned his head to look her way when he heard his name and his ears were lowered. He didn't answer her; he merely looked at her with dull, glittering eyes.

Neytiri approached him, catching her breath in relief. "Jake," she said as she began to lower herself beside him. Even in his morbid state of mind, he reached out and supported her, helping her balance herself as she sat down.

"Shouldn't wear yourself out," Jake said softly, putting an arm around her. His ears remained in the sloped position and he wouldn't look her in the eye.

"I am not worried about myself right now," she murmured. She laid a hand on the cheek facing away from her and urged him to turn his head and look at her. "Jake, you are not grieving in a healthy way. It worries me."

"Healthy?" He stared at her. "What do you think would be 'healthy', Neytiri?"

She hated the half-accusing tone in his voice but she held strong against it, straightening her posture and giving him a proud, determined stare right back. "To mourn the loss of your brother without punishing yourself."

Something seemed to break in him at that moment. She had never seen her Jake cry, though he expressed strong emotions and tenderness without hesitation. Na'vi men were encouraged to express their pain as much as women but Neytiri learned that human men were discouraged from openly crying, else they might appear weak. It was therefore somewhat of a shock to see his golden eyes shine with dampness. A single tear fell free and etched a glistening trail down the left side of his face.

"It's my fault Tommy's dead," he said in an aching whisper.

Neytiri shook her head slowly and cupped his face in both hands, brushing away the tear with her thumb. "_Not_ your fault, Jake. The fault is with the greedy ones, the Sky People who deceive and steal and kill. You did not know."

Jake looked down. "I know all that on some level, but it doesn't stop me from feeling like...it's different, now. I did my grieving before. It wasn't easy hearing that he got shot, but now...finding out he died so I could take his place..." His voice dropped out and his lips thinned as he tried to control his emotions.

"Would he want you blaming yourself?"

He blinked at her and went still for a moment. He looked out at the horizon and took a deep breath. "No. He wouldn't. Doesn't change how I feel though, Neytiri. I need some time."

"_Tslolam_, my Jake," Neytiri murmured. She stroked his arm and laid her head against his shoulder. "I was just afraid that you would...hurt yourself."

He turned his head and spoke against her hair. "How? Did you think I would jump or something?"

Neytiri lifted her head off his shoulder and stared into his eyes. "Would you do such a thing?"

"Only if I had something chasing me or the tree was on fire," he assured her. "And even then, I'd try to break my fall. I'm not suicidal."

She studied his face carefully and listened with all of her senses. When she was satisfied that he wasn't just saying that to keep her from worrying, she nodded. "I believe you. If you want us to leave you to your thoughts, we can go."

Jake's brows furrowed over his eyes and he glanced around. "'We'? I thought it was just you and me out here."

Neytiri smiled a little and took his far hand, pulling it across to lay it palm-down over the swell of her belly. "And the baby."

"Oh." Jake rubbed the area in gentle circles and Neytiri saw his throat work as he swallowed. A haunted expression flashed over his features for a brief moment and she wondered what provoked it. He drew her closer and his hand stilled, resting over their growing offspring protectively. "I'd rather you both stay."

She smiled tenderly at him and she came to a decision. "Jake, if our child is male, I want to name him Tommy."

He pulled back to look at her with a surprised, faintly wary expression. "Really? It isn't a Na'vi name."

"Neither is Jake, but both are good names."

Jake's mouth worked silently for a moment and he swallowed again as he nodded. "Okay. If it's a boy, we'll name him Tommy." He blinked and despite his obvious effort to hold back, his eyes rimmed with tears again.

Neytiri couldn't stop her eyes from tearing up in response and she reached up to draw his head closer, urging him to lay it on her shoulder. His arms went around her and she returned the embrace as she nuzzled his dark hair. She felt dampness against her shoulder where his cheek pressed against it and she whispered encouragingly to him, urging him to release his grief. His shoulders trembled silently and he held her tight, hardly making a sound as his tears dripped onto her shoulder. She wept with him, grieving for Jake's loss even though she had never met his brother.

* * *

-To be continued

**Translations:**

_**Kali'weya **_= "Arachnoid"; a native scorpion-like arachnid whose venom has the capability of inducing a trance. The poison can be deadly to some but Na'vi warriors use it for vision-seeking purposes.

_**Tslolam **_= I understand


	14. Chapter 14

"Between worlds"

Chapter 14

* * *

_**Author's note: See footnotes at the end of the chapter for Na'vi/English translations. This chapter is rather long and it spans several months. Yes, "Sturmbeest" is the official spelling for the animal being hunted near the end of the chapter. It is not an error, as odd as it looks. Kind thanks to everyone for the feedback, thus far! **_

* * *

*Disclaimer: I do not own Pandora and I make no profit from writing fanfiction based on the "Avatar" film.

* * *

The next morning, Norm flew to Hell's Gate with Ni'nat and E'quath. They left their ikrans just outside the gate and they went immediately into the lab and medical building, seeking out Max. When Norm told him he had information about the forces that were due to arrive, he arranged a meeting with all of the people they trusted most. Ni'nat and E'quath stood quietly in the background while Norm explained the details of what Jake discovered. He left out the part concerning Jake's brother, considering it too personal to share with mixed company. When he finished, Max looked around at the others before speaking.

"How did Jake get this information?"

Norm hesitated, knowing the truth would be met with disbelief by most all of them. "He saw it in a spiritual vision."

Trudy grimaced and Max took his glasses off and wiped the lenses with the sleeve of his lab coat. "Norm, you know we've got all the respect in the world for you and Jake and the Omaticaya, but it's hard not to take that at face value." Max looked acutely uncomfortable, as did the others. Norm observed that Sebastian was the only one who hardly blinked in response to the news that Jake saw everything in a vision.

"I understand how you feel," Norm admitted. "I know it's hard to absorb but I've had some experience with this kind of thing myself. As much as I've always respected Na'vi culture—" He nodded at his two traveling companions and they nodded back—"I had trouble believing in dream visions too. I got my proof, though."

The other scientists and MP's invited to the meeting were silent and Max studied Norm as if trying to decide what to say next. If Norm weren't a fellow scientist, he might have been more inclined to write his observations off as superstitious nonsense. His respect for Norm's intellect and reasoning skills won out.

"I'll concede that it's possible," Max said carefully, "but we can't get the people here worked up over a vision, especially if there's a chance that Jake could be right. There's no proof."

Sebastian cleared his throat and raised his hand, drawing everyone's attention to him. Max stammered and fell silent and Norm smirked, silently applauding Sebastian for reminding everyone that he was living evidence that the RDA can and would send special operatives. Beside him, Katherine's expression of doubt vanished and she spoke up.

"We've known they were planning to use this process to make their 'super soldiers' for a while now. True, we can't be sure of how much of Corporal Sully's vision was a product of his imagination but given what we already know, I don't think we should take it lightly."

"She's got a point," Trudy said. "And everyone on the base is expecting the RDA to try and take over so there's no harm in bumping up the security a little more. We could say the clock's winding down and I don't think anyone would be surprised."

Max scratched his beard and nodded. "We could do that. It's going to cost more resources, though."

"We'll help," Norm offered. "There are places where the minerals you need can be gathered without damaging the environment. I'll talk to Jake about it when we go back and see if we can organize an escort. You're doing the right thing by taking this seriously."

* * *

"Something is troubling you," Ni'nat observed that afternoon as she and Norm sat down to a dinner of the wrapped food they had brought with them.

E'quath was outside somewhere, talking to a couple of the avatar drivers who had helped overtake the base in the last conflict. Ni'nat and Norm sat together on one of the beds inside the avatar cabin as they ate and she could see tension and uncertainty in his expression. "Are you thinking of Jakesully's brother?"

Norm looked at her with mild surprise. She had come to know him better than he had realized. "Is it that obvious?"

"To me, yes," she answered gently. "To others, perhaps not. Tell me what you are thinking, my Norm."

He glanced at the _nikt'chey_ he held in his hand, having no appetite for it despite how cleverly his mate had mixed the food to create the most pleasing taste. She always managed to find the best combinations and he doubted he would ever match her instincts for spice usage.

Ni'nat noticed his actions and she placed her free hand over his wrist. "You will not offend me if you don't like the food wrap I prepared for you."

"No, the food is delicious," Norm assured her. "Yours always is. I just don't have an appetite, right now."

"Because your cares are churning the food in your stomach," she surmised. She took another bite of her own wrap and gazed at him with quiet patience as she chewed and swallowed.

Norm gathered his thoughts before complying with her request that he open up to her. "I keep thinking that I should try to find out exactly what happened to Tom Sully. Max still has hundreds of classified files backed-up here. The RDA wiped the originals but he started saving them as soon as things started going sour. I can't help but think that somewhere in those files, there could be information leading to who Quaritch was working with to arrange Tom's death."

Ni'nat nodded and though it was obvious that she couldn't comprehend his talk of files and deception, she seemed to understand the overall gist of it. "What makes you hesitate?"

Norm looked down at his hands and heaved a sigh. He flexed the fingers, remembering when the hands were pale and much smaller. "Humanity."

She bit her lip and shook her head. "I don't understand," she admitted.

Norm smiled, feeling a pang in his heart. "Since learning about the People, I've been forced to look in the mirror. What I mean by that is the Na'vi ways opened my eyes to the ugly truth about my own species. The Na'vi had no concept of deceit, until the Sky People came."

She smiled softly at him and he relaxed a little. She was taking his words as a compliment, as they were intended. "I never realized how underhanded humans could really be, until I started comparing them to your...to _our_ people. I was one of them, Ni'nat. A part of me still is...and maybe it always will be. Lying is a human trait that I'm still trying to overcome."

"Lying?" She tilted her head and slowly lowered her food wrap. "To who?"

"Jake," he answered. He looked through the barred window at the horizon. "If I push to get this information and we learn the identity of the people responsible for his brother's death..." His words faded and he shook his head, dragging his fingers through wayward locks of hair hanging over his eyes.

"Then he will want vengeance," she finished for him with a nod of comprehension.

"Vengeance he can't satisfy," stressed Norm, "unless the guilty parties happen to come here. Even if Jake could somehow get back to earth, a decade will have gone by since Tom was killed and Jake can't breathe the air or eat the food. He'd be captured or killed if he even made it to a landing point."

"I cannot understand this talk of time, Norm," Ni'nat murmured. "How young were you when you came here from the world of the Sky People?"

"Not much younger than I am now," he tried to explain. "We...hibernate during the journey. We don't age but it takes more than five years to travel between Earth and Pandora. The people we left behind at home are that many years older now but we haven't aged between when we left and when we arrived."

"So the Sky People who did this to Jakesully's brother...?"

Norm shook his head. "I don't know. They might not even still be alive. Knowing who they are and not being able to do anything about it will haunt Jake. It could ruin his life...and Neytiri's. If I know the information and don't give it to him, it would be the same as a lie."

"But you still want to know," she reasoned. She caressed his back with her fingertips and finished the last morsel of her food wrap.

He nodded. "Yes. I still want to know. That's another fault of mine; I don't know when to let something go."

Ni'nat smiled and brushed her lips over his cheek. "Your desire to learn is what makes you special, my Norm. This was your friend and our chieftain's brother. Loyalty to both of them is nothing to feel shame over."

"But I could cause more harm," he whispered. "I don't know what to do."

She combed her loose hair over her left ear. "What do you think Tomsully would want you to do?"

Her words brought back memories and Norm's gaze unfocused. "He'd want his older brother to be safe," he murmured softly. "He used to worry about him. While we were going through avatar training, Jake was in a war in Venezuela. Tom always sounded like he was reassuring himself when he said his brother was too stubborn to get killed but one day in the beginning of our second year, he got this strange look on his face. We were between training sessions at lunch and he dropped his fork and stared off into the distance."

Ni'nat tilted her head. "What was the matter?"

Norm shut his eyes and thought back to that day. He had asked Tom if he was choking because the other man had gone so pale and still. Tom seemed to catch himself and he shook his head with a little smirk—the same smirk Norm saw so regularly on Jake's lips. He said he just had a chill and he played it off, but as he picked up his fork and resumed eating mechanically, Norm thought he saw anxiety lingering in his eyes.

That same night, Tom got a phone call from the government, informing him that his older twin was in a VA hospital getting a bullet removed from his spine. That was the first time Norm had ever seen real proof of the rumored "twin bond". That was the first time he had ever considered the possibility that not all myths were just fantasy. Tom wanted to go and see him but an ocean separated them and civilians were strictly forbidden from traveling to Venezuela until the conflict was ended.

Norm explained his account as well as he could, distracted by the memories and some nagging, half-forgotten thing that he couldn't put his finger on. His brows drew together as he recapped to his mate and he struggled to recollect whatever was crying for his attention.

"Norm?" Ni'nat's voice was worried as she called out to him.

"Something was wrong, that week before we were supposed to ship out," Norm answered, only paying partial attention as he struggled to remember. "I lost a book. I can't remember what it was but I called Tom to ask if he'd seen it. He sounded bad when he picked up the phone...really bad."

"Bad how?" Ni'nat queried softly.

"Nervous," Norm answered. He rubbed his temples and shut his eyes, dragging up the memory. "We were all nervous about the trip and our future but he sounded on edge. Scared, even."

"What did he have to fear?"

Norm grimaced. "Other than the trip? Nothing that I knew of. We were all a little afraid but he sounded..." He paused and tried to put his finger on it. That last phone call happened two days before Tom was killed.

"I think he might have known they were after him," Norm finally said as snatches of the brief conversation came back to him.

_"Sorry Norm, I haven't seen your language book. I'd look around but I'm in a hurry to pack. Yes, I know we don't deploy for a week but...listen, Norm. No...no, it's nothing. You know me. I just want to make sure I've got everything in order. It isn't like we can come back for anything we leave behind. Yeah, I'm sure I'm okay. If I find your book, I'll be sure to let you know."_

Norm dragged his thoughts out of the past and he looked into his mate's beautiful, worried eyes. He could tell immediately that his expression had given all of his emotions away. "I'm okay," he assured her as she slipped an arm around his waist.

"You do not have to...lie." Ni'nat said the last word with a grimace of distaste, but the quiet sympathy lining her eyes didn't fade. "I would be troubled if I were in your place."

Norm returned her half-embrace and rested the hand still holding his forgotten dinner on his thigh. "What would you do, if you were in my place?"

Ni'nat smiled softly at him. "I would rest and then decide in the morning. Your head is busy and your heart is sore."

Norm smiled in spite of himself and he pressed his forehead against the side of her face. "I'll think about it in the morning, then. Thank you."

* * *

Max's jaw was hanging open after he heard what Norm had to tell him, early the next morning. Norm's eyes were burning from a lack of sleep and he considered asking his friend if he had any Na'vi-friendly eyedrops available. The expression on the biologist's face made Norm forget about his discomfort and he almost laughed with sleep-deprived humor.

"I've got good reasons to believe Jake's information about his brother is real," Norm assured him. "Did you find anything strange in Tom Sully's records?"

"Norm, the only records I went through concerning Tom Sully were his credentials and obituary," Max sighed. "I didn't spot anything unusual in there but I wasn't looking for a conspiracy at the time, either."

"I think you should start looking," Norm said flatly. "I think he knew they were after him and there might be some information in some of the classified records."

Max groaned softly. "What good do you think this will do? Do you have _any_ idea how many protected documents I've been trying to crack since the conflict? What do you think Jake or anybody else can do against the conspirators, if they're all on earth?"

"Nothing," admitted Norm candidly, "we're all screwed there. I'm not doing this because I think we can bring justice."

Max frowned at him. "Then why _are_ you doing it?"

Norm thought about all of the conversations he'd had with Tom and Jake respectively, how startled he was when he first saw the physical similarities between the two and how disappointed he was over Jake's apparent thick skull.

"I want to know because I also want closure and I think that one day, it will help Jake too. Come on, Max. I know you're overworked but this could lead to more information about the enhanced avatar program, too. Besides, Jake's your friend."

Max sighed and nodded. "All right, you win. I'll see what I can do but I'm telling you, some of those files are so heavily encrypted I may never crack them. I'll see what kind of help I can get but I can't promise anything."

"All I'm asking is that you try," Norm answered. "Contact me if you find anything, okay?"

* * *

He stared down the length of his arrow at his prey, breathing steadily as he prepared to loose the projectile. Beside him, his mate was as quiet as a snowflake falling to the ground and as still as a statue. He pressed his lips together and drew the bow back. The hexapede didn't sense its danger.

_~Tommy didn't sense his danger.~_

Jake blinked, struggling to concentrate on his task. His imagination wouldn't stop picturing the moment of Tom's death, though.

_Tommy crossing the street—probably planning to see a movie or go to the bookstore—totally unaware that there was a little red dot situated between his shoulder blades. Tommy's face when the silenced gun went off and the little metal slug pierced his back to tear into his heart. Tommy's eyes wide with shocked, confused pain as his heartbeat faltered and stopped. Tommy falling to the pavement while onlookers stopped what they are doing and cried out exclamations of surprise._

_ "It's about your brother. There's been an accident."_

The images spun in Jake's head and he couldn't shut them out. He was about to do the same thing to this animal that some hired gun had done to his unsuspecting brother.

_~No! This is different. Tommy was killed in cold blood for the sake of greed. I'm providing meat for my clan.~_

His mind continued to make unreasonable comparisons between what was done to Tom and what he was about to do. His aim faltered and he saw Neytiri looking at him from the corner of his eye. Her expression was sad and concerned; leaving no doubt that she had noticed his lapse.

Jake eased up on the bow and shut his eyes, shaking his head silently. He couldn't do it. He opened his eyes again and looked at Neytiri grimly, giving her a silent nod in the prey's direction. She understood and she knocked an arrow in her bow and took aim. Jake looked away as she fired, pressing his lips together tightly. He heard the thump as his mate's arrow struck true, followed by the distressed bleat from the deer-like animal. Neytiri was already up and closing the distance to finish it off with her hunting knife.

Jake put his arrow back into his quiver and secured his bow before joining her. He knelt beside the kill on the forest floor, avoiding Neytiri's eyes as she withdrew her knife from its chest and looked at him.

"I'm sorry," he murmured. "I don't know what's wrong with me."

She wiped her hands on the damp moss before placing them on his thighs. "Every hunter suffers moments of doubt, when the heart is aching. It will pass, Jake. Give yourself time."

He took a deep breath and blew it out with a silent nod, laying his hands over hers thankfully. Now that it was over, he felt better and he didn't suffer any comparative delusions as he helped her bind the kill's hooves for transport back to their direhorses, waiting some yards back where they came from. He dragged the hexapede himself and Neytiri didn't argue with him when he told her not to help. He was at least grateful that she had stopped bringing back larger prey on her own as her pregnancy progressed.

She walked beside him in supportive silence and he saw her absently lay a hand over the covered mound of her belly. She murmured under her breath to their unborn child and Jake managed a little smile. At least he had one thing to look forward to.

* * *

Days passed into weeks and Jake's attitude gradually improved, as well as his aim with the hunting bow. Neytiri stayed close to him, rarely leaving his side. An independent woman, she used to go out on her own hunts or fly her ikran close to Hometree without company. Since he discovered the truth about his brother's death, Jake found himself under constant vigilance, much as he was when Neytiri was teaching him the ways of the People.

He didn't mind...in fact, he enjoyed spending more time with her. He had gotten used to spending most of each day away from her and getting his affection in at night when they both returned home, except for when they hunted together. She asked him if he felt she was smothering him and he grinned and assured her that he appreciated the extra attention. It was impossible for Jake to get tired of her company.

"What about you though?" He asked one day while they gathered foods from the forest. "When do you think you'll get tired of being attached to me at the hip?"

She chuckled and reached out to pinch his ear gently. "When I cannot take more of your playing." She sobered and traced his features with her fingertips, her eyes growing warm on him. "And, when you have healed enough."

He accepted her explanation with a little smile. He was starting to feel more like himself again with each day, though he knew he would never forgive the ones responsible for Tommy's death and he would probably never stop missing him.

Several days later, they were on their way to go fishing when Neytiri slipped in an uncommon moment of clumsiness. Jake caught her as she started to fall and he twisted as he went down with her, maneuvering his body under hers to cushion her. They landed in the wet moss together and he was winded for a moment. The soft drizzle of rain caressed their skin as they recovered from the tumble and Neytiri's damp, ethereal features gazed down at Jake as she shifted on top of him. Her eyes widened and her lips rounded as she feigned a look of terrified relief, as if they had just narrowly escaped plunging over a cliff.

The over-dramatized expression made Jake blurt out the first genuine laugh he'd enjoyed since before his Dream Hunt and he reached up to caress he moist skin, stroking his thumb over the plush, animated lips. "You staged that," he said with certainty.

Her mouth relaxed into a smile that touched her golden eyes and lit her face up. "It made you smile."

His laughter dissolved into soft chuckles and he nodded in agreement. "You've got a knack for doing that."

She turned her head and kissed his fingertips, then lowered her lips to his and placed a soft kiss there, too. He responded to the kiss, reciprocating the tantalizing brush of her lips with his own. His body reacted to the exchange and the feel of her damp leather and wet skin rubbing against his. He deepened the kiss and combed his fingers through her braids, making the beads at the end of them knock together. She grazed his pelvis with her thigh, causing light friction against his growing arousal.

Jake only meant to exchange kisses and caresses for a while but their loving passion increased steadily, until it became urgent. Before long, their clothing and gear ended up in a heap beside them and they embraced on the mossy forest floor. Hands and mouths sought out sensitive areas as the couple enjoyed one another under the foliage. Jake was very gentle with her as they mated in a spooned position and Neytiri didn't chastise him or urge him to be more aggressive. She was nearing the end of her pregnancy and until the baby was born, restraint was necessary.

Their gasps and moans mingled with the sound of the wildlife as they moved in synch with each other. Eventually their activities increased in urgency as gratification loomed closer. Their low cries of pleasure filled the air when their efforts brought them both to release. They lay spent in each other's arms, kissing now and then with warm affection as they recovered.

* * *

"No, I'm sorry Norm but I haven't found anything pertaining to Tom Sully yet."

Nearly three months had passed since Norm asked him to investigate and so far, Max had only managed to crack half a dozen classified files. Nearly all of the information he found related to things they already knew about, but he did find one tidbit of interest and he decided to share it with his colleague—as much to toss him a bone as to get him off his back.

"I did find a document relating to colonization proposals," Max informed him. "The RDA was planning to draw up a proposal to handle Earth's overpopulation through migration. They were going to get started once they resolved the conflict with the natives here."

Norm crossed his arms over his chest. "'Resolved the conflict', right. It's more like once they've decimated or enslaved the indigenous population and burned down the forests."

Max shrugged. "That's how it usually ends up, but you know they don't see themselves as the bad guys."

"I know, and that's what scares me the most."

"You know, technically humans are already colonizing Pandora," Max pointed out.

"By invitation," corrected Norm. "The Na'vi have given the people here at Hell's Gate their permission to stay. That isn't the same thing as coming in with an army and torching everything in sight."

"True, but I think you should know the population here is going to grow. I wanted to talk to Jake about improving the conditions here and possibly expanding the perimeters, eventually."

Norm was suddenly wary. He pictured the overcrowded cities on Earth, the polluted atmosphere and the lack of vegetation. Humans were notoriously bad at judging how much was enough. If they over bred on earth, they would do it on Pandora, too.

"I don't know how keen Jake's going to be on the expansion idea," Norm said truthfully. "We don't need another New York, Tokyo or Los Angeles here, Max."

Max chuckled and shook his head. "That's a pretty dramatic interpretation of the text. I know what you're worried about and that's something else I wanted to run by you. I don't think it's possible for us to overpopulate here, the way we did back on Earth."

"Why? Is there something in the environment here making people sterile?"

Max shook his head. "No, but that was what we thought at first. As you know, there are several couples living here that have been here for years. Some of them have children they've been raising here on the base, even though they've had ample opportunity to rotate home. Some of the newer couples are either expecting or trying to conceive and the ones who already have a child are trying for another one. In six years, the average family-minded couple on Earth usually produces two to three children, but so far only one child has been born to each couple—with the exception of one pair who have been here for nearly eight years and have a five year old daughter. The rest are having trouble conceiving."

"But you said nobody's sterile," Norm argued with a frown. "Is someone slipping them birth control behind their backs?" He gave Max a suspicious look, wondering if the man had it in him to do something like that to control the population when people failed to do it themselves.

"Nobody's slipping them anything," Max assured him. "We've been having couples coming into the med wing for checkups and out of all of them, only one woman had reproductive issues that would explain her difficulty conceiving. Some of the men had lower than average sperm count but nothing that should prevent conception with enough effort. For the most part, every one of these people has the ability to reproduce. We couldn't find a thing physically wrong with them."

"That's really strange," Norm conceded.

"I have a feeling that if they were back on Earth, they'd all be expecting by now," Max said. "I think...well, you know I don't believe in mysticism but I could almost believe this Eywa is preventing the humans here from reproducing too fast. Not exactly _stopping_ it, but limiting it, somehow. I've exhausted all medical reasons to explain it."

Norm's eyes unfocused as he mulled the information over. "Preserving the balance," he whispered. "That's what Eywa does. The Na'vi never have more children than their territory can reasonably sustain. They replace the population when people die, but their numbers stay fairly consistent otherwise."

"So you think there's something to the theory?" Max asked uncomfortably. "I mean, assuming Eywa really exists."

"It makes sense," Norm agreed. "If humans can't or won't keep their numbers down to a reasonable level, Eywa would want to make sure they don't overrun the forests and turn this place into another Earth. If this is right, then you won't have to worry about expansion for a while, unless there's something you want to build here that needs more space."

"Actually, there is," Max said. "We want to make a bio-dome, with a proper school and housing for the colonists and their families. We'd build it at the back of the fort, since the area beyond that fence was already strip-mined. We've all discussed it and we don't want to tear down any forest land if we can avoid it."

Norm relaxed. "Hey, that might be negotiable. That land won't be fertile again for years and if you can make use of it instead of cutting down more trees, I think Jake and the council might go for it. We might even be able to help out."

"I wouldn't expect the Na'vi to help with this," Max said hastily.

Norm chuckled, guessing that he had horror images of the Omaticaya people trying to operate heavy construction machinery and subsequently wrecking the entire base. "I mean with simple things, like lifting and carrying materials to the work sites," he explained. "I'm sure some of them would be willing. The people here at Hell's Gate helped them settle into the new Hometree, after all."

"And I'm sure they'll want to keep an eye on the process to be sure we aren't over-stretching our bounds," Max said dryly. "Okay Norm, I'll leave it to you to work out negotiations for this. Personally, I don't want to even begin until after we've finished improving the security. I'm not even sure I want to start until after we've diverted a hostile takeover from the RDA forces scheduled to arrive. I just wanted to run it by you."

"I'll be sure and talk to Jake and Neytiri about it when I go back," Norm promised. "So you still haven't heard anything at all from the RDA?"

"No. It's as quiet as death out there. The only transmissions we get now are the ones exchanged between our people and you guys. We've had some periodic glitches with the orbital scanners on and off, but they never last for long. That's about it."

Norm nodded. He hadn't really expected differently and Max probably would have told him right away if Hell's Gate had received any communications from Earth.

"The worst part about all of this is waiting," Max said. "We know they're coming and their silence proves they don't have good intentions, but we don't have any idea when they'll get here or how they're going to try to take over."

"Well, at least we know what they're bringing with them," Norm insisted, trying to be positive even though just thinking about another firefight made him sick to his stomach.

"Let's just hope that gives us a good enough advantage," Max answered grimly. "On a lighter note, how are things with you and Ni'nat? Should we be expecting a birth announcement anytime soon?"

Norm shook his head. "No. It's not the right time, yet. Maybe when we've ended this next threat, things will be different. Ni'nat eases her maternal urges by helping with the children already born to the village and me...well, I've been too busy to think on it much."

"You're handling it a lot better than some of the couples around here. Maybe you should have a word with them about patience."

Norm smirked. "No thanks. I'd better get going. There's an ancestral celebration gathering tonight and I want to be there for it."

* * *

After Norm left, Max started going through the weekly medical reports. He had been neglecting his regular duties of late in his efforts to help run the base and work on cracking the files to search for information about Tom Sully. His eyes were burning as he stared at the computer screen and the text appeared as an indecipherable blur to him. Max took his glasses off and rubbed his tired eyes.

"Hey, workaholic. Have you even moved from that damned chair since I left this morning?"

Max jumped a little at the sudden voice and he nearly dropped his glasses. He slipped them on and swiveled his seat around to face the door, where Trudy was walking in. She was still in her flight gear and she had her shades propped up on her head. She carried a steaming mug of drink in her hand as she approached.

"Yes, I've moved around a little while you were gone. Did you have any trouble gathering the materials?"

"Nope. It went as smooth as a baby's butt. Those Omaticaya escorts watched us like hawks, though. I guess I can't blame them having some trust issues. Here, coffee." She set the mug on his desk next to the keyboard and he hastily picked it up and moved it to a safer location.

"Thanks, Trudy." Max didn't chastise her for placing a drink so close to computer equipment. He did, however, give her an annoyed look when she pushed some folders aside and hopped onto the desk, swinging her legs back and forth over the side once she was comfortable.

"What? It's solid," Trudy rapped her knuckles on the cold white surface of the desk. "It's not like I'm going to break it."

Max picked up the coffee cup and sipped the hot drink gingerly before answering her. "But you just scattered my documents. I had them all in order."

Trudy rolled her eyes. "You need to lighten up a little. All work and no play makes Max a dull boy."

"Max doesn't have time to play," grumbled the biologist. "Unlike some pilots."

She grinned and ruffled his hair in a rough gesture of affection. "I get my fun in whenever I can. Hell, doing my job _is_ like playing to me, so I guess I've got it easier. Hey Max, did you know people think we're a couple?"

He nearly inhaled his coffee. "They do?"

She shrugged and smirked. "Apparently. I got a compliment from Katherine this morning about how 'cute' we are together. I just about knocked myself out on the chopper door when she said that."

Max smiled with amusement. "Did you tell her we're just friends?"

"Yeah, and she was pretty surprised. She said everyone thinks we're lovebirds because we're always hanging out and being all friendly-like. I guess nobody ever told these people that platonic relationships do exist."

"I didn't realize we were putting off that image," Max chuckled.

"No biggie. I told Katherine you've got a big crush on that nurse chick you work with—"

"I _don't_ have a crush on Anna," he interrupted, flushing beneath his beard.

"See? You just gave yourself away. I didn't say _which_ nurse you were crushing on. I'm onto you, pal."

Max sighed. "Okay, even if I do think she's...pretty...I've got bigger things to worry about than dating. Let's not make a big deal out of it."

"I hear ya." Trudy blew a small bubble with her gum and popped it before resuming chewing. "Just about everyone on this base is twitterpated, except us. If I see one more lovesick idiot staring pie-eyed at someone, I think I'll barf."

Max took another sip and he chuckled. "So there's nobody you're interested in?"

"Nah, not seriously. I wouldn't want to get involved with somebody right now anyway, since there's a good chance they might get blown up when the next rotation comes in."

"I feel a little less like a misfit, knowing there's at least one other person on this base holding off on romance," Max admitted. "So how much unobtanium did you manage to bring in this time?"

"About two-hundred kilos. It's pretty scattered in those hills they took us to so we have to fan out to collect it."

"It's good enough," Max assured her. "That's the beauty of it, a little goes a long way."

Trudy frowned suddenly and looked away as if recalling something.

"What's the matter?" pressed Max.

"I just thought of something weird that happened on the flight there. At the halfway mark I picked up on a transmission for a second and I thought it was home base trying to contact me. They didn't know what I was talking about, so I guess I was just picking up a snatch of transmission from someone else out on an assignment."

Max felt a sudden chill up his spine. "Did you pick up anything on radar or catch the transmission again?"

She shook her head. "No, but the flux was messing with my instruments too. Maybe that's all it was, who knows?"

"Or maybe we aren't alone on this moon anymore," suggested Max.

"What, you think that snatch of transmission I got was coming from the RDA?"

"I'm not sure what to think," he answered honestly, "but we might want to start sending out people on scouting missions to survey all of the territory, just to be safe. We don't have a ETA pinpointed for the next rotation and I'm not going to rule out the possibility that they've started a base somewhere else, behind our backs."

"How the hell could they do that?" Trudy demanded. "We'd pick them up on satellite radar as soon as they reached orbit. You said there's been no sign of an ISV yet."

"Don't get worked up," Max soothed, "I'm just playing it safe. Yes, in most cases we would catch their signal if they came within range of our orbital scanners but we've been having sporadic glitches with the signal for the past few months. There's a slight possibility that it's being deliberately scrambled. We can't put anything past them, Trudy."

"But how the hell would they hide a boat the size of an ISV for long? Even if they've been jamming our satellite relay we'd still pick up on their signal when it cleared."

"Not if they moved the ship around to the opposite side of Polyphemus. We can't pick up signals from the other side of the planet we're orbiting so they could theoretically be 'parked' behind it, to block the signals. If they're sending in shuttles, that would explain the temporary glitches we've been getting, if it's not just a fault in our system."

"Okay, now you're scaring me." Her eyes had widened a little and her tanned complexion took on a pasty tone. "I was expecting them to head straight here and try to take over Hell's Gate but if you're saying they might have another base out there...dammit, why didn't you say something about this sooner?"

"Because I didn't consider it until you told me you picked up a snatch of foreign transmission," he answered. "I fully expected their first move to be to try and take this compound back too. Maybe that's still the plan and I'm just chasing wind with this idea, but I want to try and rule it out. If they are somewhere on this moon already, they could be in an area where our long-range scanners can't pick them up. That's why we need to think about sending people out on extended scouting assignments, to cover ground where our scanners won't reach."

Trudy set her jaw and pulled her sunglasses off before running her fingers through her dark hair. "Jake's not going to like this one bit, and you know we're going to have to tell him about it."

"Let's just hold off on that until we've got something a little more substantial than my paranoia and a phantom radio transmission." Max wanted to swear in frustration at his own lack of foresight. He should have been doing this from the moment the radar started acting up. "His baby is due soon and I don't want to give him something else to worry about when I'm operating on suspicion."

Trudy popped her gum and nodded in agreement. "Got it. I'll keep it under my hat for now but I'm telling you if we find something out there, Jake and the clans need to know about it. I'd rather him be stressed and prepared than relaxed and napalmed, you know?"

"I know," Max sighed. Some days, he wished he had just stayed in bed.

* * *

"I will not be going on the _Talioang_ hunt," Neytiri informed Jake as he began to secure his weapons.

Jake paused and looked at her, his eyes dropping automatically to her rounded belly. "Is everything okay?" He knew their child would be coming sometime soon but Neytiri never missed the big hunts. She always maintained a safe distance and let the other hunters handle the herding of their prey, so Jake didn't object to her participation.

"Yes," she assured him with a little smile, squirming into a more comfortable position in their hammock. "But it is time for me to prepare."

Jake's anxiety rose and he finished securing his bow before easing back into the hammock with her. "Is the baby coming?"

"Not yet," she answered calmly, "but soon."

Jake placed a hand on her abdomen and he felt the baby move. "Then I'm not going on the hunt either."

"Yes, you are," Neytiri informed him firmly. "A hunt of this size does not happen very often, Jake. You set a good example for our people by being there."

"But I'll set an even better example by being at my mate's side when she gives birth," Jake reminded her. As scary as it was to think of experiencing the pain of childbirth, he wasn't about to leave Neytiri to do it alone.

She smiled again and laid her palm against the side of his face. "You will be, my Jake. It will not happen while you are away. It will begin tonight, when the stars come out."

He stared at her with awe he couldn't hide. "I can't get over how in touch you are with your body. Do all Na'vi women just...know?"

"Our unborn young communicates with our spirits," she explained. "They tell us when they are ready to be born, if all is well with the pregnancy."

"So the baby is actually _talking_ to you, right now?"

She chuckled softly and shook her head. "Not like you and I talk now. Our child sends me...feelings. It is hard to explain."

"Do you know if it's a boy or a girl?" Jake grinned.

"Would you want me to tell you if I did?" She had a teasing glint in her eye.

"You don't know," Jake snorted.

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because you've got that look in your eye that tells me you're up to no good." He kissed her swiftly on the mouth. "And I think you would have said something to me by now if you knew what we're having."

Neytiri rubbed her nose against his with playful affection and she sighed. "I would have asked if you wanted to know, yes. Now, go and join the hunting party."

"Are you sure? You'll be okay while we're gone?"

"I will have Mother," Neytiri insisted. "Enjoy the hunt, my Jake. We will have much work to do tonight."

* * *

"Jake, look out!"

Jake narrowly avoided the charging bull as it broke away from one group of hunters to rush at his group. Norm's shout had come just in time and Jake swore loudly as he dove away. Norm hurried to his side as the others gave chase, shouting and hooting to keep the beast from rejoining the herd. They had to be careful. They had scattered the herd but if their chosen target got close enough to its fellows, they would defend him.

"What's with you?" Norm grunted as he helped Jake to his feet. "You've been zoning out all day and you'll end up in the hospital again if you don't pay attention!"

"The baby's coming tonight," Jake informed him, chewing his lip as he retrieved his bow from the ground and prepared to fit an arrow into it. The dozen-strong hunting party had corralled the beast again and they were preparing to loose arrows on it to bring it down.

Norm stopped in mid-draw and blinked at him. "It is? Well no wonder you're so distracted. What are you doing out here with us?"

"Neytiri made me come," Jake laughed, shaking his head. "She says the baby won't start coming until nightfall and she insisted on me joining this hunt." He took aim and narrowed his eyes, waiting for the right moment to shoot.

Norm did the same and he glanced sidelong at Jake. "I'm surprised you went along with it. I'd be going crazy if I were you."

"Don't tempt me," Jake muttered out the side of his mouth. "I'll be ready to wear a lampshade on my head and dance around naked, soon."

The others were waiting respectfully for Jake to launch the first arrow and he forcibly shoved thoughts of Neytiri and the birth of their child to the back of his mind. He took a steadying breath and fired, striking the sturmbeest in the side of its neck. The animal bellowed and whirled, seeking escape. Norm and the others shot their arrows and quickly fit another into their bows, working together to bring the old bull down as quickly and mercifully as possible. As soon as it fell to its side, Jake sprinted over to it and drew his knife. He leaped onto it and spoke the Na'vi hunter's blessing before plunging his knife deeply into the thick neck and twisting it. The animal's struggles quickly slowed and stopped.

"Good hunt, brothers and sisters." Jake pulled his knife free and climbed down off of the kill, breathing heavily like the others with exertion. His comment was met with smiles and reciprocated praise, even though he knew he'd been a klutz this time.

"We will work quickly," Ni'nat promised him. "We know you do not like to leave your mate alone for long, so close to her time."

* * *

"Neytiri?" Jake called out for his mate as he jogged into the den, looking around anxiously for her. The sun was beginning to set and the party had just returned from their venture into the wetlands. People moved out of their clan leader's way as he searched for Neytiri and Jake nearly ran straight into his mother-in-law in his haste.

"Calmly, son," Mo'at advised him with a patient little smile. "She is in one of the birthing alcoves, meditating. Come."

Jake followed her without question and he sighed in relief when he pulled aside the hide covering the alcove indicated by Mo'at and found his mate sitting cross-legged on a pile of mats and hides. She looked up at him as he entered and she smiled, her eyes scanning him briefly.

"You should bathe, before you join me."

Jake looked down at his blood-encrusted hands and arms and he smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, I should. I just had to make sure you were okay, first."

"It has not begun yet," Neytiri informed him. "You have time to cleanse your body. I will be here when you return and Mother will assist us with the birth, when the time comes."

"Okay." He took a steadying breath. "I'll be right back." He forgot to duck as he pulled the hide away to go out and he hit his head on the top of the exit. Swearing softly, Jake ignored the amused looks his clan mates gave him as he hurried away from the alcove to fetch a clean change of attire and bathe.

* * *

At first, Jake thought he would be spared any traumatic pain. When he returned and formed _tsahaylu_ with Neytiri, they socialized in the den for a while before the first contraction started. He tensed beside her, anticipating agony. Norm and the others paused their conversation to look at the couple when they realized it was beginning and Jake set his jaw, bracing himself.

He felt a dull spasm of uncomfortable tension centered around his abdominal area that reminded him of a cramp from an overworked or strained muscle. Neytiri sucked in a slow, deep breath and Jake impulsively rubbed her back, seeking to comfort her even though he was admittedly terrified. It only lasted for a few heartbeats before the tension eased and the discomfort faded.

"Huh. That wasn't bad at all," Jake muttered in surprise. "I don't know what women complain about."

He immediately wished he hadn't said that when every female within earshot glared at him. "Uh, I meant _human_ women," he revised hastily.

"Jake," Norm said between chuckles, "This is just the beginning. You know they're going to get worse as it progresses, right?"

Jake felt a flood of embarrassment as Neytiri and the other females gave him smug looks. "Of course I know that," he grumbled. "I just expected the first ones to hurt more."

"Then you will not be disappointed," Mo'at informed with an amused smile. "Enjoy the opportunity to relax while you can, Jakesully. You and my daughter have a long night to look forward to."

* * *

Norm and Mo'at's warnings unfortunately didn't prepare Jake for just _how_ intense it became, by the time Neytiri's body was ready to begin pushing. Mo'at ushered them both to the back of the den and back into the birthing alcove. The only thing that kept Jake's knees from buckling when the next contraction struck was his instinctive urge to support his mate. He held her against him to keep her steady as they stepped inside and he clenched his teeth to hold back a groan. Neytiri hissed and panted, holding onto him tightly as they sank down onto the bedding.

Mo'at murmured instructions to a pair of young females standing outside the entrance and they rushed off to fetch what she requested. She closed the hide and knelt beside the couple, assisting them to get into an ideal position for the approaching birth. She undressed Neytiri and murmured soothingly to both of them as they endured the latest contraction. Jake sat with his back against the wall and Neytiri sat between his thighs, resting her back against his chest. Mo'at positioned her daughter's legs and told Jake to hold them under the knees with his hands, when it was time to push.

"You will help her by supporting her birthing position," she told him. "This will keep her body angled properly to put the least stress on her when she begins to deliver."

She looked at her daughter and addressed her. "If you feel this is not comfortable enough for you, do not hesitate to say so. There are other positions we may try before this task is finished."

Neytiri nodded and responded in a strained voice. "This one is good, Mother."

Jake nuzzled her heated cheek with his lips, panting softly in relief as the contraction eased up. "I take back what I said earlier about women complaining," he gasped.

* * *

Norm was easily able to tell when Neytiri's contractions hit. Her low groans were mingled with Jake's impulsive swearing and people were looking at one another in puzzlement as the unfamiliar human cuss words reached their ears. Most of them would have gone to their hammocks to seek their rest by now but the village was buzzing with excitement over the birth of their leaders' first child. Norm stood near Neytiri and Jake's chosen birthing alcove and he smirked and shook his head as another foul curse issued from inside. He couldn't decide whether he was more amused or sympathetic.

Ni'nat approached with E'quath and Norm smiled in greeting at both of them, noticing that the latter was carrying a log drum strapped around his waist.

"How are they?" Ni'nat queried with a glance toward the covered alcove.

Another moan from Neytiri and another foul curse from Jake came from within the room and Norm cleared his throat. "It sounds like it's moving along fast."

"We thought some music might help soothe them," Ni'nat said. "The beat of the drum sometimes helps laboring women focus their breathing."

Norm openly admired her for her clever idea and her calm attitude. If the day ever came for he and Ni'nat to have a child, he knew she would likely handle herself much better than him. "That is a good idea," he complimented. "Though it sounds like Jake needs more help than Neytiri, right now."

E'quath smiled briefly and Ni'nat chuckled behind her hand. "Jakesully did not grow up with the training for this day," she excused graciously. "I think that he is doing well, for one who did not know what to expect."

Norm felt a little ashamed for being so uncharitable. Ni'nat was right and it wasn't like human males ever had to literally _share_ their partner's pain and effort. When he thought of it that way, he realized Jake was handling this a lot better than most other men in his position would have.

* * *

"Unh...why the hell do women _do_ this?" Jake groaned as his body shuddered against his mate's. He wasn't even fully aware of what he was saying anymore and he certainly didn't care about the volume of his voice.

"Because some of us want...children," Neytiri growled in response. "You are...distracting me with...your stupid questions!"

"Yeah, well...your nails are digging into my knees," Jake panted back. "So we're...even!"

Mo'at looked as though she was about to chastise them for snapping at each other but then Neytiri huffed a strained laugh and brushed her cheek against Jake's. The _Tsahik_ sighed, regarding the two of them with a shake of her head.

"If it were another mated pair, I would have thought you were bickering." She wrung out the cloth floating in the bowl of water and she sponged her daughter's sweating body off with it first, before repeating the action and wiping Jake's strained face.

"Be strong," she said in a soothing voice. "Listen to the beat of the drum and the singing. Feel the rhythm in your blood and let it guide your efforts."

They both closed their eyes and followed her instructions as well as they could. After some time, Jake discovered that it really _was_ making a difference. The pain of each contraction was still breathtaking but Neytiri's body started bearing down with it more effectively. There was a new pain now and Jake felt a moment of panic, struck by the sudden urge to check and make sure nothing weird was going on with _his_ body downstairs.

"The baby is crowning," Mo'at announced. "Focus your efforts, Daughter. Son, lend her all the strength you can. Your task is nearly complete."

When it was time for Neytiri to push again, Jake would have happily shot himself if he'd had a gun with him. As she bore down, he threw all of his effort into it with her and he felt like he was being ripped in two. Neytiri's yowl drew his attention away from his own agony and he spoke into her flattened ear, his voice coming out ragged and uneven with pain.

"We're almost...there. It's nearly over...keep it up, Neytiri."

* * *

Everyone in the den guessed that the birthing process was about to be complete when they heard Neytiri's feral cries reach a climax. Ni'nat and E'quath dutifully continued providing their music and Norm looked at the angle of the morning sunlight slanting in from the main exit. He hadn't realized how much time went past and he was a little shocked. Jake's hoarse growls mingled with Neytiri's cries and then suddenly, a newborn's thin wail joined in.

E'quath stopped beating his drum and Ni'nat's singing died down. Other clan members gathered quietly around the birthing alcove. Neytiri and Jake's tortured exclamations faded into soft, relieved groans and the whimpers and cries of their newly born child carried through the den.

* * *

Mo'at cleaned Neytiri off and packed a cloth soaked with an herbal tincture between her thighs to ease her pain and aid in healing. She then bathed the new infant while Jake and Neytiri recovered from the daze of delivery.

"You have a son," Moat announced with a proud smile as she finished cleaning the baby off. She presented him to the exhausted new parents, gently laying him against his mother's breast. "You both did well."

Jake stared down at his new son and he wondered if he would scare the child with his broad, toothy grin. He forgot all about the lingering pain he was feeling through _tsahaylu_ as he feasted on the sight of the baby he and Neytiri had made together. Four little fingers—not five—curled against Neytiri's breast and a tiny, bow-shaped mouth yawned as if the infant was as worn out as his parents. An occasional whimper still emerged from the baby's mouth but he seemed more or less content now. He had a thick head of hair but there was no sign of a queue yet. Jake supposed it would grow out as he matured, since the two women expressed no alarm at the absence of it.

"Why are his ears wrinkled up like that?" Jake asked.

"That is normal for Na'vi newborns," Mo'at assured him with an amused smile. "They will straighten out quickly."

Neytiri brushed her fingertips over the baby's damp, dark hair before tracing his chubby cheek. "He is perfect," she sighed with a tired, happy smile. "We have a son, my Jake."

"What is the child's name?" Mo'at asked of them. "I will announce it to the clan, while you rest and bond with him."

Neytiri turned her head to look into Jake's eyes. "Tommy," she answered readily.

"Tom—ee?" repeated Mo'at in a puzzled tone.

Jake nodded and looked down at his son, feeling his throat tighten in a bittersweet way. "After my brother."

"I see," Mo'at answered thoughtfully. She spoke the name again, tasting it on her tongue before nodding in satisfaction. "A fine name. Rest now, both of you. Neytiri, he will require feeding very soon. I will show you how when I return."

"Thank you, Mother." Neytiri shifted a little and turned her head for a kiss when Jake brushed his mouth against her cheek.

When Mo'at ducked out of the alcove, Jake reached down to stroke his son's hand with one finger. He was awed by how small the hand was. The pattern of stripes on the soft, cyan skin was nearly identical to Jake's but the position of the tiny, luminescent spots was uniquely little Tommy's own. Jake grinned when he slipped his finger beneath the tiny hand and the miniscule fingers squeezed it with a surprisingly strong grip.

"I'm going to spoil this kid rotten," Jake predicted.

"No spoiling," Neytiri disapproved in English. "He will grow up soft. You love and nurture but you don't spoil."

Jake laughed softly. "Don't tell me you're never going to give him a treat just for the sake of doing it. I see that grin on your face."

* * *

-To be continued

**Translations: **

_**Nikt'chey **_= Various food items wrapped in edible leaves. The mixture can be composed of a combination of fruits, vegetables, nuts or meat and flavored with spices.

_**Talioang **_ Sturmbeest. A massive, buffalo-like herd animal that lives in deltas and wetlands. They are one of the primary meat sources for the Na'vi people and large hunting parties are required to bring them down.


	15. Chapter 15

"Between worlds"

Chapter 15

* * *

_**Author's note: See footnotes at the end of the chapter for Na'vi/English translations. I found the name of the Horse Clan's leader but my search for the name of the Ikran clan's leader was fruitless, so I've had to make one up for her. If anyone knows her official name, please don't hesitate to inform me. **_

* * *

*Disclaimer: I do not own Pandora and I make no profit from writing fanfiction based on the "Avatar" film.

* * *

Two weeks after the birth of Tommy, Norm and Ni'nat paid a visit to the base to check on how things were going and show everyone the images he had captured of the new baby. As they walked through the compound together, Norm spotted Ramona in one of the grassy yard areas where the animal pens were kept. She was kneeling in the grass, calling out to someone and he almost hollered a greeting to her when a viper wolf bounded across the yard from one of the bushes.

"Oh crap," Norm muttered, reaching for his bow without thinking.

Ni'nat reacted to his alarm and she also began to reach for her weapon, but she noticed the animal's body language and she relaxed. She reached out and placed a hand on her mate's bicep, shaking her head. "She is in no danger."

Norm lowered his weapon and stared as the viper wolf put its hand-like paws on the zoologist's shoulders and began to lick the clear visor of her breathing mask with enthusiastic affection. He had forgotten all about the stray pup that Ramona had nursed to health months ago. Obviously, the animal that she was now patting and frolicking with was one and the same, fully grown and recovered from his injuries. He couldn't decide whether he was amused or unsettled by the sight of the small, dark human woman playing with a highly intelligent, wild pack hunter. The expression on Ni'nat's face suggested she was irresolute in her feelings on the matter as well.

The couple approached the yard and Norm was surprised that the viper wolf was free of a leash or collar. He glanced around and he noticed that none of the residents passing by seemed alarmed or concerned by the creature's presence. Most of them only spared a glance and some waved at Ramona as they passed by. It seemed to him that the animal was domesticated—or as close to being domesticated as a viper wolf could get.

"What happened to releasing him back into the wild when he was big enough?" Norm stopped a few feet away from Ramona and kept his hands at his sides when the animal regarded him with serpentine yellow eyes and growled softly in warning.

Ramona stood up and patted the wolf on the side, murmuring to him. "Easy Fang. They're friends." She had a guilty expression on her face as she regarded the couple. "Yeah, that was the plan. I tried, Norm. I really did but he wouldn't leave! We even tried taking him for a ride in one of the Samsons and leaving him a few miles away from the fort but...well, a couple of nights later I heard him howling at the gate. The guards almost shot him."

Ramona saw Ni'nat's disapproving frown and she heaved a sigh. "I know, I know. Viper wolves aren't pets. I never meant him to be one, so stop looking at me like that. What else am I supposed to do, turn my back on him and leave him crying outside the gate?"

Ni'nat's expression softened and she knelt slowly and gracefully before the animal. Fang regarded her suspiciously for a moment, until she murmured softly in her melodious voice and offered her hand to him. He sniffed it and relaxed, allowing her to stroke his head and back gently. Norm watched in puzzlement as his mate grasped her queue with her free hand and his eyebrows went up when she carefully eased the viper wolf's tentacle to it. She linked with Fang and the animal sat on its haunches and whined a little.

"He is happy here," Ni'nat announced. "Your people are his pack, now." She looked sidelong at Ramona and smiled a little. "You have become 'mother' to him."

Ramona looked a little embarrassed, but she was smiling. "Dad always said I'd have a house full of animals before I had any kids. We take good care of Fang. He's used to everyone on the base and people bring him toys and food all the time. Lee even takes him hunting close to the compound some mornings, so he gets his survival practice in."

Ni'nat ended the link and patted the animal once more before rising again. "If he likes this life, then let him stay."

Ramona appeared relieved and Norm couldn't really blame her. The Na'vi didn't believe in holding animals captive. One could argue that the bond of tsahaylu was a form of captivity but in fairness, no direhorse or ikran was ever fenced in or restrained. Free to come and go as they chose, their relationship with their humanoid keepers was more of a familial one than a master and pet dynamic.

"You better have brought pictures of Sully's new kid," Ramona said to Norm, now that the awkward moment was over with. "Everyone's waiting to see them."

* * *

As promised, Norm showed everyone the photos he had taken once they gathered in one of the debriefing rooms.

"Wow, look at that. A little jarhead joined the family." Trudy was grinning as she looked at the image on the screen of Norm's camera. "They let you bring this thing into the village?"

Norm shrugged. "Sure. The Omaticaya aren't unfamiliar with cameras. Dr. Augustine took pictures of them all the time. I've got a lot of my old things at Hometree."

Trudy, Max, Sebastian, Ramona, Roy, Katherine and some of the avatar team gathered close to look at the picture of Jake cradling the tiny infant in his arms. He had a proud, crooked smile on his lips and his braid was draped partially over the baby, who was holding it in his little hands.

"I took a few more," Norm said. "Just touch the arrow on the bottom right of the screen to scroll through them. I think Neytiri was getting annoyed with me so I stopped after my third photo with her."

Trudy cycled through another one of Jake, this time blowing a raspberry on the infant's tummy. The next picture made Trudy snort with laughter. It appeared to be taken directly after the raspberry photo and the baby had managed to grab a fist-full of Jake's hair as he tried to pull away. Jake had one eye shut and he was wincing.

There were a couple more featuring Jake and then the subject changed to Neytiri with the child. She was smiling in the first one as she cradled Tommy to her breast for nursing. In the second one, she had the baby strapped securely to her chest in the Na'vi version of a baby sling. It cradled the infant close, leaving the mother free to go about her activities and easily nurse if required. They saw what Norm meant when Trudy flicked to the third picture. Neytiri had a cloth of some kind draped over her left shoulder and she held Tommy against it. She appeared to be wiping his mouth but her eyes were looking at the camera. The angle of the photo and the flash made her eyes glow green like a cat's and her mouth was frowning.

"Oooh, dragon lady," Ramona chuckled.

"She doesn't look happy," agreed Max.

"The baby spit up on her just before I took that one," Norm explained. "I thought it would be a good idea to call it quits for a while after that."

"Probably a smart decision," Lee muttered dryly.

They looked at a couple of photos of Mo'at holding the baby before they ran out of pictures. Joyce was beaming, her teeth flashing white between her smiling lips. "He's adorable," she said with enthusiasm. "It makes me want to have one of my own even more."

Allen patted her shoulder. "I'm working on it, dear."

Norm briefly wondered if Joyce and Allen were ever intimate while in their avatar bodies and whether it was possible for them to conceive that way. Since the avatars weren't endowed with independent consciousnesses of their own, would a child created of such a union have any cognitive functions? He thought of Jake and Neytiri's bright-eyed little son and he decided that two avatars could probably have a healthy baby together. Max and Roy would know more about that, though. Norm had a more pressing concern to deal with and he stopped pondering the possibilities of avatar reproduction.

"I hate to bring up a tense subject Max, but I think you know what I'm about to ask you." Norm took his camera back from Trudy and placed it in the pouch hanging from his weapon harness.

Max's expression fell and he sighed. "I'm afraid I don't have any news for you on that front, Norm. I can crack a file or two with enough time but hacking really isn't my specialty. I'll keep trying."

The others looked confused. "What are you talking about?" demanded Roy.

Norm sighed and Ni'nat stroked his shoulder and reminded him in a whisper that these were Jake's friends, too. Her tone was neutral, indicating that she had no desire to influence his choice but was merely pointing out a fact that might make it easier on him. Norm nodded and he looked at each of the assembled allies in turn.

"Months ago, Jake Sully got some information about his brother Tom that makes us believe he wasn't killed by a random act of violence. Jake and I are almost positive that Quaritch and someone within the RDA arranged Tom's death, to get him out of the way so that Jake could take his place."

"Wait a minute," Trudy said with a wave of her hand. "Why the hell would they need to do something like that?"

"Because at the time, they were only allowing scientists into the Avatar program," explained Max. "Diplomacy was the first goal. As it turns out, the avatars like Sebastian were intended for military operatives. Without the disadvantage of having to link or use exopacks, they would make the perfect soldiers on Pandora. The only way Quaritch could get a covert military operative into an avatar body was to take advantage of the Sully twins. The company wouldn't want to waste the money it took to create Tommy's avatar, so Jake was the one exception to the 'scientists only' rule."

"But if they were planning to send those soldiers here in the special avatar bodies why would they bother with all this bullshit?" Trudy sounded both angry and confused. "Why kill a man to get one guy working for Quaritch, when they had hundreds waiting to be squeezed permanently into avatar bodies?"

"Because they weren't certain that the new procedure would work," answered Max. "They wanted someone to start on infiltration of the Omaticaya clan as soon as possible and Jake was the easiest, fastest option. Tom Sully was murdered, Trudy. The fact that they couldn't even be sure Jake would agree to take over for him is just proof of how greedy they really are."

"Jake told me once that he initially agreed to do it for his brother's sake," Norm said softly, his eyes lowered. "He didn't know all of the details until he got here. He just didn't want Tom's work to die with him."

"Those fucking bastards," Trudy snarled, her hands clenching into fists. "Especially Quaritch! So who was he working with?"

"We don't know," answered Norm with a nod in Max's direction. "That's what Max has been trying to find out. If we can find out exactly what happened to Tom Sully we can probably find out more about the new avatar program."

"But those special agents are due to arrive on the next mothership," Joyce reminded. "How could that be possible if they didn't finish the project before they sent Sully here?"

Max gave Sebastian an uncomfortable look. "They were going to test it, but it looks like they found someone else to try it out on shortly after the rest of you left Earth. They immediately started going through with the project and deploying the enhanced soldiers. Either they couldn't reach Dr. Collins to call off his experimental process on Sebastian, or they didn't care."

Sebastian sighed and Katherine gave him a sympathetic look and patted him on the shoulder.

"And how do you intend to find out who else was involved in this conspiracy?" Asked Dr. Jacobs.

"Norm and I think there might be something in the classified files of the RDA data I backed up when things started getting hairy around here," explained Max. "The problem is, the protections on most of them are really advanced. I've made some progress but so far, I haven't found anything on Tom Sully. Imagine trying to dig up a skeleton buried in hard-packed, rocky ground with a teaspoon—and you only have a general idea of where to start. That's what it's been like."

Sebastian lifted his hand slowly, bearing a somewhat guilty expression on his fine-boned features. "Excuse me...I believe I can help with this."

Everyone looked at him, which only served to make him appear more self-conscious.

"How?" Norm questioned. He noticed that both Katherine and Ramona were looking at Sebastian with shrewd eyes.

"I might be able to decode the files and dig deeper," he answered.

When Max and Norm both raised their eyebrows inquisitively, Ramona spoke up. "'Bastion here is a hacker geek."

"Former," he corrected, but then he shrugged and smiled a little. "Or so I thought."

"But none of that was listed in your records," said Max.

"No, it wouldn't be. It wasn't something I wanted to advertise, when I applied for the Avatar program."

Norm felt a combination of amazement and interest. "It still should have shown up in your records...unless you found a way to hide it?"

Sebastian's mouth curved slightly at one corner. "Not all of the work I did was for money and some of it required me to protect my identity."

Trudy smirked at him. "You weren't a terrorist were you?"

Sebastian looked genuinely horrified by the question. "Absolutely not! My work had nothing to do with that sort of thing." He deflated and a faintly sheepish expression replaced indignation. "Though it was still illegal."

Max looked impressed. "What kind of 'illegal' work are we talking about?"

"I'd prefer not elaborate," Sebastian answered evasively. "I can assure you though, it wasn't dangerous to anyone save for myself. Suffice to say, I think I may be able to decode the security encryptions in at least some of those files, if you'll allow me to try. I would like to help Corporal Sully."

Max stroked his chin and looked to Norm. "What do you think?"

Norm studied Sebastian and thought about it for a moment. He had shared a link with the man before and though Sebastian hadn't been in his right mind, Norm didn't sense anything diabolical from him. He nodded. "I think we should let him try. Whatever he did when he was living on Earth doesn't matter anymore and we're running out of time."

"All right," agreed Max. "Sebastian, I'll make another copy of the files for you and give you the access code. Let's hope you can succeed where I didn't."

"I'll get started on it right away," promised Sebastian.

His excitement was obvious and Norm thought he understood why. The poor guy didn't have a lot to do around here, since the need for diplomacy between Hell's Gate and the Omaticaya was gone. Sebastian also looked up to Jake and even if he seemed a little uneasy about people knowing what he used to do for a living, he now had the chance to use those skills for something good.

* * *

"We've got to tell him," Trudy muttered to Max when the others left the debriefing room. She said it just loud enough for Norm and Ni'nat to hear her and Max groaned audibly, giving her an annoyed glance. "Hey, Jake's baby is born now and I don't know about you but I'd rather cut down on the chances of that kid getting hurt because they had no warning."

"Tell me what?" Norm's brows drew together when his friends exchanged a look between them. "What's going on, you two?"

Trudy spoke up when Max hesitated. "I've been catching snatches of phantom transmissions here and there on my frequency, when I go out in the Samson for a supply run or transport assignment. It doesn't happen all the time and it never comes through for more than a second or two, but it only started happening a few months ago. I checked out all of my equipment and didn't find anything wrong with it. The way Max and I see it, there's only two reasons I'd be getting cross-linked transmissions when I'm out there. Either something screwy is going on with our systems or—"

"You're picking up signals from someone else out there," Norm finished for her, his expression darkening. "Max, you told me you haven't had any incoming signals on the radar."

"We haven't," Max assured him, "but our orbital radar transmission hasn't been acting right for months, now. I thought it was just interference from the other moons orbiting Polyphemus. You know they cross paths now and then and it's caused issues before."

"But now you think it could be something deliberate?" Guessed Norm, pressing his lips together. "Max, why didn't you _tell_ me this before?"

"Because I didn't think much of it until Trudy started picking up foreign transmissions," excused Max, "and Jake and Neytiri were expecting their baby. I didn't want to give him something else to worry about until I had more proof that there was actually a problem."

"Norm? Are the Sky People here already?" Ni'nat's soft question was laced with anxiety for her people.

"I don't know," answered Norm truthfully. He pressed the heels of his palms against his temples and groaned softly, his breath fogging the protective visor of his mask. After gathering his turbulent emotions, he looked at Max again and sighed. "I don't have a right to get angry. I'm just as guilty as you are of keeping things from Jake to keep the pressure off of him."

"Maybe everyone should stop treating Jake like a precious little pansy," Trudy said with firm candor. "Yeah, he's had it rough but you guys need to remember that the man tamed that monster of a bird, pulled together fifteen freakin' Na'vi clans and pulled some kind of stunt that had every animal in range going ballistic on the RDA. I don't know how he did that last one but anybody who can pull _that_ off can cope with this, too."

She paused and regarded the two men with determined brown eyes. "If you want to see him break, then keep hiding this from him and watch what happens when the RDA closes in and snuffs his family."

Norm winced and Max bowed his head.

"Wow, you really know how to tell people off, Trudy."

Her expression relaxed a little and she shrugged. "I'm not a fan of beating around the bush. So how about it guys? Are we going to keep babying him or are we going to trust him to handle this?"

"I'll tell him," Norm agreed. "Have you guys found any more evidence of RDA occupation?"

"Nothing material yet," Max answered. "We've been sending aircrafts out to scout the surrounding territory but it's a lot of ground to cover. If they've landed somewhere on this moon, chances are they've taken up residence somewhere far enough away to stay hidden until they're ready to close in on us. We'll keep searching, though."

"I think you should," Norm approved. He looked at his mate and then glanced out the window to guess how late in the day it was. "We should get going. I want to tell Jake about this right away and he's probably going to want to send warning to the other clans. If we leave now, we should make it back before nightfall."

* * *

Katherine watched in bemusement as Sebastian pulled out a case from the breast pocket of his shirt and took his old glasses out of it. The earpieces of the frame were altered to fit comfortably over his Na'vi ears, which were higher up on the skull than human ears. The brass colored, oval frames complimented his features as he slipped the glasses on and Katherine wondered why it didn't seem strange to her, to see a Na'vi wearing glasses.

"I thought you didn't need those anymore," she said.

Sebastian smiled a little and sat down in the computer chair before powering the machine up. "I don't. At least, not physically. I had the prescription lenses replaced with regular glass." He glanced at her before lowering his eyes. The thin, flat monitor came on with a cheerful beep and the flickering light from the screen illuminated his features.

"This will probably sound foolish, but the glasses help me get into the right frame of mind for this sort of thing. They...also make me feel more like myself again."

Katherine smiled. "I don't think that sounds foolish at all. If it comforts you to wear them, that's a good thing. Besides, they suit you."

Sebastian looked at her and he smiled. He took a moment to put in the data disc that Max had given him and then he took one of her hands. "I appreciate how supportive you are, Kath."

She felt her cheeks grow warm. His hand was warm and reassuring, longer and larger than hers but gentle in its grip. She looked down at the cyan-striped fingers threaded with her smaller, pale ones and she spoke without thinking.

"Sebastian, what were you doing that was illegal?"

He went still, his amber eyes watching her warily from behind the clear lenses of his glasses.

"I'll only ask this one time," Katherine said hastily. "If you don't want to tell me, I won't bother you with it again."

He remained silent for a moment and just when she was about to apologize and give up, he answered her. "I was hacking into pharmaceutical company files and fabricating prescription payments for people who couldn't afford to pay for the medications they needed." He said it in a rush, hardly pausing or taking a breath. He stared at her after saying it, as if afraid that she would denounce him as a drug-dealing thief.

"So you were helping sick people," she reasoned gently.

"Yes. A lot of them were dying and there was no help for that, but they were in agony. The government doesn't provide the health care people need when they can't afford to pay for it themselves. I don't believe that only the rich should be entitled to medical care, so I started falsifying payments under several pseudo names. I suppose that makes me a thief, but I would rather take the chance of going to prison than watch people suffer and die because they don't have the paper to trade for what they need."

She rubbed his hand and nodded in understanding. "Where did you find all of these people?"

"An extended care home, if you could even call it that," he sighed. "They weren't all elderly. These people had no family to care for them and they were disabled from illness or age or mental instability. Some of them were only kids. I worked in the place for a short time between freelance jobs. The human misery just got to me and I felt I had to do something."

"So you pulled a 'Robin Hood'," Katherine murmured, admiring the light of determination in his eyes and the compassionate look on his comely features. "You took from the rich to give to the poor."

Sebastian chuckled suddenly and shook his head. "Would you be making that comparison if I weren't British?"

Katherine joined his soft laughter, realizing how cheesy her comment had been. "Maybe not. But I'd still admire you for putting yourself at risk like that for strangers. It was noble of you."

He sobered and sighed. "Theft isn't noble or dignified," he whispered. His eyes met hers and he added; "but then, neither is dying a slow death, stinking of one's own urine. As the saying goes; sometimes the ends justify the means."

He looked far too sexy to resist at that moment, with his soft, dark hair falling loose around his shoulders and his eyes full of resolve. Never mind that his sculpted features were alien in their beauty and his ears were cat-like. She didn't care that he had a tail and his height didn't bother her. All she saw was _Sebastian_ and whether he was in a human body or a Na'vi one didn't change the fundamental makeup of who he was.

Katherine took advantage of the moment and closed in on him, kissing him softly on the mouth. She pulled away slowly with parted lips, seeing the shock dilating his pupils and the blank expression on his face.

"If I made a mistake by doing that, tell me," she whispered.

He shook his head slowly and his other hand reached up to comb the fingers through her hair. He didn't say anything as he closed the distance between their lips again and this time, he initiated the kiss. The pressure of his lips was gentle at first, but when she reciprocated, he arose from his chair and pulled her against him. Sebastian deepened the kiss and within moments, Katherine found herself nibbling and kissing his lips frantically as her heart beat at a rapid tempo.

"Oh, bugger." Sebastian abruptly broke the kiss and turned his head away, gasping as if he'd just run a marathon.

Dazed by their sudden explosion of passion, Katherine stared at him wide-eyed. "Are you okay?"

"No," he breathed, shaking his head. His hands slid up her thighs to her hips and stroked them through the material of her pants, even as he kept his face averted. "I'm decidedly _not_ okay, Kath."

She peered at him, trying to read his expression. "You act like you're turning into a werewolf or something. What's the matter?"

He gave a strained, soft laugh. "Maybe not physically, but my urges could be on par with a werewolf's." He finally looked at her with glittering, intense eyes. "As it turns out, Na'vi sex drive is pitched higher than Human and you have _no_ idea how long I've wanted to kiss you like that."

His admission sent a little thrill through her. She combed her fingers through his hair, letting the silky strands slide between the digits. "I'm not worried."

"I think you should be," he advised huskily as she drew his head forward again. He stopped when their mouths were an inch apart. "Katherine, I'm not human anymore. I think you should take that into consideration before we let this continue."

She brushed her fingertips over his features and tilted her head with a soft smile. "I _have_ taken that into consideration. You're _Sebastian_, first and foremost. 'A rose by any other name', you know. Who wrote that, again?"

"Shakespeare," answered Sebastian with a grin. "From 'Romeo and Juliet', but I suspect you knew that already."

She fought back a giggle. "Guilty, as charged. I just wanted to test how British you are."

"And if I weren't British enough?"

She pretended to think about it before giving him a soft, lingering kiss on the mouth. "I would somehow cope."

He kissed her in return when she started to pull away and their mouths remained locked together for several heartbeats before he broke contact again. He was breathing heavily but his hands didn't wander.

"You're certain of this, Kath?"

"I have been, for months now," she ensured him. "I just didn't have the courage to act on it before."

He gave her such a pleased, relieved smile that her heart swelled. "For months? I've been a damned fool. I thought you wouldn't see me as a man so I've been trying to be content with your friendship."

She felt a moment of shame. Yes, she had always thought of Sebastian and the Na'vi males as men, but she had also been acutely aware that they were a different species. She realized that she had probably been putting off vibes that made Sebastian hesitant to approach her romantically.

"I _do_ see you as a man," she whispered sincerely. "A very considerate, good-hearted man. I'm sorry I didn't let you know that."

He took a deep breath and smiled again. "I should apologize too, then. I made assumptions out of fear of rejection. If you're positive this is what you want, I'm definitely on board."

Their mouths met again and the urgency of their kissing increased once more, until Katherine remembered why they were in this lab room. She reluctantly pulled away, knowing that she shouldn't rush things despite how long they had both waited. "I'll go and get us some snacks. I don't want to interrupt your work for too long and knowing you, I'll find you passed out at the monitor trying to make up for lost time in the morning."

He sighed and nodded. "You see? My brain completely disconnected from my body."

"You restrained yourself," she chuckled. "Despite what you said about turning into a wolfman. You have more control than you think, Sebastian."

* * *

Sebastian didn't expect to find something so quickly. He chose a random file under Quaritch's name on a guess that anything pertaining to Tom Sully would be somewhere in there. Katherine was sitting in another chair beside his, sipping coffee as he worked to decrypt the file. She blinked in surprise when his efforts produced results after ten minutes.

"Wow, you're good."

Sebastian smiled modestly at her. "I got lucky this time. Don't expect the next one to crack so easily." He opened the file and found that it was a video recording. A middle-aged man's face appeared on the screen. He had a groomed beard and mustache that was peppered with gray and he wore round glasses on his face.

"Quaritch, I want you to know that I'm agreeing to this under protest. I understand your situation and the only reason I'm doing this is to save lives. Never approach me with a task like this again...this is a one time good deal. I'll arrange to get Tom Sully out of your way, but there's going to be a catch to it and you'll have to find a non-violent solution to deal with it."

Sebastian and Katherine both leaned closer to the screen, absorbed in what the man was saying. When the message finished, their mouths were hanging open and they looked at one another with equal astonishment.

"Oh my god," Katherine wheezed.

Sebastian nodded in agreement with her sentiments. "We have to tell the others."

* * *

Jake's expression was chiseled like stone when Norm finished explaining the situation to him. "And you kept this from me why, exactly?"

Norm shifted his gaze between Jake and Neytiri. The latter was nursing her son and gazing at him with thoughtful golden eyes, thankfully showing no evidence of anger. "Because I didn't find out about it until today," he explained. "As for Tom...I didn't want to burden you more. I didn't think telling you that we were trying to dig up more information would help you, Jake. You had a baby on the way and Max and I both just wanted to give you a little time to enjoy life a little."

"What did you think I'd do if you found information about Tommy?" Jake pressed. "Sneak onto the next ISV and stowaway back to Earth to track his killers down?"

Norm glanced sidelong at Ni'nat, who was doing her best to look very interested in a drifting wood sprite. "Actually..."

Jake growled softly in annoyance. "Man, you guys really do think I've got shit for brains, don't you? You _really_ thought I'd leave my mate and kid behind to hunt down Tommy's killers on earth? Do I look like a lemming to you?"

"No, I didn't say that," Norm defended hastily, "I just...after your Dream Hunt, I didn't think you were ready to hear about it. Max didn't want to come to you about this until he had some kind of proof, at least not until after the baby was born. Jake, Tom was my friend. I wanted to know everything I could find out, for closure."

"You think it would give you 'closure' to find out exactly how they planned to snuff my little brother?" Jake's expression was incredulous. "Jesus Norm, did you stop and take pictures of car wrecks on earth so you could understand how they happened?"

"Jake," Neytiri said in a soft but firm tone.

He took a deep breath. "What?"

"This was not done for disrespect of your brother," she murmured, bouncing the baby gently in her arms. Her eyes held Norm's and despite his effort to conceal the angst he was feeling, she seemed to detect it. She looked up at her mate and resumed speaking. "He was thinking only of our well-being."

Norm nodded empathetically with agreement, begging Jake with his eyes to understand. Beside him, Ni'nat took his hand in hers and gripped it with supportive pressure. Norm sensed that he should keep quiet and he watched his friend's handsome features struggle with emotions.

When Jake opened his eyes again, they were clear with purpose. He clenched his jaw and took one more deep breath before addressing Norm. "From now on, you tell me what's going on, even if you think it might piss me off or put pressure on me. I'm not a shrinking violet that can't handle bad news, understand?"

Norm nodded and he felt compelled to speak up. "I know that, Jake. You've just had a lot to deal with lately."

"That doesn't matter, when it comes to the safety of my clan." Jake's eyes blazed and he cast a look over his shoulder at Hometree. It was obvious that his thoughts were primarily on his little son.

Jake turned his attention back and his eyes flicked between Norm and Ni'nat. "I don't care _how_ bad the news is. From now on, you treat me like a marine, got it? I can handle it."

Norm quickly shushed his mate's instinctive response in defense of him. He squeezed her hand and he nodded, taking a deep breath as he looked into Jake's eyes. "Trudy said something similar, when we were talking about this."

Jake smirked. "At least _somebody_ has a little faith."

"You should know better, by now," Norm shot back. "I _do_ respect you, Jake. I just thought I was looking out for your best interests."

True to his nature, Jake's anger visibly faded and he laid a hand on Norm' shoulder. "I'm not mad at you, all right? I get what you were trying to do. Just...quit looking out for my 'best interests'. I can figure that out on my own."

Norm nodded and he spared a glance over his shoulder at Hometree. "Then what do you want to do?"

"We're going to hold a council," answered Jake. "We've got to prepare for this and we need to organize a gathering of the clan leaders. No more 'last minute' gatherings. I want all of the People to be aware of the threat."

"Yes," agreed Neytiri softly. "That would be best. If there are more Sky People here, we should find them before they grow strong."

* * *

"This is not a war council," Jake announced in the den, some time later. "We are protecting our territory from the Sky People. We will send word out to the clans, so that they'll be ready. If they come again, we will _all_ be ready for them."

Shouts of exuberance followed Jake's speech. Neytiri shifted their infant in her arms and gazed up at her mate's pacing form, silently lending her support to Jake as he struggled to make the best choice as clan leader.

"We will fight!" a young male shouted. His friends hooted in agreement.

"No, we will not," Jake corrected firmly. "Not immediately. We don't know how many of them we are facing, if they are here at all."

"Then what do you propose to do, _Olo'eyktan_?" One of the few Omaticaya who hadn't fully accepted Jake as leader boldly stepped forward. "Wait for the Sky People to come? Wait for them to destroy our land and kill our children?" Her yellow gaze was challenging on Jake.

Neytiri glared at her but Jake kept his cool, being hard to offend. "No, we will not wait for them to attack. We won't give them a chance to, if we can help it. But you can't attack the wind, sister. We have to _find_ them before we drive them off."

Jake's eyes swept the assembly and his expression was determined. "I want messengers sent out to all the clans. We will warn our brethren and be ready to band together and fight, and we will hold a joint council here at Hometree for all _Olo'eyktan_ who will come. We defeated the Sky People once and we will do it again. "

His speech inspired exuberant shouts and hoots. Neytiri smiled at him, proud as always of his charismatic influence on their people's moral. Jake began selecting leaders for each messenger party, instructing each of them to travel to different territories with banners of peace. When he finished sorting out who would travel where, Jake approached Neytiri with fire in his eyes. As much as they all hated the thought of another conflict with the Sky People, he was a warrior at heart and her blood sang with excitement as well. The messengers were to leave as soon as they were prepared, without waiting for morning.

Mo'at saw the conflicted look on Neytiri's face as Jake approached and she held out her hands for the baby. "I will care for him while you are gone, Daughter. There are plenty of mothers in the village who will be happy to nurse him until you return."

Neytiri relaxed and eased her tiny son into Mo'at's waiting arms. "Thank you, Mother."

Jake came up beside her and he smiled down at Tommy before lowering his head to give the infant a kiss on the cheek. "We'll see you tomorrow," he promised his son.

Neytiri likewise gave the baby her affectionate goodbyes and she went with Jake when he took her hand. They stopped before Norm and Ni'nat and Jake nodded at them.

"You two are with us. We'll warn the Horse Clans but first, I've got to find Shadow. Akway takes a little more convincing than the other chieftains, so I'll have to approach him as _Toruk Makto_ again."

"Do you have any idea where to look?" Norm asked.

"He stays close to the territory," Jake answered. "I've spotted him a few times near the mountains. With any luck, he'll be out hunting tonight."

"Then we'd better not waste any time," Norm said.

The other parties were leaving and as Jake and Neytiri started to head to the branch-stairs leading up, Tommy began to cry in distress. Both of them froze, falling behind Norm and Ni'nat. Neytiri turned to look at her son with anxious eyes and Jake did the same, taking an impulsive step toward Mo'at and Tommy.

Mo'at gently bounced the infant in her arms and she smiled patiently at his concerned parents. "He will be fine," she assured them. "Go. Come back to us safely."

Neytiri bit her lip and hesitated, until Jake rested a hand on her shoulder and spoke to her. "Your mother will take good care of him," he whispered. "The sooner we get this over with, the sooner we can get back."

They climbed the spiral up to the ikran nests, where Ni'nat and Norm waited for them. The four of them called for their mounts and flew away, heading for the nearby mountains. Jake called out as they approached, searching for his massive leonopteryx. A half an hour passed and they were beginning to think that they would have to convince Akway to pledge his allegiance without the influence of the toruk, when Ni'nat looked up and saw the huge shadow bearing down on them.

* * *

"Jake, are you _sure_ that one's yours?" Norm's voice was a little shrill with anxiety as Jake ordered everyone to stop and hover.

"Uhhh...pretty sure," Jake answered, staring up with lowered ears at the creature diving at them. It was difficult to tell for certain in the dark and all of his instincts warned him to flee. He patted his ikran soothingly when the animal called out in distress. The others were fighting to maintain control of their banshees too as the threat closed in on them.

"I don't know about this," Norm shouted.

"Just hold steady," Jake instructed, though he was getting close to pissing himself too. If he was wrong about this, somebody could end up as a tasty meat snack. He clenched his jaw and shut his eyes as the toruk came straight at him. "Shit."

The creature broke its dive at the last minute and hovered before Jake, flapping its great wings. It called out to him and he relaxed, recognizing the timber of its screech. "Hey boy," Jake sighed, reaching out to pat the leonopteryx on the side of the neck. "You gave us a little scare." He glanced over his shoulder at Norm and grinned. He never knew that Na'vi skin could go that pale. Ni'nat and Neytiri looked like a pair of owls, their eyes were so wide.

"How's your loincloth holding up, Norm?"

"Still dry," answered the other male in a breathless voice. "Barely."

Jake chuckled and tried to calm his racing heart as he freed his queue from Aungia and maneuvered onto Shadow's back. His ikran was all too happy to fly away back to Hometree once he released it and Jake settled himself between the toruk's shoulders and adjusted to his greater size.

"Steady, boy," Jake murmured, patting Shadow on the neck. He looked at his companions, who were still a bit shaken from the experience. "Let's ride out."

* * *

The dawn brought no joy with it as E'quath and his party reached the home of the sea clan. The seaside village of the Ikran people was in ruins. E'quath and his party walked amongst the smoking tents, searching for survivors and evidence of what happened. They found a handful of bodies but no living clan members. There were signs of struggle and the tracks they found indicated that while some had fled into the forest, the rest of the clan had been forcibly taken somewhere else.

After searching fruitlessly for those who had fled, the grim-faced band of Omaticaya prepared to fly back to Hometree and report their findings. When they took to the air, E'quath spotted something in the distance that made him frown and call out for the others to stop. He narrowed his eyes and watched the object he sighted in the distant sky. It wasn't moving naturally and after a moment, he identified it as one of the flying ships used by the Sky People.

"We will follow that thing," he instructed his companions as he pointed at the machine. "It may lead us to answers. Fly low, beneath the canopy. We don't know if the riders are allies or Sky People, so we must use stealth."

The four hunters accompanying him voiced their agreement and the party flew after the helicopter, each of them wondering what they would find. They flew for a few miles before the hovering chopper began to land and the party used extra caution as they closed the distance. They found a fenced in compound that was under construction. The forest surrounding the parameter had been cleared and E'quath and his party kept to the vegetation, not daring to move closer for fear that the guards manning the turrets would spot them. When they saw what was behind the fence, the Na'vi party was stunned.

"These are not our allies," whispered one of the hunters with certainty.

"No, they are not," E'quath agreed grimly.

They had found most of the missing Ikran villagers. They were trapped inside the compound, behind the fence. They were being forced to carry building materials from one building to the next by armed soldiers. What was worse, the men and women who kept their guns trained on the captured Na'vi appeared to be Na'vi themselves. They wore form-fitting, black uniforms and protective headgear equipped with visors that hid their features from the nose up.

"_Uniltiranyus_," murmured the female hunter to E'quath's left. "The _Olo'eyktan_ was right."

E'quath began to count their numbers. He had never seen so many dreamwalkers in one place, before. The only warrior dreamwalker he had ever met was Jakesully, but these appeared to be warriors as well. He tensed when he recognized Tanhi amongst the enslaved Ikran people. The proud chieftess was lugging heavy timber with the rest of her people and when one of the guards jabbed the elder female in front of Tanhi with the barrel of his gun to speed up her progress, the Ikran _olo'eyktan_ dropped her burden and attacked him without hesitation.

The guard shouted out and he struck Tanhi in the jaw with the butt of his weapon, sending her sprawling to the concrete. The other guards trained their firearms on the prisoners when they tried to go to their leader's aid and the one she had attacked scowled angrily down at her.

"Do not," E'quath hissed when the huntress beside him began to draw her bow. "We are outnumbered and if we die here, our people will not know about this place!"

She stopped her action and dug her fingers into the moss, growling softly under her breath. E'quath turned his attention back to the imperiled Ikran leader, fully expecting her captors to end her life.

* * *

"Stupid bitch," spat the lieutenant. The prisoner glared up at him and wiped blood from her lips. She showed no fear and that only angered him further. He looked around at the woman's clan mates and he decided he needed to give them an example of what they could expect if they failed to cooperate.

The Na'vi woman struck out at him as he put his gun aside and descended onto her. He punched her in the face, hard enough to daze her. "You want to fight me, kitten? I think maybe you need to be taken down a notch or two."

"Sir, our orders aren't to—"

"Keep your mouth shut," he barked over his shoulder at the female soldier. "I'm in charge here and these savages need to learn their place." He smirked down at the captive beneath him. "I've always wanted to do a real Na'vi chick."

If she didn't comprehend his words, she understood his tone and she hissed and fought him as he yanked her ornamental necklace up to expose her breasts. He cursed and ordered one of the other soldiers to help him as she nearly bucked him off. The other man knelt down and restrained her arms over her head. Some of the other soldiers looked uncomfortable as the lieutenant fondled the shrieking captive's breasts with one hand while reaching down to undo his pants with the other. Others were forced to restrain and threaten the woman's clan members as they tried to intervene.

"You won't be so feisty, when I'm through with you," promised the assailant in a rough voice.

* * *

Tanhi fought with all her might, but the dreamwalkers were as strong as any Na'vi male and their combined efforts subdued her. She understood English well enough but even if she hadn't, the intentions of her captors were obvious. She knew what they were about to do and she snapped her teeth at them with rising panic. Her people were helpless to do anything but watch as the wretched dreamwalker fondled her body and worked to free his erection from his pants. She did not want her people to see this. These males were doing this to break their spirits, she knew. Tanhi shrieked at the top of her lungs as her attacker exposed himself and started tugging at her loincloth.

Another male voice suddenly cut through the air.

"That's enough! Let her go, now."

Tanhi's attacker and his accomplice paused and looked up at the dreamwalker who had pushed his way between the other guards. He was wearing a uniform similar to theirs but he had no body armor included in the outfit. Instead of an automatic rifle, he carried a pistol at his hip and there was a nametag pinned over the right side of his chest. A female dreamwalker in similar attire came up beside him and what little Tanhi could see of her expression indicated that she was as shocked as her male companion by what she saw.

"You stay out of this and mind your own department, Doc," demanded the attacker. He turned his attention back to Tanhi, dismissing the other male's presence.

There was a click from the direction of the other man as the soldier resumed trying to pull Tanhi's garment off and he stopped again, looking over his shoulder. The man who had intervened now had his gun drawn and pointed at the assailant's head.

"Let her go, Lieutenant."

"You gonna shoot me now?" The assailant scowled up at Tanhi's benefactor. "Do you even know how to use that thing?"

"Keep going and you'll find out," assured the other man coolly. "I didn't come here to watch you army dogs rape and abuse the natives."

For a moment, it seemed that the soldier would defy him, but he thought better of it and got off of Tanhi, tucking himself back into his pants and zipping them in the process. The man holding her down retrieved the lieutenant's weapon and handed it to him. Tanhi watched silently as her benefactor and her would-be rapist glared at one another through the concealment of their visors.

"They're going to hear about this," promised the solider.

"Good," answered the other male readily as he holstered his weapon. "Make sure you tell them you breached your protocol and disrupted the day's labor, while you're at it."

The soldier snarled and motioned to his fellows, who returned their attention back to overseeing the captives' work. He walked away and the man who stopped the assault glared after him for a moment before offering a gloved hand down to Tanhi.

"I won't hurt you," he said to her in perfect Na'vi when she recoiled. "I only want to help."

"You are the enemy," she hissed.

He sighed. "There is nothing I can do about that now. You should cooperate, for the good of your people. The warriors here will hurt them if they defy orders and they only obey for your sake."

She looked around at her laboring people, who watched her with stricken concern in their eyes. The dreamwalker was right. Her people would defy their captors to the death if they didn't hold her life in their hands. She reluctantly took his offered hand and allowed him to help her to her feet. She studied his face suspiciously, finding something oddly familiar about his voice, movements and what little she could see of his features.

He steadied her and turned to his female companion. "Take her to the medic building and have her injuries treated. Give her something to eat too and try to keep her away from the goon brigade. I'm going to contact the ship and tell them what went on here."

The woman nodded and coaxed Tanhi to come along with her. Having no choice unless she wanted to endanger her people, the chieftess went with the woman. As they walked away, she kept looking over her shoulder at the male who had helped her, her eyes narrowed. She couldn't decide what it was about him that made her trust him more than the other Sky People in this place and it rankled her.

He watched the captive and his colleague for a moment before taking his communicator device out of his pocket and entering the contact code for the orbiting ship. He shook his head as he brought the transmitter to his ear.

"Everything about this is wrong."

Sweating beneath the protective headgear, he reached up and tugged the visor off, sighing as the open air stirred his hair and cooled his skull. "I need to speak with the foreman," he said into the transmitter when his signal was answered.

* * *

Still hunkered down in the forest, E'quath and his companions stared with shock-widened eyes as the man who stopped the assault on Tanhi removed his headgear.

"What is he _doing_?" Gasped one of the hunters.

"How did he get here?" muttered another.

"I...I do not know," replied E'quath.

None of them could think of a single explanation that would rationalize why Jake Sully was standing there in that uniform, working with the people who had abducted the Ikran clan.

* * *

-To be continued

**Translations:**

_**Toruk Makto**_ = One who rides a Great Leonopteryx, known as "Toruk" or "Last Shadow" to the Na'vi people. Hunters that manage to bond with the animal are revered by the People as great warriors and leaders. Very few have ever succeeded in claiming a Toruk and those who have are legendary to all Na'vi.

_**Uniltiranyus **_= Dreamwalkers, avatars

_**Olo'eyktan **_= Clan leader; chieftain

_**Tanhi**_ = Sky


	16. Chapter 16

"Between worlds"

Chapter 16

* * *

_**Author's note: See footnotes at the end of the chapter for Na'vi/English translations. With friends like E'quath, who needs an enemy? **_

* * *

*Disclaimer: I do not own Pandora and I make no profit from writing fanfiction based on the "Avatar" film.

* * *

"She's a troublemaker. Yesterday she bit Murphy's ear half off and today she attacked me. Yes sir. I really think that would make things go smoother down here. I'll do it tonight. Thank you, sir."

Unbeknownst to Lieutenant Phelps, his conversation with his superior was overheard by the biologist he'd clashed with earlier that morning. The doctor intended to tell Lieutenant Phelps that the second warehouse was finished, but when he heard him speaking on his communication unit he waited by the door and listened. His amber eyes narrowed as he interpreted the one-sided conversation he heard. He could easily guess which "troublemaker" the other man was referring to and it wasn't hard to determine what he intended to do to her when night fell. Worse than that, he obviously had full permission to do it. Evidently, the talk with the foreman earlier over what actually happened had no impact.

If this had occurred months ago, he would have appealed to Phelps' superiors and tried to make them see the injustice of executing a prisoner for fighting back against a rape attempt. Now he knew that it wouldn't do any good. Killing the indigenous wasn't the goal of their purpose here but he quickly learned upon arrival that the RDA had no qualms over removing the ones that got in the way. He checked the time on his watch and deduced that he had a couple of hours to figure out something to do. He left without speaking to the lieutenant, because he was afraid that he wouldn't be able to hide the disgust on his face or in his tone if he spoke to him now.

He came up with an idea at sunset and he prayed to anyone that might be listening that he could pull it off. He could get a set of the body armor from the supply building if he had to, but he needed military tags to complete the deception. The only way he could get his hands on those was to take them from one of the soldiers. He considered asking Private Dewitt if he could borrow hers, because he knew that she was as unsettled by the way things were going as he was. He nixed the idea immediately. He might make a convincing enough marine but he wouldn't make a convincing woman.

After some thought, he decided to lure one of the male soldiers to a secluded area. He found one of them heading for the barracks after doing his rounds and he approached him with an anxious expression on his face. He didn't know the soldier's name so he just tapped him on the shoulder and murmured that he saw one of the prisoners sneaking behind the bunking lodge reserved for the captives and he was afraid he might be trying to escape or cause trouble.

"It could be nothing," he said to the soldier, "so I didn't want to draw a lot of attention to it."

"All right, I'll check it out," the young guard said. "Take me to this guy."

The guard followed him to the bunking lodge where the prisoners were kept and he led him around to the back, out of sight. "Back here," he said, pointing.

The gullible private moved into the shadows and the biologist followed him.

"I don't see anyth—"

The soldier's confused sentence was rudely interrupted by the butt of his companion's SN-9 Wasp revolver striking him in the back of the neck, below the line of his helmet. He crumpled to the ground and his assailant quickly dragged him further into the shadows and rolled him onto his back.

"Sorry, Private—" the biologist looked at the name on the identification tags around his victim's neck. "Harris. I'm just going to borrow a couple of things for a few minutes."

He took the dogtags off of the soldier and put them around his neck. Then he removed the protective vest and put it on over his uniform. The only concern he had now was that one of the soldiers guarding the main gate might be familiar enough with Private Harris well enough to know his voice, but he couldn't do anything about that. He gave the unconscious operative's vitals a quick examination to be sure he hadn't overdone it when he knocked him out and then went to around the building, walking as casually as he could manage to the far end of it where the entrance was.

* * *

Tanhi lay awake in her narrow bunk, contemplating everything that had occurred and wondering what—if anything—she could do to help her people escape and seek aid from the other clans. The children of the clan were being held in a separate, guarded building away from the adults, to discourage rebellion. She couldn't even begin to plan an escape without finding a way to retrieve the little ones safely.

She saw movement in the darkness and she tensed when she recognized the uniform on the approaching dreamwalker. Tanhi covertly reached beneath her pillow, where she had hidden a sharp piece of scrap metal. The other captive clan members were watching the dreamwalker warily and Tanhi shook her head when she saw the male lying across from her tense as if ready to attack. He set his jaw and watched as the intruder approached the chieftess. Tanhi fully expected another assault attempt and this time, there wouldn't be intervention from the familiar dreamwalker who seemed to have some honor. The others could do nothing if this male attempted to violate her. Though they had him outnumbered, any violence committed against their captors could result in the harm or death of the hostage children.

Tanhi curled her fingers around the cold metal shard. When the male attacked her earlier that day, she could do nothing but struggle against him but now she had a way to prevent such a thing from being carried out in full. She didn't fear death. Going to Eywa was preferable to coupling with one of these filthy demons. Her only regret was her inability to help her clan.

"Tanhi," whispered the dreamwalker as he knelt beside her bunk.

She hesitated in the action of pulling her weapon out. A frown marred her lips as she recognized the voice in two different ways. It was the man who had stopped her assailant and again, she was stricken with an odd certainty that she had heard his voice somewhere else before.

"What do you want?" She demanded in a low, warning tone.

"You must come with me," he answered, glancing around as if worried over who was listening. "Quickly."

"I will go nowhere with you," she hissed, drawing back as he reached for her. She gripped her hidden weapon until she felt the metal cut into her palm.

She moved in a flash, striking out at him with the shrapnel before he could dodge away. He swore softly as she slashed a cut in his forearm, where there was a gap in the protective guards strapped to his arms. He grabbed her wrist and forced the shrapnel out of her hand, pinning her down to the bunk with the weight of his body. His lips pulled back into a snarl and Tanhi gasped a command when several of her people started to get out of bed to come to her aid.

"Listen to me," the dreamwalker murmured in a surprisingly calm, steady voice, "your life is in danger. You have to come with me now, or you'll die."

"You are a demon," she accused vehemently, "just like the others!"

"Fine, I'm a demon," he said in a tired voice, "call me whatever you want, but if I meant you any harm I would not have stopped that soldier from raping you. If nothing else, you must trust me in this. The man who attacked you today is coming to execute you for resisting him and I wouldn't put it past him to try and finish what he started before he kills you."

Sounds of anger and distress flitted through the cabin and Tanhi shushed her people before regarding the dreamwalker suspiciously. "Why do you help me?"

"I'll give you the short answer: it's the right thing to do. Now come with me and play along with the ruse, or your clan will be leaderless."

"I cannot leave my people," she argued.

His mouth thinned with frustration. "You'll be leaving them permanently if you don't go now." He spoke in English but she understood him well enough. So did others of her clan.

"_Olo'eyktan_, you must go!" A young huntress urged. "The Sky People will not hesitate to kill you for defying them."

"It must be a trap," argued the male beside her. "How can we be sure this dreamwalker is not luring her away for his own purposes?"

Tanhi had already considered that possibility and the more she studied what she could see of the dreamwalker's features, the less she believed he would do such a thing. She really didn't have a choice. Perhaps she was wrong about him but if this male truly was attempting to help her, wasting time arguing with him would only bring her death.

"What about the others?" she insisted, even as her instincts urged her to hurry.

He shook his head and cast a look around at her clan mates. "I'm sorry, I can do nothing for them right now, except try to see to it that they aren't mistreated. The best I can do is help you escape into the forest. At least then, you will have a chance to find someone that _can_ help your people."

She looked at her people's desperate, urgent faces and she shut her eyes and nodded, taking the five-fingered, gloved hand that he offered her. She pulled back a moment later when he suddenly fastened a metal cuff over her wrist and he spoke to her softly, in that reassuring tone she was beginning to associate with him.

"It's just for show," he told her. "I will take them off as soon as we make it to the concealment of the forest. The guards have to believe you are my captive and I doubt they will believe that you would come along without restraints."

* * *

He began to regret encouraging the spirited Na'vi woman to put up a struggle. She took it quite literally and he had trouble keeping his hold on her as he half-dragged her through the compound to the front gates. The guards manning the gates regarded him curiously as he approached and they asked his name, rank and business when he stopped before them.

"Private Harris," he said, holding onto his "captive" firmly by one arm as he allowed one of the guards to lift his ID tags and read the name on them. "This one is nothing but trouble. I have orders from Lieutenant Phelps to take care of her, if you know what I mean." He patted the gun at his hip and he hoped they wouldn't think anything of his lack of a larger automatic weapon.

"You're going to use that?" The guard pointed at the wasp revolver with a frown.

The biologist swallowed a curse and shrugged. "It's cleaner."

"Why aren't you doing this in front of her clan?" asked the other guard. "You know, to make an example."

"Because it would only incite a riot," he answered calmly. "At least, that's what our superiors think. These savages can't be reasoned with, so our people want this done nice and quiet-like."

The guards looked at each other and shrugged. "All right, you're clear. Make it quick."

Tanhi renewed her struggles as they opened the gate and her "captor" winced as her bare heel struck him in the shin hard enough to send a flash of pain up his leg, despite the insulation of his calf-high boots. He pulled her along roughly and she stumbled, snarling and hissing as he dragged her through the gate and away from the compound. When they reached the trees he pulled her into the concealing vegetation with him, shooting a look over his shoulder to judge how far in they needed to go before they were hidden from view.

He finally stopped a few yards in and he released her arm and stepped away from her. The woman's eyes widened when he reached for his gun and he hastily reassured her. "Don't worry. I have no intention of using it on you."

He proved it to her by aiming up into the air. He squeezed the trigger and fired one shot, then counted under his breath and fired another for good measure. Hoping that would be enough to satisfy the guards, he replaced his gun in its holster and fished the key to the cuffs out of his pocket. As he moved to free her from her restraints, the odd little drifting seeds called "wood sprites" began to drift down from the trees. He pursed his lips as they floated towards him, as usual. They looked something like large dandelion seeds, except they glowed in the dark and they moved through the air like strange little jellyfish. They moved in an almost sentient manner and as usual, they began to settle on him as if magnetically drawn to him.

"_Atokirina_," whispered Tanhi, her eyes sweeping over him as the pesky seeds settled on his helmet, shoulders and arms. She rubbed her wrists as the cuffs came off and she stared at him suspiciously.

He sighed. He knew that the seeds were sacred to the Na'vi so he refrained from smacking at them like bothersome insects. "Yes, '_atokirina'_. I seem to attract them for some reason. You should go, while you have the chance. They will come looking for me if I don't get back soon."

Even if they didn't, his actions were likely going to put him in the doghouse. He wasn't going to let the soldier whose tags he'd stolen take the heat and when they didn't find a corpse to prove he'd executed the chieftess, he would be jailed or worse. By letting her go, he was risking the secrecy of this base and considering that the primary mission was to take back Hell's Gate, that was unforgivable.

"Let me see your face," she demanded, peering up at him as if trying to see through the protective visor covering his eyes and nose.

He didn't see the harm in it and he guessed the stubborn female would only keep arguing with him if he refused. He reached his hands up and grasped the headgear, tugging it off and holding it in one hand. He ran the fingers of his free hand through his hair to loosen it a bit, feeling like it was plastered to his scalp. One of the wood sprites drifted close to his nose and he blew at it irritably to keep it off of his face. When he looked at Tanhi again, he frowned.

"What is it?" He impulsively wiped at his face with his free hand. She was looking at him with such an odd expression of shock and confusion.

"_Toruk Makto_?"

He shook his head, utterly bewildered by the response. "I'm not sure what you mean. I've never ridden a toruk." He pushed aside her odd behavior and his own confusion when he heard shouting coming from somewhere within the compound behind him. Lieutenant Phelps must have found out that someone took his prize into the forest and he was yelling for people to go with him to search.

"Look, you must go _now_," he stressed urgently. "They will be coming soon and if they catch you, it's all over."

He started to say something else but he was suddenly tackled from behind. Taken unawares and knocked breathless, he coughed and struggled instinctively against the strong hold of his assailant. Other hands grabbed his wrists and forced them behind his back as he spit out moss and shouted with surprise.

"Do not struggle, _Olo'eyktan_," a female voice said in Na'vi from the left.

"I am your friend," said the voice of the male pinning him down, "I wish to help you." Even as the voice declared this, something was being wrapped securely around the biologist's wrists, lashing them tightly together behind his back.

"You've got a funny way of showing it!"

He was completely bewildered. Did the woman just call him "Chieftain", or had he misheard her? Logic dictated that his attackers must be members of the Ikran plan who had escaped and were waiting in the forest when he brought the chieftess out. And why did the one pinning him down call him a friend?

"What do you want? I was only trying to help her!"

"You are not yourself, Jakesully! We will get you the help that you need."

He felt like laughing hysterically. "I don't know what you're talking...wait, did you just call me Jake—"

An explosion of pain in the back of his head ended his response abruptly and sent him spiraling into darkness.

* * *

"Why did you strike him like that?" E'quath demanded of the huntress as she lowered the fallen tree branch she had used to knock their leader out with.

She nodded in the direction of the compound. "They are coming and we have no time to reason with him. We must go!"

"Why is the _Toruk Makto_ working with the Sky People?" Tanhi demanded, rounding on her Omaticaya rescuers.

"We do not know," answered E'quath truthfully. "He was at Hometree when we left to bring your people a message. I cannot understand how he arrived here and got inside the Sky People's fort before us."

"He could be an imposter," suggested one of the male hunters in the party. "Another demon made to look like our chieftain. What if they meant to use him to spy on us?"

"Or he could be a traitor," growled the other male.

"Jakesully is _not_ a traitor," E'quath snarled. "If this male is truly him, then the Sky People have done something to him."

"He did not recognize us," the female said with certainty.

"We have no time to discuss this," urged Tanhi as shouts rose from the direction of the fort. "They will kill us all if they catch us!"

The Na'vi party wasted no more time debating how Jake Sully ended up there, why his hair was lacking the small, loose braids he usually kept separate from his queue or why he was dressed as and consulting with the enemy. E'quath lifted his unconscious leader with a grunt and slung him over his shoulder. He and his party fled with the liberated chieftess of the Ikran clan, moving swiftly through the forest until they were far enough away from the compound to call for their mounts. E'quath had to situate Jake in front of him as he mounted his ikran and Tanhi rode with one of the male hunters.

They flew all through the night with their added passengers, stopping only briefly to rest the banshees before moving on. Jake—if that was who he truly was—remained unconscious until they were nearly home and E'quath worried that his clan mate had struck the chieftain too hard.

* * *

"Have there been any sightings of E'quath's group yet?" Jake muttered to Norm out the corner of his mouth. The sun had risen and the council between clan leaders was due to begin. E'quath's party should have been back by yesterday evening and Jake was on the verge of sending scouts out to look for them.

"Nothing yet," answered Norm with a frown. "Jake, it's possible that they came across RDA forces, if they really have already landed on Pandora."

"I don't even want to think about that," Jake sighed.

He looked at Neytiri, who stood beside him on the raised platform of earth with their son in her arms. Her eyes reflected his own concern but she stood straight and proud before the gathering, keeping her fears to herself. He admired her strength and a smile flitted over his lips as he stroked her shoulder before giving his son his finger to squeeze.

"We can't put this off any longer," Jake decided. "The council will start. Hopefully E'quath's party returns safely soon." He gently pulled his finger out of his son's strong little grip and stepped forward to address the waiting assembly.

"Welcome, brothers and sisters," Jake began with a respectful, sweeping gesture to encompass all of the clan leaders. "We are grateful that you came all this way to join the council and discuss the best course of action for the People. Eywa watches us all and we have the chance to prevent another Time of Great Sorrow, if we work together. We believe that more of them have come to our world and are hiding somewhere. They will be weak and disorganized, without access to Hell's Gate. If we can find them, we can defeat them and send them away before they have the chance to grow in strength and harm our people, but we must band together in this."

There were murmurs and nods of agreement. Jake relaxed a little, relieved that they were taking this seriously and seemed to be on board with the proposal for an alliance. "For now, please accept the hospitality of the Omaticaya clan. Our home is your home. We will have another council in two mornings, after you have all had the opportunity to consider the situation and decide what is best for your clans."

Jake motioned for the adolescents waiting in the back of the den and they began to carry out large leaf plates piled with food and drink. They went from one adult to the next, offering food and refreshment in a traditional practice of hospitality.

"I think you're getting better at this," Norm murmured when Jake turned around to face him, Ni'nat and Neytiri.

Jake smirked. "I've learned a few things, believe it or not. Mostly thanks to Neytiri and her mother." He smiled at his mate, who returned the smile with a little spark in her eyes. The baby began to fuss and Neytiri shifted him in her arms and laid him against her shoulder, patting his back gently to help him burp out any air that he might have in his belly.

"I'd better go and speak with Akway," Jake said when he noticed the Horse chief looking at him as though he wanted to speak. "I'll be right back." He approached Akway and sat down adjacent to him. The two of them got into a discussion concerning the best way for the clans to contact one another if any of them found enemy Sky People around their territory. They were just getting heavily into it when a familiar voice shouted out urgently, startling Jake to his feet.

"Neytiri!" E'quath hollered as he sprinted into the den and dodged his way through the obstacle course of Na'vi bodies. "You must come! Something is wrong with the _Olo'eyktan_! He is..." E'quath trailed off and stared at Jake with wide eyes as he came forward to stand beside his mate.

Jake had never seen the stoic, quiet tracker so animated or anxious before, let alone so bewildered looking. "I'm what, E'quath? What do you think is wrong with me?" He was relieved to see the tracker back but something was obviously very wrong.

"H-how are you here?" E'quath gasped. People were staring between he and Jake with visible curiosity.

Jake's brows furrowed with confusion. "About twenty-three years ago my parents mated. The rest is history."

"No, how did you get _here_," E'quath demanded. "Inside the den, past me? How did you change into your clan attire so quickly?"

Jake approached the warrior and stared into his eyes with worry. "What's the matter with you? You act like you've seen a ghost. Did you eat some bad mushrooms or something?"

E'quath shook his head, still wearing an expression of shock and confusion on his chiseled features. He abruptly reached out and caught hold of the harness strap crossing over Jake's chest and he tugged on it so forcibly that Jake stumbled. "You must come!"

Jake tossed a bewildered look over his shoulder at his mate and Norm before stumbling after E'quath. "Uh, all right," he muttered, practically dragged from the den. Neytiri, Norm and Ni'nat followed curiously, along with half the den and the visiting _olo'eyktan_.

"Take it easy," Jake advised as he followed the tracker outside. He could see E'quath's party in the planetary light on the hill, standing next to their ikrans. There were people around them, obscuring the view. Jake recognized the _olo'eyktan_ of the Ikran clan before his view of her was blocked.

"Move aside," commanded E'quath as he led Jake up the hill.

Jake saw confusion and wonder on the faces of his people as they obligingly parted to make way for him and the tracker. He felt a chill run down his spine and the strangest feeling began to come over him as he and E'quath drew closer to the banshees. It almost felt like that sensation he got when Tommy died, only it was in reverse. Puzzled by the feeling, he frowned and he tried to make sense of it.

"I don't understand what you are talking about!"

Jake's head lifted immediately at the sound of the voice and his ears swiveled forward. The exclamation was spoken in flawless Na'vi but the voice speaking it sounded very similar to his own. It was softer than his, but he recognized the voice immediately and he felt all of the blood drain from his face.

"It can't be," Jake rasped.

Now he was pushing past E'quath to reach the origin of that voice and he came to an abrupt halt when he found himself looking at a mirror image of his Na'vi body, wearing a form-fitting black uniform. The hair was worn exactly the way Jake had worn his when he first began using his avatar, with a few loose strands falling over the forehead and around the face. The eyes were set in a face identical to Jake's own and they stared back at him with the same bewilderment he was feeling.

Jake tilted his head to the right, staring at the doppelganger intensely. The look-alike also tilted his head and stared back with parted lips. A disbelieving smile began to curve Jake's lips.

"Tommy?"

"Jake?" The other man inquired at the same time.

"_Olo'eyktan_," E'quath muttered beside him, "Your son is behind you."

"Not Tommy my son," Jake murmured distractedly, his heart pounding fiercely, "Tommy my brother."

"Is that really you, Jake?" The biologist strained against the bola that secured his wrists behind his back.

Jake nodded, his chest tightening with a blend of powerful emotions. "Yeah, it's really me. What the hell are you _doing_ here? They told me you were dead!"

"That's what they said about you," Tom replied. "And what the hell are _you_ doing here? In an _avatar_?"

Jake laughed breathlessly, hardly believing he was having a conversation with his younger brother. "It's a long story. Tommy, I saw your body. How can you be alive?"

"They showed you my body?" Tom struggled against his bonds again as he took a step closer to Jake. "When?"

"Right before we shipped out. They said a mugger shot you. I watched them cremate you myself." He closed the remaining distance between them and moved around behind his sibling, pulling his knife out of its sheath to cut his bonds. "You can relax," Jake said to his clan mates. "He's not an enemy."

When the leather bindings fell to the ground, Jake turned his brother around by the shoulders and stared at him with a huge grin. "So how did this happen? I _felt_ it when you died, Tommy."

"Technically, I did die," the other man answered, smiling back at Jake with the same ecstatic expression on his face. "Or at least, my old body did. They transferred me permanently into my avatar. But what about you? How did you end up here and...are you the chieftain of this clan?"

"Man, we've got a lot to clear up," Jake muttered.

He was reeling over his shocking discovery and he felt giddy and light-headed. To assure himself that he wasn't just imagining everything in his head, he abruptly hugged his brother tightly. Tom blurted a little huff as the breath was squeezed out of him and then he returned the embrace.

"Oh...my...god."

Jake released his brother and swallowed a lump in his throat as he turned to see Norm standing there with his mouth hanging open. Neytiri's wide eyes darted between Jake and Tom with confused disbelief and Ni'nat stood beside her mate with an expression of awe on her features.

"I know that voice," Tom murmured, staring at the tall, wide-eyed male. "Norm? Norm Spellman, is that you?"

"Y-yeah, it's me. Tom?"

"That's right." Tom nodded. "I suppose they told you I was dead, too."

"I think I need to sit down," Norm said faintly. He looked a little green.

"What of my people?" demanded Tanhi.

Jake sobered, spiraling down from his euphoria. He started to notice things that he'd missed, such as the bruises on Tanhi's face, the uniform his brother was wearing and the ID tags around Tommy's neck that obviously didn't belong to him.

"Someone explain to me what happened," Jake said.

"My clan was captured in a raid by the Sky People," obliged Tanhi. "We were taken to a fortress near the outer borders of our territory. My people are still there, _Toruk Makto_. They are being made to work for the Sky People under threat. This one—" she nodded at Tom, "—He helped me to escape into the forest. Your people found us there and captured your...brother."

She looked at Tom and then back at Jake, her features softening a little with awe. "We thought that he was you."

"We did not know what to think," E'quath added. "I never knew that your brother was a twin, Jakesully."

"I never told any of you," Jake muttered. "No wonder you were so spastic when you came back with him. I really thought you lost your mind for a minute, E'quath."

"He was helping the enemy," said the female hunter in E'quath's party with an accusing look at Tom.

"So was I, before I figured out what was really happening here," Jake reminded her sternly. He looked at Tom and took a deep breath. "As much as I want to know the details about how you got here alive, we've got to know what the RDA is up to and we've got to work out a plan to free the Ikran people. What did they tell you about the situation here and how long have you been here?"

"They told us that Hell's Gate is under hostile takeover from the natives," Tom answered readily. "We're supposed to liberate it and get everything back in order. We've been here for a little over three months. I don't suppose it's true that the Na'vi are holding the people at Hell's Gate hostage, is it?"

Jake shook his head grimly. "What was your first clue?"

"Seeing the way the Ikran hostages were treated," muttered Tom with a sidelong glance at Tanhi. "And unless they didn't know better, they lied to me about you when I woke up from cryo. If they'll tell a guy his twin brother shot himself in the head—"

"Whoa," Jake interrupted, blinking. "They said I _killed_ myself?"

"Yes. I barely had a chance to finish waking up from cryo when they told me." Tom swallowed and shut his eyes. "They told me you were found in your apartment by your landlord, dead in your wheelchair. It supposedly happened while I was on route here so I didn't feel it happen. Now I know why it just felt so..._wrong_ to me."

"Besides the fact that I'd never off myself like that?" Jake said dryly.

Tom looked at him searchingly. "You really didn't talk about what happened in Venezuela when I tried to ask you about it, Jake. A lot of veterans suffer from post-traumatic stress and you lost the use of your legs. Can you blame me for believing them?"

Jake shrugged and looked away. "I guess not. If you think about it, I kind of _did_ kill myself when I passed through the eye of Eywa and left my old body behind."

Tom's brows drew down. "You did what, now?"

"Later," Jake sighed regretfully. "We're drifting off the subject. Why did the RDA decide to round up the Ikran clan?"

"They caught one of them too close to the base," explained Tom. "When they realized that their village wasn't very far away, they declared them a threat to the operation. I argued against imprisoning them but the company and the military were determined to keep the new compound a secret. If the Ikran clan spread the word it would reach Hell's Gate eventually and the element of surprise would be gone."

"Where is the mothership at now?"

Tom looked up at the darkened, starry sky toward the giant gaseous planet that Pandora orbited around. "It's on the other side of Polyphemus, where the satellite scanners can't detect it. They've been jamming the frequency when the Valkyrie shuttles come and go from the ISV to Pandora, so that Hell's Gate won't know they're here."

"Just like Max said," Norm murmured in an impressed tone.

"Max?" Repeated Tom. "Are you talking about Dr. Max Patel?"

Norm nodded and put an arm around Ni'nat. "Yeah. He's at Hell's Gate now. The base hasn't been taken over by the Na'vi. The people there were invited to stay and they work with the clans now."

Tom looked from Norm to Jake, who nodded in confirmation. "That's right, Tommy. There's a lot you weren't told. We'll get to that in a little while. I need to know how many operatives are in that compound and if there are any weaknesses in the perimeter that we could use to our advantage. We've got to free the Ikran people from there before we organize any kind of attack against these new invaders."

"Well, I wouldn't recommend going in there with guns blazing," Tom advised, "or bows twanging, to be more accurate."

"Why the hell not?" Jake asked. He was spoiling for a fight, now. The depth of the lies he and Tommy had been told about each other, about the company and about Pandora made his blood boil with anger.

"Because of the hostages, Jake." Tom said. "They've got kids held separate in there. What do you think they'll do if a hoard of Na'vi attack? I've seen what these operatives are willing to do in the name of their 'duty' and they wouldn't hesitate to put those prisoners under the knife to force you to back off."

Jake winced. "Yeah, you've got a good point. Besides, I wouldn't want any Ikran people to get caught in friendly fire. So what we need is a sting operation or a distraction to get those people out of there, first." He considered his brother thoughtfully, his gaze sweeping his outfit. A slow smile curved his lips as he began to formulate an idea.

"As far as they know, you're still on their side right?"

"How do you know I'm not?" Tom was smiling faintly.

"Because you've got morals and now you know some of the shit they're capable of."

Tom sighed. "You've got me. Yeah, I suppose they think I'm still on their side, but I'm going to have trouble explaining my disappearance and the lack of a clan leader's body. I took her out under the guise of execution and I disguised myself as a soldier to pull it off. Private Harris is going to wake up and let them know he was knocked out and robbed of his ID tags and body armor. Phelps is an asshole but he's not a complete idiot. He'll probably put two and two together and put me under arrest for aiding a prisoner the minute I set foot back in there."

Jake's smile didn't fade. "You won't be the one going back in there, Tommy."

* * *

They made plans to go to Hell's Gate in the morning to notify the team there of what was going on and perhaps get a little help from them in the effort to free the Ikran people. The visiting clan leaders agreed to lend their aid, though there wasn't time to bring their own warriors to help with the rescue. After establishing that Jake would work from the inside to get the hostages out safely, introductions were finally made. Tom spoke the language as if he was born a Na'vi and he easily conversed with Jake's family and clan members as they made their rounds. Jake saved the best for last, of course. He grinned proudly when his brother openly admired Neytiri's beauty.

"Jake, you did well for yourself," Tom complimented with a smile. "If you don't mind my saying so," he added politely to Neytiri.

She smiled back at him. "I was not expecting Jake's brother to look so much like him."

"It's not that shocking," chuckled Jake.

"Actually, the birth of twins is extremely rare amongst the Na'vi," Tom informed him. "And identical twins are even more of a rarity, am I right?"

Next to Neytiri, Mo'at nodded. "That is correct. When twins are born to most Na'vi, they are usually male and female. It has been generations since our clan has seen the birth of twins like yourself and Jakesully."

Tom looked curiously at the baby in Neytiri's arms. "This is my nephew?"

She nodded and after a moment's hesitation, she offered the infant to him. Tom took his namesake carefully and cradled him in his arms, smiling down at him. "He's got our nose. What did you name him?"

"Tommy," Jake answered, averting his eyes.

Tom stared at him for a moment before returning his attention to the baby. "I don't know what to say, Jake."

"Well, I thought you were dead," Jake excused, clearing his throat. Dammit, that lump was coming back. It felt like his adam's apple had grown three sizes and he took a deep breath to regain control of his emotions.

Tommy chuckled but there was a strained quality to it. "So I'm worth more dead than alive?"

Jake shook his head. "Don't be stupid."

For a moment, the reunited twins eyes met and they silently communicated brotherly warmth between them. Tom relinquished his nephew back to Neytiri and Jake suggested they have something to eat.

"I want to find out exactly what went on with you," Jake said.

"Ditto," agreed Tom. "Starting with how the hell you ended up in the Avatar program."

* * *

Tom tried to ignore the open stares that he and Jake got from the Omaticaya. They sat together at the fire pit with Neytiri, E'quath, Norm and Ni'nat as they ate and with the help of his mate and companions, Jake explained how he got recruited for the Avatar program. He went on to explain the events that occurred between then and now, describing everything in detail—including the incident with the thanator that nearly cost him his legs again.

"That's amazing," Tom said truthfully. "So you came all the way here because you thought I was dead. You said you saw the body. Did you actually see a bullet-hole anywhere?"

Jake grimaced. "Don't you think it's kind of grim to sit here asking about bullet-holes in your own corpse?"

"I just want to know if they shot me after they finished transferring my conscience into the new avatar," Tom shrugged.

"No, I didn't see a bullet-hole," Jake muttered. "I didn't have any reason to think they were lying to me at the time and I wasn't in the mood to do an inspection. Now, let's hear your story Tommy."

Norm nodded eagerly. "I want to know what happened with you too. You had to have undergone the transference before they notified Jake about your 'death', right?"

"That's right. Dr. Owens contacted me a couple of weeks before we were due to ship out and he said something happened to my avatar embryo. He told me they would clone another one for me but the conditions were different. They were working on an improved procedure that would allow the avatar operator to survive on both Earth and Pandora foods and breathe both atmospheres. The catch was that the process would probably make my original body go brain dead, so there was no going back. If I took the offer and if it worked out, they planned to move on and use the same process on military operatives and scientists."

"And you agreed to do it?" Jake was staring at him incredulously and so was Norm.

"You did the exact same thing," Tom pointed out. "The process might have taken place under a tree instead of in a lab but you two don't have any room to talk about crazy risks."

Norm and Jake exchanged a wry look between them. "All right, you win that one," Jake conceded. "So you went for it right away?"

"No." Tom shook his head. "I had to take a few days to think about it. I knew there was a chance I wouldn't make it into the avatar embryo and that would be all she wrote for me. I also knew I'd be in a coma until my avatar finished maturing and we reached Pandora. Even so, I figured if my brother could risk his life for something he believed in, I could do it too."

He smiled at his older twin, who looked uncomfortable. "I almost called you after I gave Dr. Owens my answer, Jake. I wanted to talk to you one more time, in case I didn't make it. I was afraid I'd give something away if I tried though. I spoke to Norm the day before I went in for the procedure and after that, I woke up in this body on the ISV. That was when they told me they got word from Earth that you died, Jake."

"So _you're_ the one they tested the process on first," Norm said thoughtfully. He explained Sebastian's situation briefly and Tom grimaced. At least he had a choice in the matter. They didn't even inform Sebastian of their intentions with him. "That's why you sounded so on edge the last time I talked to you." Norm finished in satisfaction, obviously relieved to solve the mystery.

"This whole thing was a setup," Tom sighed tiredly. "They convinced both of us that the other was dead and for what...some minerals under the ground. From what you've told me, this Quaritch guy did all of this behind the scenes and as much as I hate to think of Dr. Owens being in on it, he might have saved my ass by asking me to volunteer for the new process. Does this mean I'm officially dead in Earth records?"

"Probably," Jake said. "None of the people traveling with you heard anything about what happened here while you were on route?"

"I have a feeling some of the higher ranking people in the military branch knew about it," Tom answered thoughtfully. "But the rest of them? No. We were told that Hell's Gate and the people there were under enemy control, like I said earlier. The compound they're using now was partially built when we landed but the RDA abandoned construction when the conflict started here. The plan was to establish a temporary base that could serve our needs until Hell's Gate could be taken back. We weren't told the details about the war between your people and the RDA and your name never came up."

"They really covered their ass." Jake frowned. "They only told most of you what they needed you to know to do your 'jobs'. I'm willing to bet you wouldn't be the only one on that base to have second thoughts if the whole truth came out."

"You'd probably win that bet," agreed Tom. "I can think of about a dozen people in both the science and military departments that would give the RDA the proverbial finger if they knew half of the things you've told me."

"That's really not that many," Norm grumbled.

"Hey, it's better than nothing," Jake insisted. "Maybe once we get the hostages out of that place we can take prisoners and open their eyes to the truth."

Norm shrugged and took a drink from his wooden cup. "I guess if anybody could convince them, it's you." He absently stroked Ni'nat's hair as she laid her head against his shoulder and he and Jake shared a little smile between them.

"I'm surprised you two get along so well," Tom observed. "I would have thought you would clash too much, being polar opposites."

"We didn't get along that well at first," Norm admitted while Jake grinned. "He pissed me off, in fact."

Neytiri chuckled. "You are not alone in that."

"Hey, I made you laugh pretty early in the relationship," Jake defended, faking a glower at his mate.

"That is because you were stupid."

Norm choked on his drink and Tom and Ni'nat burst into laughter. E'quath chuckled softly in his reserved way.

"She doesn't candy-coat it, does she?" Tom said when he regained control of his mirth.

"No, she doesn't." Jake was giving his grinning mate a warning look but his eyes twinkled with amusement. "If I'm so stupid, why did you go for me?"

Neytiri shrugged and bounced little Tommy to quiet him as he started to fuss. "As I have told you before, you are pleasant on the eyes, my Jake. Charming too, in a boy-like way."

"I'd hate to be charming in a girl-like way," he quipped, grinning. "Well there you have it, Tommy got all the brains and I got all the looks."

"We're identical twins," reminded Tom with a smirk.

"Yeah, but I've got more character."

"Like a cartoon? I agree." Tom pressed his lips together to control a smile. "So what made you start liking this jarhead, Norm?"

Norm regarded Jake thoughtfully. "I don't know. He just sort of grows on you after a while."

"You mean like a fungus."

"Exactly!" Norm snapped his fingers and grinned.

Jake gave both of them a sour look as they laughed at his expense. "You know, I don't have to take this abuse." He stood up and walked away, leaving his companions to stare after him uncertainly.

"I think we really hurt his feelings," Norm said with a sobering expression.

"Jake?" Tom scoffed. "Trust me, it takes more than a little teasing to hurt his feelings. You have to do something really awful to him to make him hold a grudge."

Norm frowned and lowered his gaze. "Like fake his brother's death," he sighed. He raised his eyes again and looked at Tom seriously. "I'm really thrilled that you're alive, Tom. Not just because you and I are friends, but for Jake, too."

Neytiri nodded and Ni'nat rubbed Norm's knee. Tom felt a little self-conscious as his eyes stung warningly and he looked away. "No more thrilled than I am to see Jake alive again. I just hope he stays that way. I've got to tell you Norm, I'm not sure about this plan of his to infiltrate the base on his own."

"Well, he won't be on his own," Norm said. "We're going to be ready to attack as soon as he gives a signal. All he has to do is get the hostages to a safe place in there so that we can move in and I've seen him in action. He's pretty amazing...just don't tell _him_ I said that or he might get cocky and end up paralyzed again."

"He has some really bum luck with that," sighed Tom.

First with the bullet in his spine, then with the thanator. Jake was lucky to be walking now. He had always been like that, though. A daredevil from the beginning, Jake had more close calls in his life than Tom could reasonably count. He seemed to have almost supernatural luck. Tom was about to comment on that when he felt someone pull his queue to one side from behind, followed by the feeling of something crawling on the back of his neck.

"Shit," Tom barked as he jumped up and started swatting at his neck while twirling around in a circle.

Norm was too distracted by the sight of Tom's abrupt chicken dance to notice Jake move around behind him and he too ended up frantically patting at himself and spinning in circles. People stared at the spectacle and several of them laughed as a pair of large but harmless beetles hit the mossy floor. Jake stood grinning at his two victims.

"You two shriek like little girls."

Tom stopped slapping at his shirt and he looked down at the beetle. Its shell was lit up as and it began to crawl away with its fellow, looking oddly indignant over being used in the prank. Norm took a moment longer to calm down and his lovely mate called out to him in a voice that shook with laughter. He stopped at the sound of her voice and he glared at Jake.

"See, I told you he wasn't offended," Tom said.

"I don't get mad," Jake smirked. "I get even."

"Well that was juvenile," Norm grumbled.

"Hey, you guys were the ones who compared me to Athlete's foot."

"What about Neytiri? She was picking on you too and you didn't put a bug on her back." Norm pointed at the young mother.

"That's because she's holding our son," Jake said dryly. "And she probably would have just reached up and brushed it off without a glance anyhow. I'll get her back another way." He winked at her meaningfully and she bit her lower lip and grinned sharply.

Tom sobered a little as he sat back down beside Neytiri and watched his brother argue back and forth with his former classmate. Tom shared Jake's joy over their reunion but he also worried that he would get reckless when they attempted the rescue tomorrow.

"Jake," Tom called in a serious voice.

The older twin immediately detected the anxiety in his voice and he stopped bantering with Norm to face Tom. "What?"

"You've said you plan on infiltrating the base as me," Tom answered, "but you didn't specify the plan on how to get those people through the fence without casualties."

"That's where the rest of you come in," Jake said. He looked from Tom to Neytiri and he smiled a little. "I trust you all to come up with some way to get that fence down for us."

His words didn't boost Tom's confidence. "You've only been alive to me again for a few hours, Jake. Don't make that change when we go on this mission."

Jake's expression softened and Neytiri lowered her gaze to the infant in her arms, revealing that she too had her reservations about the plan. Jake walked over to the two of them and he knelt in front of them.

"What I need the most from both of you is a clear head," he said in a low, firm voice. "Neytiri, you need to keep that focus of yours that makes you so damned stubborn and deadly. Tommy, you need to use your creativity and brainpower, just like you always do. I don't want either of you going into this distracted because then _I'll_ be distracted too, worrying about whether you're out there paying attention or not."

"And you just expect us not to worry about you?" Tom's jaw tensed. "You're not a one-man army, Jake."

"You're right," agreed the other male. "I'm _not_ a one-man army and that's why it's so important for you to concentrate on your part in this, instead of thinking about what I'm doing. If you think about it, I've got the easy part in this."

"_Easy_?" Norm repeated from behind the kneeling chieftain when he overheard. "How is what you're going to be doing in any way easy, Jake?"

Tom almost laughed as his brother visibly struggled to come up with an answer to that question. "There won't be anything easy about it," he answered for him, smirking at Jake when he looked annoyed. "He's only being cavalier about it to make us feel better."

"You've got a really big mouth, Tommy," growled Jake.

* * *

-To be continued

**Translations:**

_**Atokirina **_= Seeds of the great tree. Sacred to the Na'vi people.


	17. Chapter 17

"Between worlds"

Chapter 17

* * *

_**Author's note: See footnotes at the end of the chapter for Na'vi/English translations. Special thanks to those who have left feedback!  
**_

* * *

*Disclaimer: I do not own Pandora and I make no profit from writing fanfiction based on the "Avatar" film.

* * *

The warriors chosen to participate in the liberation attempt remained at Hometree while Jake, Tom and Norm went to Hell's Gate to report the situation and gather reinforcements. They traveled in the dark hours of the morning and arrived at the base at mid-morning. The guards couldn't mask their surprise and confusion when they admitted the party through the gates and saw Tom. Jake didn't offer them an explanation and Tom noticed the little smirk on his face as they walked through the compound and got more reactions of shock or confusion from colonists.

"You're enjoying this," Tom accused out the corner of his mouth.

"Just a little," Jake admitted.

Norm and Jake paused in the lobby of the lab building to equip an avatar exopack each, leaving Tom feeling a little uncomfortable. His companions seemed to be used to wearing the breathing filters, so he dismissed his self-conscious discomfort. They entered the oxygenated sector and Jake gave him a worried look when Tom took his first breath and choked a little. Tom held out a hand to indicate he was okay but his brother clapped him on the back anyway and Norm stopped in concern as well.

"I'm all right," Tom assured them when the discomfort faded and he could breathe more easily. "It's just uncomfortable at first—like taking a lung-full of smoke."

"Yeah, I've experienced it before," Jake said with a grimace. "There's no rule that says you can't use one of these yourself, Tommy. I know you can breathe both kinds of air but you don't have to torture yourself."

Tom shook his head. "No thanks. I had a hard enough time getting used to that damned headgear they told us to wear with our uniforms. I hate having my face covered up."

"Can't say I blame you." Jake shrugged.

"I'll catch up with you in a little while," Norm said. "I want to check the map scanners and see if there are any flux readings we can take advantage of around that compound."

"Good idea, Norm," Jake approved. "We'll take care of filling everyone in on what's happening."

They parted ways and Jake showed Tom around as they walked through the lab building. "Max takes care of coordinating meetings," Jake explained. "It's easier just to go to him first because he's not constantly coming and going from the base like the militia, construction workers and avatar teams. They've got leaders in every department but Max keeps it all organized."

They passed through the doors leading into the hallway of the main research area and the blond woman behind the communications desk glanced up at the twins. Her eyes practically bugged out and she was so startled that she squeaked and dropped her holographic tablet on the floor. Thankfully, it was versatile and lightweight so the fall didn't damage it but she looked as though she was about to join it on the floor.

"Hey Rita," greeted Jake casually.

One of the maintenance people happened by at that moment, pushing a floor sweeper. When he saw Jake he started to greet him, but then he saw his brother and he stared. His stopped paying attention to where he was putting his feet and he tripped over the sweeper. Jake blurted a laugh but he hurried to the man's side to help him up, while Tom went around behind the desk to retrieve Rita's tablet for her.

"Hi," Tom greeted, offering the object to Rita.

She took it mechanically. "Th-thank you." She was staring at him with blank astonishment and her eyes flicked to Jake as if assuring herself that he was still there.

"I'm Jake's brother," Tom explained, guessing why the poor female was so befuddled.

"Oh." She still had a confused look on her face.

"His _twin_ brother," Tom elaborated.

"Oh." Her expression changed from confused to alarmed. "Oh?"

Tom smiled without humor, guessing why she was looking at him as if he were a ghost. "I'm not dead," he supplied helpfully. "There was a misunderstanding."

"Oh." She shook herself out of it and gave a nervous chuckle. "I...I'm sorry. I had no idea. You must be like our Sebastian, since you're breathing fine in here without an exopack."

"That's right." Tom was actually interested in meeting Sebastian Thomas, after hearing about him. The error that caused his avatar body to stop growing before reaching full size intrigued him and even more interesting was the fact that it reached an adult state.

"Jake!" Came a shout from the far end of the corridor, "I'm glad you're here, we've been trying to reach you! There's something you've got to know!" Max Patel was jogging toward Jake, who had just finished helping the maintenance man right himself.

"Damn, there's a couple of things I need to tell you too, but you go first," Jake said.

"It's about your brother," Max said urgently when he came to a stop before Jake. "Sebastian cracked one of Quaritch's confidential files and discovered that Tom Sully is still alive! They used the new Avatar process on him and sent him out with the team of specialized—"

"Hold up," Jake interrupted with a stalling gesture. "I'm already way ahead of you." He pointed at Tom, who was coming around from behind the desk.

Max followed the gesture with his eyes and he gave a visible start when he saw Tom. His dark eyes were wide behind his glasses as the younger Sully twin approached him with a reserved smile.

"Dr. Patel," Tom greeted in a calming voice. "I was looking forward to working with you but things got a little...chaotic. I hope you'll still have me on your team."

Max took Tom's offered hand in his smaller one and shook it, his eyes sweeping the tall, Na'vi form with amazement. "I knew you two were identical but this is just...shocking." He shook himself out of it. "We'd all be thrilled to have you on the team, Dr. Sully. We've got plenty of sleeping quarters available and we can get you set up right away."

"Thank you," Tom said gratefully. "But before we get started with any of that, we have to liberate the Ikran clan."

Max looked confused and Jake took up where Tom left off. "You were right about everything, Max. The transport that was due to come in got here about three months ago and they've set up a compound near the Eastern Sea. Tommy was with them and he's got intel on them. They've enslaved the Ikran clan and we're organizing a rescue operation to free them. We need some help from you guys, if you can give it."

"Wait, wait," Max said, "When you say I was right about 'everything', are you talking about the satellite interference?"

"Yes," answered Tom. "The tech crew scrambled the orbiting satellite signals before the ISV got into range and they piloted the ship around to the other side of Polyphemus, to keep you from detecting them. You've probably noticed occasional glitches in the interstellar tracking system over the past few months. They've been jamming the transmissions so that you won't pick it up on radar when they send shuttles to and from the moon's surface and the ship."

"If they're here already, then why haven't they tried to take back this base yet?"

"They're waiting for the right moment," answered Jake.

"And when will that be?" Max looked at Tom questioningly.

"I wish I knew," Tom sighed. "That's military intel, if they've even settled on a deployment date."

"The good news is that if we can get the hostages out of there and safely away, we can capture _their_ base," Jake murmured. "Unless they've got somewhere else on this moon where they could land and set up camp, that should stall their plans to move in on Hell's Gate. We need your help clearing out the prisoners first, though."

"You've got it," Max agreed. "Trudy should be getting back soon and I'll have her select some militia teams to go with you. I hope you're taking their radar into consideration though, Jake. Unless there's a flux vortex near this new compound to interfere with their signals, they'll detect you before you can move in."

"Norm's checking that out now," Jake assured him. "I doubt they'd set up a base near a flux, though. They'd pick a location that gives them clear reading for perimeter defense."

"Then how are you going to advance?" Max asked him worriedly. "It's going to be a bloodbath if they've got functional targeting systems and they'll have the defensive advantage. Not to mention, if they figure out that you're trying to rescue their prisoners they might use that against you."

"Don't worry," Jake assured him. "I'm going in first to infiltrate and get the hostages out of the line of fire before a real fight starts."

"But what's your plan of attack if you manage to do that?" demanded Max. "And how are you going to sneak in there to 'infiltrate' alone in the first place?"

Tom tried not to let his reservations show on his face when Jake glanced at him. "Tommy here came down with them. I'm going to take advantage of that and go in as him. The tricky part is going to be getting the prisoners out of there safely, but I'm counting on Tommy and the others to come up with a distraction for me."

Max looked at Tom. "What _kind_ of distraction?"

"I have no idea yet," admitted Tom uncomfortably.

"You'll come up with something," Jake said with a grin. "You always do."

"What do you think I can come up with to get past their tracking system?" Tom asked irritably. "You're putting an awful lot of faith in me, Jake."

"Like I said; you'll come up with something and with Norm and the others helping, I'm not concerned. You'll just have to stay out of range of their radar until I give the signal."

"You haven't even told me what 'the signal' is going to be," Tom pointed out, crossing his arms over his chest. "What are we supposed to do, guess?"

Jake bit his lip and frowned. "I'll find a flare gun or something, since I won't be able to contact you all through a transmitter."

"And what if you can't find one?" Tom pressed.

"Then I'll climb on the fence and moon you," Jake snapped. "Just trust me, Tommy. I'll make sure it's a clear sign, all right?"

Tom sighed and shared an apprehensive look with Max.

"Look," Jake said, "We can come up with a big, elaborate plan but the truth is we don't have the time to do it—not until after we've liberated the Ikran people. Even with the most solid plan, you usually have to improvise at some point anyhow. Tommy, I need you to draw me a map and show me what's what in there. It doesn't have to be anything elaborate—I just need to know where the buildings are located and where the guards are usually stationed around the perimeter. Can you do that for me?"

"Sure," Tom nodded.

"Good. Max, I need you to get in touch with Trudy and start on putting those teams together as fast as possible. In the meantime Tommy needs a change of clothes, since I'll be wearing his uniform to do this."

Tom glanced down at his soiled attire with a frown. It was ripped in a couple of places from his struggles the night before. "I should probably wash these, before you change into them."

Jake gave him an odd look. "Don't you think they'll be a little suspicious when 'you' show up again with a freshly washed uniform? That's going to look suspicious when you're supposed to have spent the night knocked unconscious in the jungle."

"I see your point," Tom conceded, "but I've been sweating in this, Jake. Do you really want to put it on after me?"

Jake shrugged. "I've gone for weeks without access to a shower, crouched in a foxhole with a bunch of other filthy, sweaty guys and fallen in horseshit before. Wearing my brother's dirty clothes is nothing. Hygiene is going to be the last thing on my mind when we do this."

* * *

"Here's to ya." Trudy clinked her beer bottle against Corporal Wilson's as they left the lab kitchen and started down the hall together.

She took a sip and swished it around in her mouth a little before nodding and taking a deeper drink. "Not bad. They're getting better at making the home brewed stuff."

"Yeah, but I could kill for a Budweiser," mumbled the marine before taking another swig from his bottle.

"Pfft, that Clydesdale piss?" Trudy made a face. "Give me a Corona any day."

"Hey, I hear half of that is factory worker piss," countered Wilson.

Trudy shrugged and smirked. "I'd rather drink human pee than horse pee any day, buddy." She took another drink and smacked her lips. "Either way, beer is a nice way to end a mission. As soon as we finish reporting in, I'm going to hit the showers and take a nice, long sleep."

"I hear you," agreed Wilson.

Trudy lifted her bottle to her lips for another drink as they turned down the first hallway to the left. When she saw what was ahead of her she choked on her beer so violently that her companion began to pat her on the back with a worried frown.

"You okay?"

Trudy nodded and as stared at the beer in her hand suspiciously. "What the hell do they put in this beer?"

"Hops, barley...the usual stuff," answered Wilson. "It's all grown in the terran bio-garden, why?"

Trudy pointed with the neck of the bottle at the three men down the hall. "Because either I'm hallucinating, or there's two Jakes standing there talking to Max."

Wilson looked up and he nearly dropped his beer on the floor. "What the _hell_? S-Sully has a clone?"

"I'm about to find out," Trudy coughed.

"I'm going to go lay down," Wilson decided aloud.

Trudy ignored him, focused on the Jake in his regular Na'vi non-clothing and the other Jake, wearing a delightfully snug, sharp-looking uniform of some kind of black stretchy material. Both of them absently swished their tails as they conversed in low voices with Max. None of them had noticed the wide-eyed brunette approaching them at a brisk pace.

"_What the hell's going on here?_"

The Jake in the black uniform gave a start and turned to look down at her with wide eyes. The Jake in the loincloth swore under his breath and Max jumped a little.

"You scared the hell out of me," Loincloth Jake muttered.

"Yeah, I'm just full of surprises," Trudy shot back, flicking her gaze between the identical Na'vi males.

"Uh, Trudy...this is Tom Sully," Max announced as he remembered his manners, gesturing at the black-clad Na'vi. "Tom, meet Trudy Chacón. She's one of our pilots."

"You mean the Tom Sully who's supposed to be dead?" Trudy studied Jake's resurrected twin with raised eyebrows and she was proud of herself for keeping relatively calm. "I didn't know necromancy was part of the Na'vi mysticism."

"It was all a scam," Jake said. With Tommy's help, he gave her a summary of what happened.

"Wow," Trudy said when they finished explaining. "That Quaritch was a real piece of work. The thing that gets me is what he planned to do if you two ever ran into each other."

Tom's eyebrows hedged. "Dr. Patel, you mentioned a file, earlier. What sort of file was it?"

"It was a video communication addressed to Quaritch, from a Dr. Owens," answered Max. "Apparently, he was put to the task of arranging to get you 'out of the way' for Quaritch's purposes."

Tom visibly paled. "Dr. Owens was the one who approached me to test out the new procedure." He lowered his gaze in thought, his eyes going blank as he considered the information. "It makes me wonder now, whether he offered me the chance to beta the procedure because it didn't matter if I died, or if he did it to try and save my life."

"I saw the video log," Max said, "and I got the strong impression that it was the latter, Tom. If you like, I can show it to you and you can judge for yourself. It won't take long."

Tom looked at Jake. "I think we should both see it."

Trudy felt a little sorry for the guy. Tom looked like he'd been punched in the gut and she guessed that he must have trusted the doctor responsible for convincing him to test the experiment.

"When did you guys find this file?" Trudy asked Max.

"Sebastian cracked it last night," answered the bio-engineer. "I would have contacted you and told you about it but you were in a flux area. I couldn't get through."

"No biggie," she said with a shrug. "It was a trip to walk in here and see two Jakes though. Woke me right up."

* * *

"...The catch is that Tom Sully's death will be in appearance only, unless something goes wrong," Dr. Owens said to the camera. "I won't deliberately kill a man to make your job easier. Instead, I've told him that his original avatar is faulty and I've arranged for a new avatar to be engineered for him. This is going to benefit all of us, if it goes well. Dr. Sully will be the first to test out the changes in the improved avatar procedure and if it succeeds, we'll begin the process with the other candidates and you'll have your special forces. Tom Sully will be dead by all appearances and I'll arrange to make it official on Earth. His human body will be left behind but his consciousness will survive, inside of his new avatar.

"When you receive this message, you'll have already arrived in Pandora and Jake Sully should be on his way to arrive as well. If this process succeeds, you should have between seven months to a year to take advantage of Jake Sully's situation and have him rotated back to Earth before his brother arrives. You can either deal with the consequences or take steps to avoid them finding out the truth. I suggest the latter, for the sake of your career. This is the last you'll ever hear from me. Good luck."

The video went black and stopped, leaving Tom, Jake, Trudy and Max in uncomfortable silence.

"Well," Jake finally muttered, "that explains why he was in such a hurry to send me back to Earth. I thought he just figured out that I wasn't resolved in the mission anymore but now..." He trailed off and pressed his lips together.

"He didn't want us to run into each other," Tom finished for him, wearing an equally grim expression. "It would have raised complications that he didn't have time to deal with and having you killed would have drawn attention his way that he didn't want."

"So this Owens character was just caught in a situation he couldn't get out of," Trudy reasoned.

Tom nodded. "I get the feeling that he couldn't just say 'no'. He did the only thing he could to fulfill his part of the bargain without having me killed. If I hadn't gone along with his proposal to test the new procedure, I probably really would have ended up dead with a bullet in my back."

"There's nothing we can do about it now," sighed Jake. "Unless you guys find more information about other people involved in it, we might as well just let it go and move on. We're both alive and that's all that matters."

* * *

"The nearest flux vortex is three miles away from the compound," Norm said as he operated the holographic map to scan over the area. He pointed out the approximate location of the enemy base according to the coordinates given to him by Tom. "We aren't going to be able to rely on flux interference to hide our numbers."

Jake nodded, having expected as much despite his hopes. He was dressed in Tom's uniform and he covertly envied his brother for being fresh out of the shower in a clean change of clothes. Tom was wearing a pair of loose-fitting cargo pants and a navy crew shirt, given to him by the avatar team.

"Then you guys are just going to have to hang far enough back to stay out of radar range, until I've got the hostages ready to make a run for it," Jake said. "We don't have a choice but to hit them hard and fast, before they have time to set up a major defense and get their Amp suits on. Tom says they've got five gunships in the hangar there and two of them were damaged when he left. That means we could have at least three of them to worry about if we give them time to take off."

Jake looked around at the assembly, meeting his companion's eyes one at a time. "If they get those gunships in the air I want you all to focus on evasion. Their targeting systems are going to be fully functional. Ground teams, you seek cover fast and the air teams shouldn't engage enemy flyers one-on-one. Do you know what I mean when I say 'tag team'?"

"Yeah, I get it," Trudy answered. "Hit and run, keep away. Keep 'em confused and don't get targeted."

"Exactly," Jake approved. "Make sure the rest of the pilots get the memo before we head out." He turned his attention to his brother to ask if he had anything else to add and he noticed a familiar expression of calculation on Tom's face. "What's up, Tommy?"

Tom absently took a bite of the carrot-like root he was snacking on before pointing it in the direction of the map. "What if we created one?"

Blank stares were his response from the others. Knowing his twin had a penchant for thinking out loud without fully elaborating, Jake was patient. "Created one what?"

"A flux vortex," answered Tom as if it was obvious. He chewed the food in his mouth and swallowed. "You have some unobtanium stored on this base for processing, right?"

"Yes, we do," answered Max with a dawning expression of comprehension. "We keep it sealed in an insulated warehouse so that it won't—"

"—Interfere with the navigation and radar equipment," finished Tom with a nod. His golden eyes remained narrowed thoughtfully on the holographic map. "We could use it to generate our own magnetic field to scramble their radar. It doesn't have to be that powerful—only strong enough to hide our numbers and give us the advantage of surprise. They've been doing it to you but I don't think they'd expect to get a taste of their own medicine so soon."

"I like that idea," Norm approved.

Tom smiled. "You have an amplifying processor, don't you? A small one that could fit in a gunship or Samson?"

Max nodded enthusiastically. "We do! Why didn't I think of that?"

Jake grinned broadly at his brother and wrapped an arm around his neck for a brief, rough hug. "Is this guy great, or what?"

"Guess that takes care of at least part of the stealth problem," Trudy said with a grin at Tom. "Looks like the Sully boys make a pretty good team, between military tactics and science smarts."

Tom shrugged modestly. "So do you think you guys can use that idea?"

"There's a damned good chance we can," agreed Max. We'll get started on loading up what we need now."

"Good. We need to be ready to head out as soon as we can" Jake said. "We want to hit them at night, for more cover. If I can't get the ball rolling before dawn, we'll have to wait until tomorrow night."

"Where are you going to keep the schematic I drew for you?" Tom asked him. "They're probably going to arrest you right away for questioning, if they don't put you in the brig. That means they're going to search you and if they find a schematic on you, it's going to raise more suspicions. Remember Jake, some of these guys probably know what really went on before we got here and they'd know that you're still alive, too."

"Don't worry." Jake tapped his temple. "I've got it all in here. It's memorized."

"Think you could memorize a few medical terms too, while you're at it?" Tom smirked but his eyes were serious. "You've got to act like you're me."

"I _think_ I know my own brother well enough to pull that off," Jake said dryly, "but I guess cramming a little nerd-speak in there wouldn't hurt."

"Let's get a move-on," Max suggested. He leaned toward Trudy and muttered, "I need to talk to you for a minute."

* * *

When they were in Max's office, Trudy took her usual seat on his desk and regarded him curiously. "What's up?" She knew him well enough by now to sense the underlying tension he hid from public detection.

"We've got to keep an eye on Tom Sully," answered the scientist unhappily.

Trudy started to object, but then she changed her mind and nodded reluctantly. "I guess it wouldn't hurt."

"I didn't want to say anything in front of Jake," explained Max. "He's so happy to see his brother alive and believe me, there's nothing I'd like more than to work with Tom. He's a brilliant scientist and logically, I've got no reason to be suspicious. He didn't come seeking us out, after all. He helped the leader of the Ikran clan and Jake's people jumped him and abducted him. We have all the details explaining his survival and having been through a change of heart ourselves, we can't just assume he's being insincere. I just don't want to take any chances. We don't know what he's been told behind the scenes or what else they might have done to him in the process of his avatar transference."

"And since he wasn't exactly taken away from that base of his own free will, he could be playing us until he has an opportunity to get away," Trudy theorized. "I don't think it's likely since he risked his own butt to save a Na'vi's life but even the 'bad guys' can have a limit to how much abuse they can watch before their morals kick in."

She reached out and patted him on the shoulder. "Don't feel bad, Max. We don't know this guy from Adam yet and we've all been through too much shit to let his family ties pull wool over our eyes. If he's as smart as everybody says, it would be a dumb idea to rule him out as a spy. I'll stay on my toes."

* * *

They traveled back to Hometree an hour later, with two Scorpion gunships, three Samsons and one standard cargo tiltrotor to carry extra ground troops. Tom road in the cockpit with Trudy and as they flew along with the procession, she cut off the speaker link to the cargo area so she could have a private word with him.

"So, you don't have a problem with switching sides so fast?" Max would be pissed at her for being so obvious but she had the feeling that even if she tried to be subtle about it, Tom would pick up on her suspicion. Besides, something didn't feel right about playing mind games with Jake's twin.

Tom frowned at her sidelong. "My twin brother is on this 'side' and the RDA is lying to Earth. People working for the company tried to have me killed. I don't think I'm being too hasty."

"Yeah but you're just jumping in," Trudy argued. "I'd be testing the waters first if it were me."

"How do you know I'm not 'testing the waters'?"

Trudy blew a little bubble with her gum and she popped it before answering. "I don't know a damned thing about you. That's why I'm clearing the air now. What's your angle, Sully?"

He smirked at her and she smirked right back.

"Not a very subtle person, are you?"

Trudy shrugged. "You might be surprised. I can bullshit with the best of them if I've got to but seeing as you're Jake's brother, I'd rather get straight to the point. If you're on Earth's side then you might as well let me know now. You've got as much right to pick your loyalties as we do and I'll treat you fairly."

"Meaning you'll make it a clean death," Tom guessed.

"We don't operate like that," Trudy insisted. "You'll be held with the rest of the RDA and sent back home with the others. We're not like your buddies. We only kill when we've got to."

He studied her shrewdly for a moment before nodding. "All right, you want the plain, unadorned truth? Fine. I _am_ on Earth's side."

Trudy felt unreasonably disappointed. "Damn shame," she muttered.

"Let me finish," he said sternly. "The RDA people aren't my 'buddies', as you put it. I said I'm on _Earth's side_, not theirs. By now, Earth could have probably come up with a terran alternative to unobtanium if the RDA wasn't doing everything in their power to suppress development. They stand to make too much money off the colonization of this world and the exploitation of its resources. The rest of Earth isn't to blame for what the RDA has been doing here. I traded my human body for one that can function better on Pandora, but the people on Earth are still my people...and yours."

"I won't argue with that," Trudy conceded. "But we aren't _on_ Earth and the people here are being threatened by Earth government. Ever think of that?"

"If I hadn't, I wouldn't be here now, trying to help free the captive indigenous." Tom sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I'm here to help Earth _and_ Pandora. The medicine we could develop from the native rainforests could benefit the people of both worlds. I came here hoping that some kind of workable solution could be drawn up, without raping Pandora or encroaching on the Na'vi. I know it's probably naive of me to think the Human government will do any better compromising with the natives here than it has in the past with the natives on Earth. Humans have a history of proving they'd rather take than give. We're like greedy children that don't want to share our toys, but think we're entitled to everyone else's."

"What flattering picture," Trudy grumbled. "All right, save the speeches. What you're saying in a nutshell is that you're here to help Humans _and_ Na'vi, right?"

"That's the gist of it, yes."

Trudy studied him with narrowed eyes. She couldn't be sure whether he was keeping something from her or playing head games with her. He had that crooked little grin she was used to seeing on Jake's face. It bothered her in two ways—one of which confused the hell out of her.

"I'm going to be watching you," Trudy informed him in a warning tone.

"You do that," Tom answered pleasantly. "It just means you're being smart. I'd be watching me, too."

Trudy reached into her jacket pocket and produced her pack of gum. She offered it to him wordlessly and he took a stick with polite thanks.

"You know you've just given me an advantage," Tom informed her as he unwrapped the chewy treat and placed it into his mouth.

"Puh, how do you figure?" Trudy unwrapped a fresh stick of gum for herself and subtly expectorated her stale gum into the wrapping before replacing it with the new piece. She chewed the strawberry flavored confectionary into submission as she watched him sidelong.

Tom leaned a little closer to her. "If I'm out to sabotage your operation, I know to watch what I do around you now. If you had kept your suspicion to yourself I wouldn't have any reason to think you were keeping an eye on me and I might slip up."

She turned her head to look at him full on, lifting her shades to peer into his amber eyes. "Or maybe I've just given you a reason to be a little _too_ careful. People slip up when they know they're being watched too, you know."

Tom gave her another one of those familiar, crooked smiles. "That's a hefty gamble you're taking, Lieutenant Chacón."

She didn't have a comeback for that. "Chew your gum."

* * *

The visiting chieftains were uneasy about the human allies but Trudy and the others stayed on the outskirts of the village to avoid unnecessary tension. Jake quickly explained that they were there to back them up and with Norm and Tom's help, he also explained the plan concerning the generation of a temporary flux vortex. While they prepared to deploy, Neytiri helped Jake to style his hair like Tom's.

"I don't like this," Neytiri said to Jake as she loosened the braids in his hair and combed them out. "This false vortex they wish to use...it is not natural."

"It's only temporary," Jake assured her. "And it's the only way we can move in on that compound without the enemy seeing us coming too soon." He reached up to rub one of her busy hands with his. "I know how you feel about this kind of thing but we've got to use every advantage we've got. At such short notice, we don't have the numbers we'd need to make a straightforward attack. It's like when we went up against the Sky People to save the Tree of Souls, Neytiri. We need some kind of tactical advantage. Even if we have them outnumbered, they'll still have us out-gunned. I want to keep the casualties to a minimum."

"I understand the need for stealth," she sighed as she began to braid his loose hair in with his queue. "I am just uneasy over manipulating nature to suit our needs. This was your brother's idea?"

She glanced across the den and spotted Tom. He was in a deep conversation with Norm. After her initial happiness for mate faded, she began to feel reservations about his brother. Her Jake had already done harm by the time he allied himself with the Omaticaya and Neytiri wasn't foolish enough to believe Tom wasn't capable of doing the same thing. She sensed that he shared his brother's strong heart, but she was wary of him, deep inside. The Sky People had ways of convincing themselves and others that they were justified in their greed. Jake's eyes had opened after living amongst her people for a while, but Tom was a newcomer.

Perhaps Jake's love for his brother made him too trusting, but Neytiri took heart in Norm's apparent faith in him. While he counted Tom as a friend, she was confident that Norm had already considered the possibility that he wasn't all he appeared to be. Neytiri felt a moment of guilt for trusting Norm's judgment over her own mate's, but there was the matter of blood ties influencing Jake's loyalty. Perhaps her reservations were born of a sense of envy. Jake had his brother back but Neytiri's sister would not be making such a miraculous return from the dead. The bullets of the Sky People made sure of that, the day they raided Dr. Augustine's school.

"You're pulling my hair, beautiful."

Neytiri looked down at her task and bit her lip. She murmured an apology to her mate and stroked his hair before resuming at a more careful pace. When she was finished, she instructed him to stand up so that she could inspect him. Jake got to his feet and Neytiri scanned him from head to toe, secretly admiring the way the black uniform fit his body. She wasn't fond of the Human custom of wearing a barrier of clothes between themselves and the world around them, but she had to admit the outfit was pleasing on Jake. She looked at Tom in the distance to compare and she felt a little uneasy over how alike they were.

"I think that you are ready," Neytiri said. "See what Norm thinks."

Norm and Tom ended their conversation when Jake approached and stood next to his brother. Norm's eyes flicked between the two of them and his mouth went slack for a moment.

"I can hardly tell the two of you apart." Norm's expression changed to slight discomfort. "It's a little unsettling."

Jake glanced sidelong at his brother. "As long as the enemy can't tell us apart, I don't care."

"They won't be able to," Norm assured him, "at least, not until you open your mouth. Try not to use too much slang or crack too many jokes."

"I'll try to contain myself," Jake said dryly. "I can always blame it on a head wound."

Jake frowned suddenly and swore, leaving Neytiri and the others to stare at him. "Speaking of wounds, I don't have a mark on me. Tommy, I need you to smack me around a little to make it look genuine. We can't wait 'till the last minute or the bruises will be too fresh to be convincing."

Tom's jaw dropped and Neytiri couldn't blame him when he shook his head. "I'm not going to beat you up, Jake."

"Why the hell not?" Jake countered. "We used to beat each other up all the time as kids."

"That was then, this is now," Tom grumbled. "Rough-housing for play isn't the same as you standing there letting me lay into you."

Jake sighed and looked to Norm. "What about you? I know there's gotta be some part of you that's always wanted to take a swing at me."

Norm grimaced. "Maybe in the beginning, but not now. I see your point though...I guess I can try. Just don't hold it against me."

Jake shrugged. "Can't hold it against you when I'm the one that asked you to do it. Go ahead, Norm. Give me your best shot."

Norm curled his hands into fists and drew back to strike. Jake braced himself and shut his eyes. Neytiri was on the verge of speaking out against this plan, but she knew her mate was right. The Sky People would never believe he tried to stop Tanhi from escaping if he showed up without a mark to show for his efforts.

Norm pressed his lips together grimly and prepared to strike, but he hesitated at the last minute and wavered. He sighed and dropped his arms to the sides, shaking his head. "Sorry. I can't do it, Jake."

Jake's eyes popped open. "Oh, come on!" He grumbled under his breath and turned around to face Neytiri. "What about you? You'll hit me, right?"

"You still like being smacked around by girls, eh?" Tom smirked.

Jake chuckled. "Only the right ones."

Neytiri shook her head, torn between amusement and remorse. "I cannot strike you, my Jake."

He looked exasperated. "You swat me all the time!"

Neytiri shared a look with Tom without meaning to, empathizing with his earlier statement. "That is only play. Hitting you to cause real harm is not the same thing."

"Well, _somebody's_ got to kick my ass," Jake insisted, looking around the den at the gathered Na'vi. "Unless you want me to beat myself up."

"That would be entertaining to watch," Norm muttered. "There's Tanhi over there. Why don't you ask her? You won't get any of our people to do it, Jake...not even the ones who aren't happy with your status as clan leader. They respect the title too much."

Jake sighed and took his advice. He approached Tanhi and waited for her to finish speaking with the warriors she was conversing with before explaining what he needed. Unsurprisingly, she looked at him as if he were drunk or under the influence of glow worms.

"You wish for me to beat you?"

"That's right," Jake confirmed with a nod. "The Sky People need to believe that Tommy was going to execute you and you escaped. They'll never believe a chieftess like you would escape without causing some injuries. So, will you do it?"

She glanced around at her fellow Na'vi, who looked very interested in the proposition. "You are a strange male, _Toruk Makto_. I do understand your reasoning, though."

She wasted no more time and before Jake could brace himself, her fist struck him forcibly in the solar plexus. He coughed and staggered under the assault while onlookers stared with curious bewilderment. Some of the Omaticaya made as if to intervene, having no idea why the Ikran chieftess was attacking their leader. Neytiri cried out a sharp command to stop them. Jake wasn't given a chance to recover from the blow. Tanhi struck him in the face, whipping his head to the side. She then swept his legs out from under him with a low kick and while he lay stunned on his back, she kicked him in the side.

"Not there!" Neytiri hollered when the other female looked as though she was about to kick her mate in the groin.

Jake groaned and nodded up at the chieftess as she stopped and gazed down at him questioningly. He sat up, rubbing his smarting jaw. "That's good," he said. "I think you knocked a tooth loose."

"I was only doing as I would have if Tom-ee truly had tried to kill me," excused Tanhi, offering a solicitous hand to Jake. He took it and she helped him up. "You asked me to do it, brother."

"Yeah, I did ask you to do it." Jake worked his jaw before smiling crookedly at Tanhi. "Good work. Now I need someone to hit me over the head."

"What?" Tom exploded. "You're a masochist! How do you think you're going to manage to do this mission if you're beaten to a pulp with a concussion?" He reached up and gingerly probed the bump still present on the back of his own head.

"They've got to believe I was knocked unconscious and left in the forest overnight," Jake explained. "Odds are, they've already had search parties looking for you. I'm going to tell them I woke up in some bushes...or something...but I've got to have a head injury to back my story."

Tanhi shrugged and began to reach for her borrowed bow—probably intending to clock Jake over the head with the sturdy weapon. Norm intervened quickly. "Hold it...I may have a solution for that which _won't_ involve knocking you out. We can make a small cut on your scalp and I can put some plant extract on it that will cause swelling. It's going to itch and sting but it's better than a concussion."

Jake looked a little relieved. "Go for it. I'd rather not take a blow to the head anyway—no matter how thick my skull is."

Norm collected the necessary plant extracts from outside and he sterilized his sharp hunting knife by passing it over the fire burning in the pit. Jake knelt and stoically accepted the stinging cut Norm made in his scalp, while Tom and the other watched. Norm dabbed the blood away from the wound before dripping the plant extract over it. Jake hissed softly and Norm patted him on the shoulder.

"Let's just hope this doesn't give you an infection. I only made a small cut so it should heal easily but this plant extract is going to irritate the tissue. If you start feeling feverish or achy, let me or Tom know."

Jake nodded. "Got it."

He stood up when Norm declared that he was finished and he walked with Neytiri to the basket lying near the natural spiral up. Mo'at was there, watching over little Tommy. Jake knelt beside his son and smiled when the bright, inquisitive eyes looked up at him.

"Be good for your grandmother, kiddo. We'll be back as soon as we can."

* * *

The sun had just set when they arrived at the designated area, far enough away from the enemy compound to be out of range of their scanners. The Na'vi alliance waited on the backs of ikrans and direhorses while the human aircrafts landed far enough away to avoid panicking the animals. The Hell's Gate marines moved quickly and efficiently, unloading troops, unobtanium deposits and the amplifying device. Tom and Norm worked together to power the machine up and set the conduit levels.

"This is probably going to deteriorate the mineral to the point of being useless," Tom warned as Jake, Trudy and the others watched what they were doing. "I hate to waste it, but we should be able to put out a strong enough field to scramble their radar...at least long enough to move in."

"Don't start loading it yet," Norm cautioned the troops that carried the crates of mineral. "We need to wait for Jake's signal. This is only going to give us a temporary window so we don't want to start too early."

"So what are you going to do to signal us, Jake?" Trudy took her attention off of the device to regard her friend.

"I'm still working on that," he admitted. When she and the others looked at him dubiously, he sighed. "Listen, I can't take anything in there with me except what Tom had on him last night. If I go in there with a flare gun—especially one that isn't regulation—they're going to suspect something. Trust me, I _will_ find a way to signal you and I'll make sure you know it's from me."

They offered no further arguments and Jake approached Neytiri and put his hands on her shoulders. "I'll try to get this done tonight," He murmured, touching his forehead against hers. "Help keep everyone in line for me until I give the signal, okay?"

"I will do my part," she promised.

She closed her eyes and placed her hands on his shoulders in return. They stayed like that for a few moments, lending one another strength. A few feet away, Norm's hand sought out Ni'nat's and the clan and Human forces waited in respectful silence for Jake and Neytiri to finish their moment of affection.

Jake heard Tom heave a soft sigh. He stepped away from Neytiri and gave Tom a concerned look. "You've got to be up for this, Tommy."

"It isn't that," argued the younger twin softly. "I'm ready to do this. I just wish there was another way." His eyes gazed between Jake and Neytiri.

Jake understood. Tommy was afraid that Neytiri could end up as a widow and his namesake could end up without a father. Smiling with confidence, Jake approached his brother. "Remember what I said last night. Just do your part and let me worry about mine, otherwise you're going to slip and you won't be as useful to us."

* * *

-To be continued

**Translations: **

_**Toruk Makto**_ = One who rides a Great Leonopteryx, known as "Toruk" or "Last Shadow" to the Na'vi people. Hunters that manage to bond with the animal are revered by the People as great warriors and leaders. Very few have ever succeeded in claiming a Toruk and those who have are legendary to all Na'vi.


	18. Chapter 18

"Between worlds"

Chapter 18

* * *

_**Author's note: See footnotes at the end of the chapter for Na'vi/English translations. Warning: Violence in this chapter. **_

* * *

*Disclaimer: I do not own Pandora and I make no profit from writing fanfiction based on the "Avatar" film.

* * *

As he approached the compound, Jake spotted the perfect place for an alibi and he made a mental note of its location. He stopped for a moment and made use of a couple of fallen branches to create false tracks leading toward the hole beneath the bole of the tree, attempting to make it look like someone was dragged to the spot. When he was finished doing that, he trudged through the forest and kept an eye out for predators. If something decided to attack him, he'd have no choice but to make a run for it. He thought it best not to bring Tommy's Wasp revolver with him, because it would lend his story credit if he showed up at the gates unarmed. After all, even if she didn't know how to use the weapon, Tanhi would have done the smart thing and taken her captor's weapon away to avoid the risk of him waking up and using it on her.

He made it to the fence perimeter and he studied it before approaching the gate. The dimensions and layout were just as Tommy said they would be. Jake noted the locations of the guards near the fence, for future reference. They took aim at him as he approached and he held his hands up, calling out to identify himself. The gates opened slowly and four avatar guards came out and surrounded him.

"Dr. Sully, we've been searching for you since last night," one of them said in a disciplined, toneless voice. "There are serious allegations against you."

"I'll bet there are," Jake answered dryly. He deliberately staggered a little and shut his eyes. "Can we make this fast? I'm feeling dizzy."

"First I want to hear your side of the story," insisted the lead guard.

"I took the problematic prisoner out into the forest last night, intending to shoot her," Jake spoke as he thought his brother would as he explained. "Your people can probably verify this, but I was disguised as one of the troops when I did it. I think his name was Private Harris?"

"Yes, he reported an ambush to Lieutenant Phelps shortly after you disappeared," answered the guard. "Want to tell us why you did that, Doctor?"

Jake had to restrain himself from responding in his own words. "Honestly? Because I was trying to save her from a fate worse than death and I think you know what I mean by that. A mercy killing would sit better on my conscience than allowing what I knew was coming."

So far, so good. The guards glanced at each other uncomfortably, leaving little doubt in Jake's mind that they knew exactly what he was implying. It was heartening to see a negative reaction to the plans this Lt. Phelps had for Tanhi. It gave him hope that perhaps not everyone on this base was lost to reason and decency.

"We never found a body," said the lead guard, "and the only evidence we found of you was your headgear."

"I underestimated her," Jake said in a tone of fabricated embarrassment. "When I stopped to finish her off, she attacked me. I wasn't prepared for it and before I could recover, she knocked me out. I only woke up a little while ago. She must have dragged me and stuffed me under the bole of a tree. All I know is my gun is missing and my head hurts like a bitch."

He winced inwardly at the last sentence, figuring his brother would never have said it that way. The guards didn't seem to think much of it—possibly attributing the crudeness of the complaint to understandable discomfort.

"Can you verify this at all, Dr. Sully? We searched everywhere in the surrounding area and it's hard to believe we could have missed you."

"I can show you were I woke up," Jake said. "It was well-hidden—which I suppose is lucky for me...otherwise I might have ended up as some animal's dinner while I was unconscious."

* * *

"We've verified his story as best we could, Sir. We found evidence that suggests he's telling the truth."

Lieutenant Phelps regarded Jake with narrowed eyes and he drummed his gloved fingers on the desk. He glanced at his computer monitor and worked his jaw in thought before nodding. "Toss him in the brig. Doctor Sully is under arrest for breaching protocol, until our superiors decide otherwise. Leave his cuffs on, too. I want to interrogate him."

Jake smirked at the man, having little doubt that his idea of "interrogation" included a beating. It was blatantly obvious that the Lieutenant disliked Tommy.

Phelps noticed the smirk and he scowled. "I suggest you wipe that smug look off your face, Sully. You're in for a world of hurt for this stunt."

"You're a coward and your men know it," Jake said, his smirk not fading in the least. "What's the matter, Lieutenant? Upset that you didn't get to carry out your rape plan?"

"Get him out of my sight," snarled Phelps.

Jake was forcibly dragged out of the room and taken to another building in the back of the compound. He paid close attention to where he was, comparing the layout to the map Tom had shown him. Everything fell into place. If he wasn't mistaken, the kids were being held in the building southeast of the prison building he was being taken to. He glanced at the structure as they passed and he noted that there were two guards at the entrance. There were windows, but they were barred and sealed in glass—probably shatterproof.

He didn't argue with his captors as they led him into the brig and to a cell. One of them looked him over after shutting and locking the iron bars and Jake had the impression that he was being measured.

"It would be in your best interest not to piss the Lieutenant off any further, Sir. He thinks you're guilty of treason and you're already going to pay for that."

"And what do you think?" Jake tested, regarding the guard curiously. Some of these soldiers weren't as corrupt as he'd feared.

"I think I'd better keep my opinion to myself and follow orders," answered the guard flatly.

Jake nodded. "Like any true-blue Jarhead. I get it."

The guard stared at him and Jake wondered if he said too much. "My brother was a marine," he explained.

The guard relaxed. "Jake Sully, right?" When Jake nodded, he continued: "My sister was in the Venezuela conflict with him. Did he ever mention Pamela Dawson? She was a Corporal."

Jake remembered her. Pamela wasn't easy to forget. Tall, red-headed and curved in all the right places, half the regiment wanted to ask her out if they lived through the fighting—including him. "Yeah, Jake mentioned her a few times. How is she?"

The guard shook his head. "She didn't make it."

Jake winced. He guessed that she must have taken a bullet in the same disaster that claimed his legs. "I'm sorry."

Dawson nodded. "Thanks, man. I'm sorry about your brother, too. Just try not to provoke Phelps, will you? You've got balls for a scientist but you've seen how he can break a man."

No, Jake hadn't seen it but he nodded anyway. "I'll try to contain myself. See you around."

* * *

Jake didn't have to wait for long before Lt. Phelps came. He subtly tensed as the man entered his cell. The brig was guarded on the outside but there were no soldiers inside and Jake was the only prisoner. There would be no intervention if the Lieutenant started laying into him... which actually suited Jake's purpose just fine. He watched the other man with feigned wariness as Phelps approached him, looking grimly self-satisfied. It was difficult to hide his contempt as Jake was prepared to make his move.

"You got ahead of yourself, Sully." Phelps looked him up and down. "But it looks like that Na'vi bitch did a little of my work for me when she got away. How do you like that? You try to be merciful and the little savage beats you up for it?"

"Yeah, she should have just stood still and let me shoot her," Jake answered facetiously. "What a dumb bitch."

"You've got a smart mouth, Doc. I think your balls got bigger while you were knocked out."

Jake shrugged as best he could with his wrists bound behind his back. "Maybe I'm starting to see things more clearly. From where I'm standing, the Na'vi aren't the 'savages' on this moon."

He saw the blow coming and Jake braced himself. The other man's fist struck him hard, close to the spot where Tanhi had punched him. Jake fell to the floor, moving his body strategically to avoid landing on his arms and damaging them. He rolled on his side and spat out salty blood while his captor loomed over him. Jake glared up at him and gave him a feral, painful smile.

"Do that again," Jake dared. "I'm begging you."

Phelps gave him a cruel smirk and prepared to grant his request, drawing back to kick him in the gut. Jake moved with the speed of a striking viper, sweeping one leg out in a low kick that struck the other man in the shins. Off-balance, Lt. Phelps buckled under the surprise assault and before he could recover, Jake introduced his face to the sole of his boot. There was a sickening crunch as the strike broke Phelps' nose. The force of the kick knocked the Lieutenant out cold and he fell to the floor limply.

Jake sat up with a grunt and scooted over to his victim. "Pansy-ass bitch."

He pressed his lips together with effort as he turned his body and painstakingly rifled through the unconscious man's pockets until he found his key ring. Hoping that he wasn't wrong about the cuffs sharing a universal key, he manipulated the keys in his fingers until he finally found the one that fit into the lock on his binds. Poking his tongue out in concentration, he fit the key in and twisted it. There was a "click" as the lock gave and Jake sighed in relief when the cuffs opened. He freed his wrists and immediately put the Lieutenant's wrists behind his back to bind them.

He checked the other man's pulse and when he was satisfied, he painstakingly dragged him beneath the cell's bunk. "Have a nice nap."

He took Phelps' holster and gun, and then he relieved him of his knife and the sheath secured around his thigh. Jake doubted he'd find much use for the firearm until later but the knife would come in handy. He secured the weapons to his person and he almost considered stealing the Lieutenant's body armor, but he changed his mind when he thought of how it might weigh him down. As an added precaution, he pulled Phelps' boots off and gagged him with one of his own socks, grinning at the thought of the mean-spirited man waking up with the taste of his own feet in his mouth.

When he was finished with his task, Jake unlocked the cell and pulled the door open. He glanced over his shoulder at his vanquished enemy to be sure he was still comfortably napping, before closing the cell and locking it again. Now he had to figure out how to escape the building without getting caught. His first instinct was to take out the guards but upon glancing up, he spotted an air vent in the ceiling—possibly for distribution of atmospheric gases in the event of human prisoners. Jake nodded to himself and reached up to work the vent cover free. While not as satisfying as beating the shit out of a pair of guards, escape through the ventilation system offered a stealthier option.

After pushing the vent cover aside, Jake grasped the edge of the opening and hauled himself up. He replaced the vent cover before crawling down the narrow passage. It was a tight fit but he'd been in tighter situations before. He mentally reviewed his position and took the route that should lead to the back of the building, away from the front door. After several meters, he found a vent leading outside and he popped the cover off before sliding out and landing softly on the ground. He barely had a chance to recover before a patrolling guard came around from the other side of the building. Jake flattened himself against the wall and moved in quickly, drawing his stolen knife. He had no choice.

The guard didn't see the movement until Jake was upon him and by then, it was too late. He muttered a surprised exclamation that Jake muffled with his hand as he lunged at him. A grunt soon followed as Jake's knife slid between the segments of his body armor and found his heart. Jake held the guard as he died and he lowered him silently to the ground when he went limp. He wiped the blood off of his blade and replaced the weapon in its sheath before moving on. Keeping to the shadows, Jake practiced every military and hunter skill he had learned, moving swiftly and quietly through the compound and avoiding contact with further patrols.

He made it to the building housing the captive Ikran children without further incident, but he had another problem to deal with: the building was—unsurprisingly—guarded. Jake narrowed his eyes and scanned the walls, trying to come up with a way to get inside without being spotted. There was a back door but it was locked tight from the inside. There were air vents but he had no idea whether there were guards inside or not. He was just about to climb into one and find out, when he spotted a female avatar in a lab coat walking away from the building. He tilted his head and considered her, going over the list of people Tommy had given him that might be influenced to help. He could be completely wrong about her identity but he decided that he had to take the risk.

"Jill," called Jake softly, hoping that the guards wouldn't hear. The woman paused and he knew he had correctly identified her. "Jill, over here," he urged.

She looked around before walking around behind the building. Her stance was wary as she approached and she peered into the shadows with obvious trepidation. "Tom?" She whispered. "Dr. Sully, is that you?"

"Sort of," Jake answered. "Come here, I really need to talk to you alone."

She obviously recognized his voice and her pace quickened. Jake reached out and caught her arm as she drew close. She parted her lips and he quickly covered her mouth with his hand.

"It's all right," he soothed as she stared at him with wide, alarmed yellow eyes. "I'm not going to hurt you."

She relaxed and when he pulled his hand away, she spoke in a softly panicked voice. "Tom, they said you were arrested! I heard that you helped the Ikran leader escape. How did you get out of the brig?"

"I'm not Tom," Jake explained in a low whisper. "I'm his twin brother, Jake."

She ogled him. "J-Jake? They said that Tom's brother was dead!"

"That was a lie," Jake said grimly, "I don't know how many people are in on it but there was a...a situation. I'll explain later but right now, I need someone I can trust. Tom said you aren't happy about the way things are being run here. Was he right? Can I count on you?"

She faltered and he could smell the fear on her. "It's been terrible," she admitted. "I understood why they captured that tribe of Na'vi but to beat them and try to rape them...to threaten the lives of those poor children..." Her eyes filled with tears and she drew a trembling breath. "I'm so afraid."

Recognizing symptoms of impending hysteria, Jake quickly drew her into a comforting embrace and stroked her hair. "Shh, it's going to be okay," he murmured. "Try to calm down, all right?"

She nodded and he waited until her trembling lessened before pulling back to look at her again. He wiped her tears away with his thumbs and spoke in a calming tone. "Listen, if you want to help those kids, you need to help me. I'm going to try to get them out of that building and reunite them with the adults, but I need to know what kind of opposition I'm up against."

"There aren't any guards inside," she whispered readily. "They don't need any. The children are kept locked up in a bunker room and they're allowed to come out once per day for exercise, under military supervision. If the adults try to revolt, they'll turn on the oxygen generator and expose the children to Earth atmosphere."

Jake growled softly and clenched his jaw. "So in other words, they'll gas the kids."

She nodded and shut her eyes. "Yes."

"That's not going to happen," Jake said determinedly. "Nobody's going to hurt those kids while I'm breathing. I'm going to get them out of here but I need your help, Dr. Turnley. I can get into that building without the guards spotting me, but I can't get all of those children out the same way. Do you think you can help me? Maybe you could distract the guards or something."

She took a deep breath and nodded. "I can do that. I need to get something from my lab first, though."

Jake felt a moment of suspicion. "Like what?"

"Sedatives," she answered. "They think I'm as meek as a mouse, so they won't suspect anything. I can give you the window of opportunity you need."

Jake's reservations faded and he nodded. "Be quick about it. We've only got so many hours of darkness to get these people out of here."

She hurried away without another word and Jake watched from the shadows as she crossed the compound. A patrolling guard greeted her just as she was almost to the lab building and Jake swore silently when he asked why she was in such a hurry. Jill said that one of the captive children was ill and she was fetching some medication to treat him. The guard shrugged as if it was inconsequential and Jake gritted his teeth, angered by the casual dismissal. Jill continued unimpeded and she vanished into the building for roughly fifteen minutes before coming out again. She approached the building housing the hostage children and her eyes briefly met Jake's before she approached the guards at the door.

"I left my stethoscope inside," she excused when they questioned her. "I need to go in and get it." Jake noticed then that the instrument that had previously been hanging around her neck was absent.

"Go ahead," answered one of the guards with a nod.

Jill opened the door and went through, leaving Jake to wonder how she intended to buy him his opportunity. A moment later, her voice called out from inside and the guards went in to see what the problem was. Jake heard her speaking to them, saying something about one of the children collapsing. A couple of seconds later, he heard a surprised curse, followed by the sound of two heavy thumps. Jill came out of the building and hurried around to the back, motioning Jake to come. He drew his knife as a precaution and slunk around to the front, following her through the door.

Once he was inside, Jake discovered what made the thumps he had heard. Both of the guards lay flat on their stomachs, each with a syringe plunged into their backs like darts thrown at a target board by an overzealous hand.

"Nice work," Jake complimented with a sidelong smirk at his companion.

Jill shut the door and pointed at the narrow hallway. "You'll find the kids in the bunker room on the left," she explained. "Here, I took the keys from one of them."

Jake took the offered key ring and hurried down the hallway. He unlocked the bolts on the door and opened it to find a room full of sullen-faced Na'vi children, ranging from the ages of infant to pre-teen. It appeared as though the older children had taken it upon themselves to care for the babies and toddlers, though how they managed to get milk for the former was a mystery to him. One of the older girls approached him with recognition lighting her face.

"_Toruk Makto_?" She inquired with obvious surprise.

Jake nodded and smiled, kneeling before her as he spoke in Na'vi. "Yes, it's me. I need all of you to listen closely, okay? I'm here to take you to your parents and free you all, but you have to help me, understand?"

The children nodded and Jake continued: "We are going to stick to the shadows and I need you all to be as quiet as possible. Don't get ahead of each other, follow my lead and don't move unless I tell you to. If _anything_ happens to me, you get back here as fast as possible and wait. My people will try to rescue you if I fail to get you out. Is any of that unclear?"

One of the older boys stepped forward and he looked around at the others before nodding. "We understand, _Toruk Makto_. We will do as you say."

Jake studied the boy and he reached for his stolen gun, making sure that the safety was on before handing it to him. "Do you know how to use one of these?"

The boy shrugged. "Point it at the enemy and push this thing," he said, indicating the trigger. "I have seen the Sky People use them against my people."

Jake felt his chest tighten at the thought of such a young person witnessing such a thing. He swallowed his emotions and nodded, forcing a smile. "That's right. You don't use this unless you have _no other_ choice, understand? This is for self-defense only. It makes a loud noise when it goes off, so it will alert the enemy if you use it. If one of the Sky People tries to shoot you or any of the other children, you flip this button and shoot back, okay?"

The boy nodded. "Yes."

Jake's smile became a little more genuine. These were the children of hunters and gatherers. While sheltered as much as they could be in their living situation, they weren't given to panic and he couldn't imagine human children showing this kind of bravery.

"Let's go."

* * *

Jake told Jill to get somewhere safe before he led the children out of the building. He assured her that Tom was safe and warned her that there was going to be a big fight, as soon as he found a way to signal his comrades after getting the captives to safety. She didn't argue with him and he concentrated on moving his charges safely to the bunker where the adult Na'vi were being held. The children moved with impressive silence and when an infant or toddler started making noise, one of the older kids watching after it would insert fingers into their mouth to quiet them. They went from building to building, sticking close to the fence. Jake took out two more guards on the way before they reached the supply building and an idea came to him.

"Stay here," Jake instructed.

He climbed the wall with effort and got onto the roof, laying flat and motionless when one of the searchlights skimmed over the rooftop. When it passed over him, he began to move again, crawling purposely toward one of the air vents he had spotted high on the wall of the large building. He leaned over the side of the roof and tugged the vent cover free, muttering under his breath that he'd soon have enough experience with air conditioning systems to take up a career in the maintenance field. Jake eased his body over the side of the roof while the children below watched and he slid into the vent. He moved with caution, guessing that the interior of this building would have at least one guard. He wasn't disappointed.

Jake waited in the air duct while the guard moved beneath him, timing his move carefully. There was another guard on the opposite side of the room and it was going to be tough to take either of them out without alerting the other. He gauged the distance and he hoped that his throwing arm would be good enough for what he had planned. He carefully slid the vent cover aside, gritting his teeth anxiously as he tried to move it without making noise. He breathed a sigh of relief when he succeeded and when the guard closest to him passed beneath his hiding spot he dropped down.

The guard staggered as Jake landed behind him and clamped a hand over his mouth. His companion saw the struggle just as Jake slit his throat and the Omaticaya chieftain had only seconds to act before the other guard called for help or shot at him. He chucked his knife forcefully at the surprised avatar, speaking a silent prayer to Eywa as it spun through the air. Just as the guard lifted his gun to fire, the blade pierced his throat to the hilt. He reached for the knife embedded in his windpipe and his mouth went wide as he struggled to breathe. He sank to the floor with his mouth working like a fish as he drowned in his own blood.

Jake huffed another sigh and rather than retrieve his knife from his latest victim's throat, he took the one sheathed on the guard lying at his feet. He looked around, hoping that his hunch was right. When his eyes settled on the crates of C-4 stacked against one of the walls, he smirked. Tom and the others were going to get a signal, all right. The explosives would not only provide an alert to his companions; they would also provide a distraction to make reuniting the kids with the adults easier on him.

A few minutes later, Jake climbed out of the vent and dropped down behind the building with the kids. "We have about five minutes," he told them. "Let's get going."

* * *

Tom peered through the binoculars with a frown of concentration on his lips.

"Come on, Jake...let us know you're still alive," he muttered under his breath.

"Anything yet?" Norm asked him.

Tom shook his head. "Nothing. We might have to move in soon if we don't see—"

His words lodged in his throat as a fantastic explosion went up somewhere inside the compound. Even from this range, he could hear the alarmed shouts in the distance as the soldiers in the compound sought cover or rushed to get firefighting equipment.

"If that isn't the signal, I don't know _what_ is," Tom gasped with certainty. He tore the binoculars away from his face and ran to the powered-up amplifying device. "Go! Get this thing loaded up!" He shouted to the waiting marines.

Norm came up beside him and together, they prepared the machine to start the conductivity process. Trudy and the other pilots boarded their aircrafts and started up the rotors to take to the air. The Na'vi alliance shouted war cries and mounted their ikrans and direhorses. Tanhi led the air fighters and Akway led the ground fighters. Tom's adrenaline pumped as he pulled the switch to engage the process. The device made a grinding sound and the lights suddenly dimmed and went out. Tom stared at the machine in disbelief before exchanging a dreading look with Norm.

"What's the problem?" One of the marines asked.

Tom shut the power switch off and flipped it on again. Nothing happened. Overwhelmed by disbelieving frustration, he kicked the device hard enough to make it rock. "Goddamnit, _work_ you piece of shit!"

"It died?" Neytiri asked as she came to see what the matter was.

Tom tried again and again but the machine had apparently shorted out. He growled and looked up as the Hell's Gate air forces and the ikran riders flew overhead.

"It was a good idea Tom, but we're going to have to come up with something else," Norm said.

"We _need_ a tactical advantage," Tom stressed, "otherwise we're going to lose a lot more people in this fight!"

Neytiri opened her mouth to say something but a distant bellow interrupted her. She paused and looked at Norm. "Titanotheres," she murmured. "There is a herd nearby."

Norm considered the observation and scratched his jaw. "I'll bet a stampede of those could break down the fences in that compound."

Neytiri nodded and without another word, she ran to her ikran and hopped nimbly onto its back. Tom stared in confusion as Neytiri called out to Ni'nat and some of the other hunters who hadn't yet taken off. They followed her and Norm started away to mount his own ikran. Tom grabbed him by the arm before he could take more than two steps.

"What's going on?" demanded Tom.

"I think we're about to try using wildlife as a distraction," answered Norm hurriedly. "You might want to climb a tree."

Tom stared after him as the anthropologist ran to his ikran and mounted up to follow Neytiri's small group, while the rest of the Na'vi advanced with the marines through the forest. He looked up at the canopy, torn between the desire to follow the strike force into battle and heed Norm's suggestion. Deciding that it would be wise to follow his friend's advice, Tom approached one of the trees and climbed the trunk. He heard distressed bleats coming from the direction where Neytiri's party flew and then, the ground began to shake. There was a growing rumble, like thunder. Tom braced a hand against the trunk and wrapped his thighs around the branch he was seated on while he lifted his binoculars to his eyes. He could see a fine cloud of dust rising from the forest to the east and he thought he spotted Neytiri's ikran swooping over it.

"If something happens to you, Jake's going to kill me," Tom muttered to his brother's mate. He knew that Na'vi women were as fierce and brave as their men but the sight of his "sister-in-law" out there pulling a cowgirl stunt made his hair stand on end.

He didn't have time to worry further about Neytiri, though. There was a crashing, rending sound as mighty beasts plunged through the forest and Tom's tree shook with the force of the approaching herd. He was forced to hang onto his branch like a sloth and he stared with wide eyes as a couple dozen hammerheads charged through the underbrush beneath him. Neytiri and the others followed on their ikrans, shouting and firing arrows that bounced harmlessly off the creatures' thick, armored hides. The goal wasn't to harm the beasts, but to sting them enough to keep them moving in the ideal direction.

Tom watched them trample past and he had to admire Jake's mate for coming up with the idea. He put his binoculars to his eyes again and witnessed the ground teams hastily parting to make way for the panicked herd of animals. The compound's radar was going to be picking up movement, all right—just not the sort they probably anticipated.

* * *

"Come on guys, don't make us wait much longer," Jake muttered under his breath.

The guards were gone from the bunker now, rushing to help put out the fires caused by Jake blowing up every explosive in the supply building. He smirked in spite of himself. Some of their AMP suits were stored in that building as well, so at least that was one less weapon these people could use against his team.

"_Toruk Makto_, we must move soon," urged one of the Ikran warriors with an anxious look around at his clan mates and their returned offspring.

"Just wait a little while longer," Jake insisted. "Please. If your chieftess and my people come through for us, we will have a better chance of escaping without injuries or death."

"If we wait much longer, our chance will be gone," argued the hunter. Others nodded in agreement.

Jake glanced out the barred window at the activity going on in the courtyard. "Just a few more minutes," he pleaded. "If we don't see a sign that our people are moving in, we'll get going."

He got his sign a moment later, when the guards stationed on the front fence suddenly jumped down and began running away. Jake's brows drew together and he frowned. "What the hell?"

The front fence buckled under the force of a blow from the other side and moments later, it came crashing down. Jake's eyebrows shot up as a herd of panicked titanotheres broke through the perimeter as if the fences were made of paper. The animals rampaged through the compound while soldiers yelled and fired their guns fruitlessly at them. The shots only pissed the creatures off and they charged their attackers, tossing avatar and human bodies left and right. Gunfire rained down from above from Scorpion gunships and Samson tiltrotors that had arrived on the scene. Na'vi arrows soon joined the bullets and the scattered, confused troops sounded the alarms.

"Now's our chance," Jake told his companions. "Form defensive lines around the children. Let's go!"

* * *

By the time Tom got down from the tree and joined the forces attacking the compound, the fight was in full swing. The enemy was recovered from the initial surprise and they had launched their own gunships into the air to retaliate against the Hell's Gate air forces. Ground teams were pushing the opposition back with JL-723 ground assault vehicles, AMP suites and infantry. The Na'vi were putting up a strong fight but Tom knew with dreaded certainty that they'd lose a lot of people before the night was over.

He spotted Jake running towards him with a large group of Na'vi following in his wake and Tom shouted out for him. He saw some of the enemy infantry aiming guns at the fleeing group and he drew his firearm and started shooting, forcing the opposition to duck for cover.

"Thanks, bro," Jake gasped when he reached him. "I need you to get these people to the transport tiltrotors. These kids need to be taken out of here fast."

Tom drew a deep breath and nodded. "What are you going to do?"

Jake tilted his head back and cupped his hands over his mouth. He made a squawking sound and a huge form broke through the canopy and glided down to him. Tom stepped away hastily as the Toruk landed beside his twin and he watched Jake mount the great beast.

"I'm going to fight with them," Jake said, jerking his chin in the direction of the battle. "Is Neytiri okay?"

"She's fine," Tom assured him. He looked up and pointed. "There she is now. She and Norm's mate just took down one of the enemy gunships."

Jake followed the pointing gesture with his eyes and took off without another word. Soon, he was flying beside his mate and firing at the enemy with a stolen .30 caliber machine gun. Tom focused on his immediate task and called out to the liberated Ikran people, urging them to follow him deeper into the forest where the transports waited. There was enough room for all of the children and most of the adults, but the latter refused to leave and insisted on joining the fight. Unfortunately, there weren't any Na'vi weapons to go around so Tom had to pass out spare guns and give them an impromptu lesson on handling them. He was grimacing the entire time and he hoped the hunters wouldn't accidentally shoot themselves with the unfamiliar firearms.

A storm was gathering overhead and lighting streaked across the sky. Booms of thunder drowned out the sound of Na'vi and Human voices as the children finished boarding and the aircrafts prepared to lift off.

The transport aircrafts took off while the main fighting force kept the enemy distracted enough for a safe getaway. Tom prepared to follow the hooting Ikran people back toward the compound and join the fight, but he was distracted by the sight of one of his team's Samsons flying in his direction overhead. The aircraft was weaving back and forth and there was an enemy gunship pursuing it. Tom cursed, knowing with certainty that the enemy was locked on its target and missiles were guaranteed to hit the Samson at any moment.

"Get out of there," Tom muttered; hoping the pilot would have the sense to abandon the doomed aircraft. He couldn't be sure that the air strike forces got the message that the flux generation was a failure. For all he knew, the pilot wasn't aware that the enemy's tracking system was fully functional.

Twin rockets launched from the enemy craft and Tom held his breath. He thought he saw two small figures falling from the imperiled Samson just before the projectiles hit. He instinctively covered his head with his hands and squinted as the aircraft exploded from the impact of the missiles. Shrapnel fell to the ground as the tiltrotor spun out of control to crash into the forest. Tom pressed his lips together and ran into the jungle, towards where he thought he saw the passengers fall.

* * *

"Wilson, wake up dammit!" Trudy smacked the corporal on the cheek again and cast a nervous look around. "Come on man, they're looking for us! Snap out of it!"

Overhead, the clouds broke and rain began to fall in heavy sheets. The heavy drops that splashed against her breathing visor obscured Trudy's vision. She heard someone crashing through the bushes and she immediately drew her revolver and pointed it in the direction of the noise. Tom Sully emerged from the vegetation, panting heavily. He threw his hands up when he saw the weapon aimed at him.

"It's just me," he gasped. "I saw your chopper go down. Are you hurt?"

Trudy lowered her gun and holstered it. "Wilson here's out like a light." She looked up at the enemy aircraft, hovering over the canopy. A searchlight was beaming from the gunship. "I don't think they're satisfied with bringing us down. They want to make sure and take us out. Persistent bastards."

Tom looked overhead and cursed beneath his breath. He could see avatar forms dropping down into the canopy from lead wires. They didn't have much time.

"Hey," Trudy called, "I found a hole over here under this tree. We can stash Wilson there and lead the goons away."

Tom went up beside her and examined the natural tunnel beneath the knotty roots of the tree. Trudy had pulled aside the branches of a bush that partially concealed it and upon inspection; he found the tunnel to be deeper than he thought. There was plenty of room for more than one person. He glanced at the unconscious marine and nodded.

"We could stash ourselves in there with him and wait for them to give up," he suggested. "They probably won't search for long with their base under fire. We just have to hide long enough for them to leave and rejoin the fight."

She shrugged. "I guess your plan sounds good too. Better than being shot at, anyway."

Tom went to the fallen soldier and lifted him into his arms with a soft grunt. "I've got him. Keep guard while I put him in there."

Trudy nodded and drew her weapon, scanning the surrounding vegetation with wary eyes as Tom carried the injured marine to the tunnel and pushed him in. There was no time to be delicate with him. Tom rolled the Human's limp body, wriggling in behind him as he worked. When Wilson was settled snugly against the back of the tunnel, Tom checked to be sure his breathing mask was still in place and then he crawled backwards and motioned for Trudy.

"Go on," he urged.

She shook her head. "You first. You're bigger than I am and I can squeeze in after you."

Tom opened his mouth to argue but the beams of light from the enemy searchlights changed his mind. He went in feet-first, slithering his body like a snake until he was fully concealed within the mossy tunnel. His struggles pushed his shirt up but he had no time to yank it back down, as Trudy came in after him. Both of them were utterly soaked and her clear breathing visor sparkled with raindrops. She kept her gun in hand and Tom likewise reached for his, squirming a little in his efforts. Outside, they could hear the clumsy footsteps of the enemy approaching and they waited in silence, both hoping that their hiding spot wouldn't be discovered.

* * *

"Well, this is awkward," Trudy mumbled after the enemy passed them by. She was pressed snuggly against Tom's body, with her breathing mask jammed against his exposed chest. Not that she really minded the view, but the situation was totally fubar.

"Yeah, it really is," Tom agreed in a whisper.

"Maybe we can trust you after all," Trudy murmured. Tom could have called out to his former comrades and given them away. He had deliberately come to help after seeing her chopper go down. His actions didn't seem like something a traitor would do, but Trudy reminded herself that evil often wore a pretty face.

"Shh," Tom cautioned suddenly, his body tensing against hers.

Trudy went still obligingly and she listened to the sound of footsteps moving through the forest outside. They paused outside their hiding spot and Trudy readied her gun just in case. Tom did the same.

"Negative, Red Wing," said a female voice. "There are no signs of the enemy pilot. Either they got blown up with the ship or the fall killed them."

A voice crackled through the transmission. "Prepare to re-board, then. Our people are losing ground and we need to get back into the fight."

"Roger that."

The footsteps went away and Trudy slowly relaxed against her larger companion. Tom likewise relaxed and they waited until the footsteps retreated entirely and the rhythmic beat of the rotors faded in the distance. Trudy's breath left her as Tom's hands went around her waist to help her while she squirmed out of the tunnel. She chewed her lip and gave herself a mental nudge, waiting while he dragged Wilson out and checked his vitals. She hunkered down beside Tom's tall, Na'vi form and looked at her fellow soldier with concern she couldn't quite hide.

"How is he?"

Tom was frowning on concentration as he felt along the marine's scalp. "I think he'll be okay. He's taken a nasty bump to the head but it shouldn't be too serious. We can scan him when we get back to the base, to be sure."

Trudy sighed. "That's two choppers I've lost, now. At least this time I didn't end up in a tree."

"Just _under_ one," Tom quipped with a little smile. He lifted Corporal Wilson into his arms and slung him over his shoulders. "Let's get back to the others."

* * *

One of the first things that Jake directed his team to do was to take out the communications tower on the base, so that the opposition couldn't contact the mothership for reinforcements. Still, the firepower of the enemy was great and even without backup, subduing them was proving to be a challenge.

Jake was worried that they wouldn't win. He berated himself over not asking for more air support from Hell's Gate. If they had come in with a Dragon gunship, this would have been finished a lot sooner. He was just loathe to use such heavy artillery when there were hostages at stake. The unexpected hammerhead stampede had given them an edge in the beginning, but the enemy forces hit hard and heavy once they recovered and the animals cleared out. Sheer luck allowed Jake to get the endangered children safely out of the compound in time.

Ni'nat's ikran suddenly shrieked and faltered as a bullet tore through the delicate membrane of its wing and Jake dove toward her as she plummeted. Norm shouted his mate's name and he also dove to her aid. Jake gave Neytiri a meaningful nod over his shoulder, silently letting her know he would take care of it and to keep up the fight. She nodded back and shouted a command at her warriors as she fired another arrow down at the enemies on the ground.

Ni'nat determinedly guided her ikran away from the firefight and into the forest, where the medic teams waited. The beast called out in pain and she dismounted, patting her and murmuring soothingly as Norm and Jake landed beside her.

"She cannot fly more," Ni'nat stated. "She is injured."

Tom approached with Trudy and Jake gave a little start at the sight of the female pilot, surprised to see her on the ground. "What the hell happened to you?" He asked.

"Got shot down," answered Trudy. "Your bro here helped me out. Hey Jake, can I hop on that bird with you? I may be short a chopper but I can still shoot."

Jake grinned. "You're welcome to ride with me. Tom, do you think you can look after Ni'nat's ikran for us?"

Tom regarded the animal dubiously. "I can try...if she won't bite my hand off."

Ni'nat murmured to Waytelem softly, instructing the animal to behave for Tom. "She will cooperate," assured the singer. "Please, _Toktor_, see to my friend."

Tom nodded. "I'll treat her injury," he promised.

Ni'nat seemed satisfied with that and she took Norm's offered hand and mounted behind him on Lrrtok. Trudy hesitated for a minute before accepting Jake's hand and climbing onto the back of Shadow.

"This is wild," Trudy remarked as the toruk spread his great wings and began to ascend.

"Just don't fall off," Jake cautioned seriously. He'd never forgive himself if the small, spirited woman ended up dead because of him.

* * *

The battle lasted until well after dawn and there were several times when it looked like the enemy was going to gain an advantage. Outnumbered but not out-gunned, they had a technical advantage that Jake had only stalled with his strike on the supply building. When one of the enemy Scorpions unleashed napalm on the ground forces, Jake promptly ordered the Hell's Gate team to retaliate the same way. He had wanted to avoid using such destructive methods to curb the risk of innocent people like Jill getting hurt, but the use of tactical firepower couldn't be put off any longer.

Only one of the gunships on his team had the firepower to carry out the order but they did it quickly and efficiently. The courtyard of the compound was lit up with explosions as the Scorpion soared overhead and rained down napalm. That one move took out most of the remaining infantry still inside the compound and caused the collapse of two buildings. Jake winced even as he gave the order for his people to move in. Behind him, Trudy patted his shoulder in silent support and she pointed out the one remaining Scorpion on the enemy side.

"We ought to finish that guy off," she suggested as the ground teams moved in.

Jake nodded and steered Shadow towards the aircraft. It was currently engaged in chasing a group of Na'vi ikran riders, so the pilot didn't see the threat of Jake's larger mount coming up behind it. Shadow clutched the tail of the chopper in his claws and Jake directed the animal to swing it around like a toy. Trudy's arms wrapped around his torso so tightly, he could hardly breathe. Tanhi and the two warriors flying with her fired arrows at the imperiled gunship as Jake's toruk sent it spinning through the air. The pilot and his co-pilot hastily leaped out of the craft and pulled their parachutes as it crashed into the trees.

Jake shouted an order and the nearby ikran riders swooped down to capture the escaped gunship passengers. Now that there was no sky opposition left, Jake and Tanhi led the others into a final strike against the compound's remaining ground defenders.

* * *

"Most of you have been duped," Jake explained to the vanquished prisoners as he walked the line of them.

They were bruised, resentful and obviously confused. Tom stood in the background and the prisoners looked between him and Jake with barely veiled bewilderment. Amongst the prisoners was Jill, whom Jake treated more kindly than the others. She was looking up at Tommy with a relieved expression on her face and Jake saw his brother smile and nod at her.

"Some of you know more than the rest," Jake continued. "Some of you know what really happened in the last conflict. The rest of you have been lied to. Hell's Gate isn't under 'hostile takeover'. The people working there were chosen to stay. The Na'vi people welcome them as brothers and sisters. They willingly share resources...when somebody bothers to ask them."

Jake stopped and stared each and every one of the prisoners in the eye, one at a time. "Did even _one_ of you have a problem with threatening to gas innocent kids? Did any of you wonder why a race of people who thrive on nature would bother taking over a Human base?"

"To keep us from coming here," one soldier boldly muttered.

Jake smirked. "Yeah, to keep you from coming here and murdering their kids, or raping their women. I guess you sure proved their assumptions wrong, huh?" He glared directly at Lt. Phelps, whose nose was swollen from the kick in the face he'd received last night.

The soldier faltered and had the grace to look somewhat ashamed. "So what are you going to do with us? Kill us?"

"Believe me, I've thought about that," answered Jake. "But the Na'vi aren't a violent people. You'll be prisoners, until your superiors on your mothership agree to leave orbit. When they do that, you can go back to the ship and go home. Some of you may be chosen to stay—" He glanced at Jill as he said this—"but the rest aren't welcome here on Pandora. Until Earth is ready to treat this world and the Na'vi people with respect, you will _never_ be welcome."

Neytiri came up beside him and threaded her fingers through his, staring levelly at the prisoners.

"The Omaticaya and our allies will keep you as prisoners of battle," she announced. "We do not torture. We are not like _you_. You will be under our protection until your people come for you. Carry this message back to your people: we will not allow our world to be raped by the Sky People!"

Jake smirked as she hollered the last part. He leaned in and muttered to her: "Easy. Breaking their eardrums won't drive the point home any cleaner."

She gave him a fierce look that reminded him forcibly of the grudge she still rightfully held against the RDA and he squeezed her hand gently, trying to pacify her. "Don't show your weakness," he murmured.

Neytiri calmed down and took a steadying breath, nodding with agreement.

Tom came forward and gestured at Jill. "Can I take her cuffs off? She's not a threat."

Jake hesitated. He didn't want to give special favors to anyone but if it weren't for Dr. Turnley, he probably wouldn't have gotten the kids away safely. He nodded and allowed his brother to approach the woman and remove her cuffs. Tom helped her up and guided her away from the rest of the prisoners while Jake organized for them to be shuffled out. It would take more than one trip to transfer so many people to Hell's Gate. Trudy had already contacted the base to send for more air transport but they wouldn't reach the location for half a day.

"You guys have plenty of room for these jokers, right?" Jake muttered to Trudy as he and Neytiri moved closer to her.

"We've got more than enough unused prison space," assured the pilot. "Max has the maintenance staff cleaning out the cells now."

"Good. I guess I don't need to tell you to keep these guys under maximum security."

Trudy shook her head and popped a stick of gum into her mouth. "Nope. Didn't need to be said. Don't worry Jake, we'll handle them."

Jake nodded and as he started to turn away, he noticed that Trudy's eyes met Tom's for a brief moment. Jake paused. Something passed between the two of them that he couldn't immediately identify. He swore he saw a light flush blossom on Trudy's cheeks and Tom quickly averted his gaze. He found himself wondering what happened between the two of them that he had missed. Jake leaned closer to her to mutter in her ear.

"What happened to you guys while I was out fighting?"

Trudy poked him in the ribs and frowned. "I already told you. You've got bigger things to worry about, anyway."

* * *

-To be continued

**Translations:**

_**Toruk Makto**_ = One who rides a Great Leonopteryx, known as "Toruk" or "Last Shadow" to the Na'vi people. Hunters that manage to bond with the animal are revered by the People as great warriors and leaders. Very few have ever succeeded in claiming a Toruk and those who have are legendary to all Na'vi.

_**Toktor **_= Doctor


	19. Chapter 19

"Between worlds"

Chapter 19

* * *

_**Author's note: See footnotes at the end of the chapter for Na'vi/English translations. **_

* * *

*Disclaimer: I do not own Pandora and I make no profit from writing fanfiction based on the "Avatar" film.

* * *

Jake wasn't really surprised by the reaction he got when he used one of the prisoners' direct communication device to contact the ISV and inform Colonel Myers of the situation on Pandora.

"And just who am I talking to?" Demanded the colonel.

"You're talking to Jake Sully," answered Jake into the device with a grim, sidelong look at his brother.

Silence.

Jake smiled without humor. "Does my name ring a bell, Colonel?"

"_Corporal_ Jake Sully?" inquired the other man.

"That's right. I'm alive and well. Hell's Gate isn't under 'hostile takeover' and we're onto your covert operation. We've got most of your avatar militia in custody and the only permission you'll receive to land at the compound will be to take your people back up to the ISV."

"Now just hold on a minute, son," the voice tried to sound benevolent and commanding at the same time. "We can talk about this."

"No," Jake refused. "This is the only negotiation we're willing to make. I want to talk to your foreman, too."

There were a few moments of silence on the other end of the line before the colonel answered him. "Have it your way, Sully. Just keep in mind that you're committing treason against Earth, by interfering with government operations."

Jake glanced at Neytiri, who stood quietly at his side with a grim expression on her lovely face. "I think I can live with that," he said, smiling faintly at his mate. Her expression relaxed a little and she smiled back. "Put me through to the foreman."

A beeping sound came through the link and for a moment, Jake thought the connection was lost. Another man's voice spoke seconds later. "This is Foreman Lyle Jackson. Whom am I speaking with?"

"Jake Sully, formerly of the USMC," answered Jake.

"Jake Sully?" Repeated the man. "Isn't he dead?"

"No Sir, your information was wrong. I don't know what you've been told but the situation down here is nothing like what my brother said his people were led to believe."

"I was told that the main base was being held hostage by the Na'vi," answered Jackson. "I was also told you were a traitor to Earth and you died in the conflict that occurred when Selfridge was in charge down there. So which is the truth, Sully?"

"Out of everything you've just told me, the only part that's even a little true is the part about me being a 'traitor'."

"So you admit to turning on your own people?"

Jake looked around at his friends, his brother, his mate. "I like to think of it as taking a stand against attempted genocide. You weren't here to see what the RDA did to these people. You didn't see the Na'vi children dying or watch the military move in to destroy their last sanctuary, just to make a point. If that's the kind of shit I'm expected to support, I'll wear the badge of 'traitor' with pride."

The foreman sighed. "Obviously, we have conflicting information. What have you done with the soldiers you captured?"

"They're safe," Jake assured him. "And they will stay that way. We've transported them to holding cells at Hell's Gate. Your people can send a shuttle down to pick them up, but that's all the landing permission you're going to get from the base."

"I would like to open negotiations," suggested the foreman. "I'm sure we can all reach a reasonable agreement, Mr. Sully. If we can get this all straightened out, maybe—"

"Sorry, no negotiations," Jake said firmly, his eyes flashing. "Your people blew it. You snuck into orbit, set up a secret base and abducted a whole clan of Na'vi. Did you know your people were threatening to gas the children of that clan with Earth atmosphere if the adult prisoners got out of line?"

"I...what? No, I never gave an order like that! The satellite jamming was done because we were told the people at Hell's Gate were hostages. My job was to liberate the base and work on a colonization program. It was reported to me that one of the clans was too close for comfort and I _did_ give the order to round them up and hold them, to maintain our cover. Those natives were only supposed to be held until we succeeded in taking back Hell's Gate, Sully. I never approved a plan to threaten any of the children."

"Did you know that the Lieutenant down here tried to rape the clan's chieftess?" pressed Jake. He saw Tom nod silently and he was interested to hear whether the foreman would deny knowledge of the event.

"Yes, your brother informed me of the incident," answered the foreman in a less-than-pleased tone. "I spoke to the Colonel about it and he agreed to discipline the solider responsible."

Jake saw Tom's fists clench and he empathized with his anger. "Well you might be interested to know your Colonel gave the Lieutenant the go-ahead to have the woman taken into the forest and shot. Tom Sully found out about it and helped her escape, which is what led to the two of us finding each other and finding out the government was playing both of us."

The foreman went quiet for a few heartbeats. "None of this was cleared by me. I wasn't even told about it."

"Then if I were you, I'd look into having the Colonel watched. If he'd go behind your back once, odds are he'll do it again."

Jackson sighed. "I suppose that's sound advice. Will you at least consider meeting with me to discuss the situation, Mr. Sully? You are the one in charge down there, aren't you?"

Jake took one look at his mate's face and he shook his head. "It doesn't work that way. I lead the Omaticaya clan but I don't call all of the shots. Max Patel runs Hell's Gate, along with the marines and avatar drivers who were chosen to stay. I can tell you right now, the Omaticaya and the rest of the Na'vi aren't going to agree to any negotiations you try to make and I doubt anyone at Hell's Gate will either. Whatever your reason, you people snuck down here like thieves and used your guns to do the talking."

"Just tell me what we can do to rectify the situation," urged the foreman.

Neytiri shook her head sharply and Jake rubbed her shoulder. "I don't think that's possible now. I'll tell you what you can do to improve chances for other travelers to eventually open up negotiations, though. You can contact Earth and tell them the truth. You can contact the other ISV's rotating this way to and you can make sure they understand that hostility is going to be returned in full. No more subterfuge, no more invasions and no more satellite scrambling. If they can approach honestly and peacefully, maybe sometime in the future things can change."

"Dammit," sighed Jackson. "This is just what I need. All right Sully, I suppose you're being as fair as I can expect. You said earlier that you'll allow us to retrieve our people...does that offer still stand?"

"Yes. Some of them will be chosen to stay if they want but the others are all yours." He glanced at Tommy and grimaced. "I don't know how they're going to fit in back on Earth now, though."

"They can breathe the air and consume the food," said Jackson, "and they knew what they were getting into when they volunteered for the improved Avatar program. I'm going to hold a board meeting up here and get things moving. We should have a shuttle sent down within a week, Mr. Sully."

Jake nodded. "We'll take good care of them until then. Remember what I said. If you're being straight with me, you should do something about the Colonel before he causes more damage."

Jake ended the transmission and cast a look around the deserted, half-destroyed compound. "We're going to have to blast this place to rubble," he predicted. "I feel a little better about the foreman but I don't trust Colonel Myers. Man, why are all the military officers they send here assholes?"

Trudy cleared her throat and raised her hand. "Uh, excuse me? Did you just call me an asshole, Sully?"

Jake chuckled. "I wasn't talking about you. I'm talking about the guys that always run the operations. Between Quaritch and this new guy, it's like the RDA has a hard-on for bomb-happy sociopaths."

Trudy grimaced. "Can't argue with that."

"We are going to use fire?" Neytiri asked with a frown of distaste on her lips.

"What if it burns down the forest?" E'quath added, also concerned.

"Don't worry," Jake assured them. "We'll keep it under control. Otherwise we'll have to leave this place open to occupation again and none of us want that."

* * *

Before blasting the compound to the ground, they liberated two Samsons from the hangar and a load of supplies. Trudy was happy to have an aircraft to fly back to Hell's Gate and Jake was thankful that not all of the enemy choppers were destroyed in the fight. He had wondered how they were going to get the remaining human and avatar teams back to Hell's gate, with limited ikrans available to carry them. Some would still have to wait for transport back but the additional aircrafts would make things go faster.

When they were satisfied that the compound was completely useless to anyone, they began the journey to their respective homes. Tom was originally going to fly back to Hell's Gate with the humans and avatar drivers but Jake insisted that he come to Hometree and celebrate with the clan overnight.

"Besides, we've got a shortage of healers and a lot of people got hurt in that fight. We were lucky we didn't have more casualties," Jake coaxed. "Hell's Gate has plenty of doctors to look after their people but we don't. If you can take care of a wounded ikran, you can take care of hurt Na'vi, right?"

Tom smirked. "All right, you win. I'll go back to Hometree with you and help care for the injured. You owe me dinner, Jake."

Jake shared a grin with Neytiri and Tom suddenly wondered what he'd gotten himself into.

* * *

After seeing to the injured survivors and getting cleaned up, Tom was invited to join the clan and guests around the fire pit for a ceremonial dinner. For now, the Ikran clan would be living near Hometree and the Omaticaya had already donated construction materials for tent lodging, clothes and weapons to their guests. Jake was back in his loincloth again when Tom took a seat next to him and Neytiri by the fire pit. Leaf plates were handed out and food was piled onto larger trays to be passed around.

"I'm not supposed to take my own cup, right?" Tom asked as one of the large leaf trays came around to him. This one was laden with wooden cups filled with some sort of liquid that he assumed to be Na'vi moonshine.

Jake nodded and took a sip from the cup his mate had presented to him. "That's right. The person sitting next to you chooses a cup for you and you do the same for them." He started to oblige his brother by reaching for a cup, even though Jake already had a drink of his own.

"I will give Tomsully his drink," offered a female voice to Tom's left. He turned to see Tanhi sink down beside him.

"Oh. Thank you." Tom was a little self-conscious over being served by the chieftess. Jake was his own brother so his status didn't matter, but Tanhi was a respected clan leader whom he barely knew. By the looks on some of her people's faces, Tom had good reason to be uncomfortable. He was still an outsider, after all.

Tanhi either didn't notice the disapproval on some of the clan's expressions or she didn't care. She coolly selected a drinking cup from the tray in Tom's lap and she set it on the earthen floor before him. Tom passed the tray to her and returned the favor, hoping he wouldn't screw up and do something to offend anyone. He was even more disconcerted when Tanhi's amber gaze stayed on him as she slowly tipped her cup and drank. She had washed away the ceremonial red war paint that she usually wore across her eyes and nose and he had to admit, she had an attractive face. His eyes automatically drifted to the swell of her breasts, barely concealed beneath the beaded and feathered adornments hanging around her neck.

Tom hastily averted his gaze to avoid staring and he began to drink with uncharacteristic vigor. Beside him, Jake was speaking to Neytiri in a low voice and the two of them laughed and touched with subtle affection as they conversed. The baby was comfortably settled in the harness around Neytiri's torso, lying against her chest. She only took a few small sips of the brew in her cup and then stuck with water, to avoid passing intoxicating substances to her child through her milk.

A part of Tom envied his brother but in truth, he had too much work to do to be worrying about taking a wife and starting a family himself. Norm and Ni'nat sat on the other side of the fire pit and they were equally affectionate with each other, holding hands as they enjoyed their drinks and selected food from the tray when it came around to them. Tom had been mildly surprised to find out that Norm had a mate. The anthropologist had always been so dedicated to his work. Tom always figured that both he and Norm would be single for many years to come.

The first food tray came around to Tom and he stared at the objects piled onto it curiously. At first, he thought they were some kind of pale roots. It was hard to identify them because they were lightly roasted. He inquired about them to Jake and his brother's mouth twitched as he answered.

"Go ahead, Tommy. They're good."

"But what are they?" Tom's eyes flicked suspiciously between his brother and the food on the tray.

"They're _teylu_," Jake answered with a smile in his eyes. "Go ahead and try one. You'll like it."

Tom cleared his throat and tried to hide his grimace. "Beetle grubs? I...think I'll pass."

"What is the matter?" Tanhi asked him, looking between him and the tray held before him by one of the children. "You don't like teylu?" She said it as if she thought he was insane.

Jake bit one in half and chewed it vigorously. "You'll eat something that looks like a loogie but you won't eat one of these? Come on; just think of it as a shrimp. That's what they taste like to me."

"Oysters aren't the same," Tom insisted, but people were beginning to stare at him and he didn't want to offend anyone. He took one of the grubs off of the tray and placed it on his plate. Upon seeing Tanhi roll her eyes from his peripheral vision, he took two more.

"It's just a shrimp," Tom muttered as he raised one to his mouth. "Only a shrimp."

Jake snickered softly and Tom shot a glare at him before gingerly taking a bite. He was surprised to find that his twin was right. It had the same texture and sweetness as a shrimp. Tom chewed and swallowed before taking another bite.

"It _does_ taste like shrimp," he said when he finished swallowing the second bite.

Jake nodded. "Told you so."

Another tray came around and Tom was faintly relieved that this one had a selection of roasted vegetables and fresh fruit on it. He ate these with greater enthusiasm and when the meat tray stocked with hexapede and sturmbeest cuts arrived, he was happy to add them to his plate. As soon as he finished his drink, another serving rotated his way and Tanhi was quick to replace his empty cup with a full one.

"Hey Norm, are you going to do a little dance for us tonight?" Jake covered his mouth on a burp and grinned at the scientist across the fire pit.

"Sorry Jake, but I'm going to have to disappoint you," Norm answered with an embarrassed look at his mate. "I learned my lesson the last time and I'm watching how much I drink, tonight."

"At least this time you've got a real partner to dance with," Jake quipped with a gesture at Ni'nat.

"What's this about?" Tom asked, feeling a smile tugging at his lips. The thought of Norm dancing at all was strange enough to him. "Did he dance with a mop or something?"

"With his tail," corrected Neytiri with a teasing smirk Norm's way. "It was very amusing."

"I was completely out of it," defended Norm as a blush rose in his cheeks. "I just wish I could have forgotten it the next day."

Ni'nat rubbed her mortified partner's thigh and nuzzled his flushed cheek with her lips. "It was endearing," she purred. "You were very cute, my Norm."

Tom laughed softly as the beautiful singer's compliment seemed to pacify Norm a bit. "I would have liked to see that. Someone get Norm another drink."

Norm shook his head. "No thanks. Making an idiot out of myself once was enough."

Jake stopped teasing him and turned his attention back to Tom. "So what's the story with you and that doctor Jill? Anything going on there?"

Tom tried not to notice the calculating, curious look Tanhi was giving him and he shook his head. "No, we just work together."

Jake nodded. "That reminds me, I need you to give me a list of everyone you came here with that you trust. You don't have to worry about it right now but get it done sometime before they send the Valkyrie shuttle to pick up the people we're holding at Hell's Gate."

"So you're saying the people I put on this list can stay if they want to?"

Jake glanced at his mate, who nodded. "That's what I'm saying. I trust your judgment, Tommy. It's going to be hard for these new avatars to go back to Earth and pick up their lives. They'll be aliens to their own people, so the ones that aren't dirty should have the chance to live here, where they can fit in better."

"Are you talking about adopting them into the Omaticaya clan?" Tom's brows furrowed dubiously. While he knew several people—particularly on the science team—that would be glad to stay, most of them weren't interested in living their lives as the Na'vi did.

"Don't get ahead of yourself," Jake said with an easygoing smile. "I'm sure some of them might make the cut but I'm not looking to drag a bunch of outsiders into this clan. We would be offering them the chance to stay at Hell's Gate with the rest of you. If some of them want to learn more about the Na'vi ways and go through the trials, that's up to the council."

"I understand." Tom felt a little relieved. "This is really generous of you all, Jake. I know you have every reason to send them all packing."

"Neytiri and I have discussed it with Mo'at," Jake assured him. "They know that not all Sky People are hopelessly corrupted. Just make sure you don't make a liar out of me."

Tom smiled and nodded. "I promise, I'll be very careful about who I select."

"Good." When Tanhi got up to go and answer the call of nature, Jake leaned closer to him and whispered in his ear. "Want to tell me what happened to you and Trudy when her chopper went down?"

Remembering being crammed into the tight space with the pretty, tough pilot made Tom temporarily forget about the interest that Tanhi seemed to be taking in him. "Nothing. I saw her and her gunman jump from her aircraft when the missiles hit it and I ran to help them. We had to hide from the operatives that came searching for them and then we returned to the deployment point."

"Hmph," Jake muttered. "There's got to be more to it than that."

"Why?" Tom looked at him with a neutral expression.

Jake smirked and Tom knew he saw right through him. "You've got a little thing for her, don't you?"

"Shut up Jake," Tom muttered back.

Jake chuckled. "Yeah, you've got a little crush. Funny thing is I don't think Trudy's the only one you've got your eye on." He nodded purposely in the direction Tanhi went. "And unless I'm wrong—which I doubt—I think she's got her eye on you too."

"You know, you used to hate it when our parents tried to play matchmaker with us," Tom grumbled.

Jake smirked and ruffled Tom's hair with rough, brotherly affection. "I'm just pointing out the facts as I see them."

"Drop it," Tom insisted in a low voice. "Drink your nectar and talk about something else."

* * *

The festivities went on all through the night. Little Tommy began to fuss when the hour grew late and Neytiri retired with him. Jake soon joined her and Tom was left with Norm, Ni'nat and Tanhi for company. People were dancing and laughing and singing around the fire pit. Tom was distinctly aware of his increasing intoxication and he politely turned down another cup of Na'vi nectar when Tanhi tried to give him one.

"I think I should not drink more," he said in her native language, slurring a little.

She stopped and shrugged, eyeing him in a way that made him feel like a piece of food she was considering eating. "I would not want to make you ill."

Adjacent to them, Ni'nat had lain down on the floor and her head was pillowed in Norm's lap. He was stroking her hair and speaking softly to her and she smiled dreamily up at him, caressing his arm. Tom felt his lips curve into a sloppy little grin. He was happy for Norm. He was happy for Jake. He was...about to fall face-first into the fire pit.

Tanhi caught him around the waist and steadied him before he could topple. Tom blinked at her, trying to bring her face into focus. "Shorry."

"Come," she ordered, helping him up. "Some fresh air may help."

Tom allowed her to support him and guide him out of the den. Norm called out a concerned inquiry and Tom waved dismissively to let him know he'd be all right. He stumbled along beside the Ikran chieftess as they exited the interior of Hometree and stepped out into the night air. Tom took a deep breath and shut his eyes, gathering his bearings.

"I don't drink much," he excused. He noticed that her fingers were skimming over his neck and clavicle but her touch was soothing, so he didn't protest.

"You should lie down," Tanhi suggested. "But, not in those tree hammocks. You will fall and hurt yourself, in this condition."

Tom shrugged and started to lower himself onto the grass, but she held him firmly and kept him upright.

"Not here," she said, a hint of amusement coloring her voice. "Come. You may rest in my lodging."

"Uh, pardon?" Tom's groggy head couldn't quite make sense of what she was saying. "Where will you sleep?"

She didn't answer him. Instead, she led him around behind Hometree and to the edge of the forest, where her clan had begun erecting what tents they could with their limited supplies. Hers was amongst the first to be constructed and it was equipped with a pallet of hides and woven blankets, a bowl for washing and a pitcher of clean water. She instructed Tom to duck his head as she pulled the cover over the entrance aside and she helped him into the tent, supporting him as he eased down onto the pallet. She tied the entrance cover shut and she poured some water into the washbowl, before picking up a folded cloth and dipping it into the bowl and wringing it out.

"What are you—" Tom began to ask as she straddled his hips smoothly. The cool, wet cloth was patting his face suddenly and it felt good. His question faded into an incoherent murmur and he shut his eyes as the chieftess cooled his skin with the wet cloth.

"You took care of my people," Tanhi murmured. "I will do the same for you."

Distantly, Tom thought she could do that without straddling him and caressing his inner thigh with her tail. The Na'vi brew had an interesting effect on him. His mind was intoxicated but his body wasn't suffering the usual numbing of the senses that he associated with being drunk. In fact, his skin seemed overly sensitive to the touch. The slow glide of the cloth over his throat was pleasant in an almost sensual way. Tanhi paused in her actions and Tom opened bleary eyes as her hands tugged his muscle shirt free of his pants.

"Lift your arms over your head," demanded Tanhi.

He was feeling too mellow to question her so he did as she told him. She pulled his shirt off and dropped it next to the pallet. Tom was about to ask her why she wanted his shirt off when she dipped the cloth in the bowl again and began to sponge his chest and stomach off. His eyes fluttered shut and he sighed.

"Feels good," he mumbled. Again, part of his brain was shouting a warning at him. He told that part to shut up and leave him alone.

When Tom felt soft, feminine lips brush against his he knew that he hadn't been imagining the way she had been looking at him all night. He instinctively began to reciprocate and when her tongue slipped into his mouth, he regained enough sobriety and common sense to speak up.

"Wait," Tom murmured, gently pushing at her shoulders. "I don't think you want an outsider for a mate, Tanhi."

"I have no use for a mate," she purred, rubbing against him coaxingly. "I only want a male to share my pallet, tonight."

Her words shocked more sense into Tom and he looked up at her in confusion. "I thought Na'vi mated for life?"

"When we choose to take a mate, this is true," she agreed. A tantalizing smile grew on her lips. "This is for pleasure only, Tomsully. " She lowered her head to his and traced his lips with the tip of her tongue.

The action made Tom stiffen in his pants and his hands impulsively settled on her smooth-skinned hips. He reciprocated her teasing caress with his tongue and the cajoling action turned into a deep, passionate kiss. He heard the voices of her people outside the tent and another moment of clarity made him break the kiss and struggle into a sitting position. Tanhi remained straddling him and her fingers pushed into his hair as he gasped for breath and pulled his thoughts together.

"I'm sure you've got your choice of men from your clan," he said huskily, "should you be doing this with a 'demon'?"

"You are not a demon," she murmured, pressing kisses along his jaw and neck. "I was wrong about that."

"But I'm not a pure Na'vi," Tom reminded her, even as he was kicking himself for passing up the opportunity. He hadn't been with a woman since he first started training for his PhD. He held up his right hand and spread the fingers to demonstrate. "Even if you only want...uh...something casual, are you sure you wouldn't rather have—"

"Do not tell me what I want," she warned. "I find you pleasing to the eye and interesting. If you do not want this,say so now."

Tom was about to do just that, but he became distracted as she traced the muscles of his chest with her fingertips and rocked on top of him. The vision of the Na'vi beauty in his lap meshed confusingly with the memory of a pair of brown eyes, set in an equally appealing human face. His breath caught as Tanhi's fingertips glided over his ribs and he shut his eyes.

"I hope we don't regret this in the morning," he gasped.

She took it as an invitation and Tom didn't have the fortitude or sense left to argue with her further as their mouths met again.

* * *

Tom woke up when a beam of sunlight shone through a small gap in the tent opening and assaulted his eyes. Even with his lids closed, the light made a throb of pain spear through his head and he groaned softly and rolled over to avoid it. He felt an arm around his waist and he froze, opening his eyes and staring at the wall of the tent. It took him a moment to get his bearings and when he remembered where he was, he also knew whose arm was draped around his waist.

His jaw dropped as the he recalled everything he and Tanhi had done the night before with startling clarity. Evidently, Norm's comment about wishing he could forget dancing with his tail wasn't just facetious. Na'vi moonshine didn't seem to have the same memory crippling effects as regular alcohol. Parts of his body still tingled from some of the things she had shown him. The underside of the base of his tail felt hyper sensitive and Tom swallowed with the memory of what it had felt like when she played with that spot while stroking him off. He firmly reminded himself that he hardly knew this woman and the events of last night were most likely a mistake.

Tom carefully lifted her arm off of him and reached for his clothes, having the idea that he might get dressed and leave before she woke up. He reconsidered that with a frown. Maybe last night _was_ a mistake and maybe she said she only wanted sex, but bailing on her while she was asleep was a coward's thing to do. He looked down at her sleeping face and decided the possibility of something more than a fling with her wasn't so far-fetched. They could adapt. She could visit him at Hell's Gate and he could visit her at her village, whenever it was rebuilt.

His thoughts snapped to Trudy and he frowned. What interest would Lt. Chacón have in a guy twice her height, anyway? They had nothing in common...not even species, any longer. He was permanently in this Na'vi body and Tom thought it was time to get used to Na'vi women, starting with Tanhi. Seeing Jake and Norm so happy with their mates softened his resolve a little and opened up the possibility that he could have something besides his work in his life.

After reasoning over his options, Tom lay back down next to Tanhi and traced her features with his fingertips. She stirred and opened her eyes to look at him. Her gaze swept over his body in a leisurely, caressing manner and he closed the distance between their lips for a kiss. She reciprocated it and ran her hands over his body in a territorial way, suggesting that she had possessive feelings about him. Wondering if her talk of last night being only for pleasure, Tom stroked her hip and moved his lips from her mouth to her throat.

"This is nice," Tanhi murmured, "but I have things to do. You may dress yourself and go now."

Tom pulled back and stared at her in disbelief. "Just like that?" He winced inwardly at his comment, feeling like he could be on a soap opera called "Desperate Losers".

Tanhi shrugged and gave him a pleasant, lazy smile. "I have duties, Tom Sully. You were a very pleasant distraction, but I must continue leading my people."

He stared at her for a moment longer before slowly nodding and forcing himself to retain some dignity. "Okay then. I'll just...get my things and go."

He had to admit that part of him really hadn't taken her seriously when she said she only wanted sex with him. Swallowing his indignation and wondering why he was so upset in the first place, Tom hastily got up and pulled his clothing on.

* * *

Jake searched everywhere for his brother when he woke up and saw no sign of him in the branches of Hometree. He asked his sleepy clan mates if they had seen him and they all shook their heads negatively. He was beginning to worry profusely when he found Norm putting together a leaf plate of fruits for himself and his mate. Jake approached his friend and greeted him before asking about Tommy.

"The last time we saw him, Tanhi was taking him out for some fresh air," Norm answered. "That was around midnight. Maybe they passed out somewhere on the ground? Tom looked a little drunk."

"Thanks. I'll check the Ikran encampment for him." Jake walked out of the den and circled around to the back of the Omaticaya dwelling, greeting guest clan members and his people as he passed. He began to ask members of Tanhi's clan if they had seen his brother since last night and a budding huntress finally gave him an answer.

"Our _olo'eyktan_ took him to her lodge last night," she explained with a gesture at one of the bigger tents in the camp. She looked rather tickled but the adult male next to her wore a disapproving frown.

"Er...thanks." The look on the girl's face suggested that Tom spent the night getting lucky but Jake didn't want to jump to any conclusions. He considered approaching the tent and calling out for his twin but he imagined an awkward situation arising from that and he changed his mind.

He was just about to return to the tree for breakfast when he saw the object of his search stumble out of the clan leader's tent. Tom's hair was mussed and several long strands had come free of his queue to straggle over his shoulders. His clothing was rumpled and he rubbed his temples as he walked away. Na'vi stared after him as he passed through the camp and he kept his head down to avoid eye contact with any of them. Jake suppressed a grin and he crossed the distance to meet up with him.

"Rough night, eh?"

Tom looked up with red-rimmed eyes and he flushed. "You could say that."

Jake walked with him and leaned in to speak in a low voice. "Maybe it's not my business, but are you and Tanhi mated now?"

"No."

Jake felt his eyebrows go up. "So you just slept in her tent?"

"No." Tom's lips were compressed into a thin line.

"Then what the hell happened?"

Tom grumbled under his breath before answering. "I want to get cleaned up. I can tell you when we've got some privacy, all right?"

Jake shrugged helplessly, puzzled over why his twin was in such a sour mood, if something juicy had happened between him and Tanhi. "Okay, Tommy. Let's go to the lake and get cleaned up. There shouldn't be anyone else there by now."

* * *

Jake eyed his brother sidelong as he scrubbed his skin. Tommy was likewise scrubbing himself—a little more vigorously than Jake thought necessary.

"So what happened?" Jake pressed, unable to keep silent about it.

"I don't want to talk about it," muttered Tom.

Jake sighed and resumed bathing. After a while, his curiosity got the better of him and he was about to ask again, when Tommy started to speak.

"I'm not a womanizer," grumbled the biologist. "I'm not a bad guy, so why me? Maybe I'm not in the best place for a relationship now, but that doesn't mean I want random sex partners."

Jake paused and considered him. "Maybe that's why she wanted you."

"Oh, she didn't want _me_," griped Tommy. "Just my penis."

Jake coughed to cover up a laugh. "And there was no bonding?"

He would have been shocked if there was but considering Tommy's chivalry toward Tanhi and her clan, a part of him had entertained the hope that she might consider his brother as a permanent mate. After all, Tom couldn't have kids with Trudy even if they did get together and Jake secretly loved the idea of his and Tommy's children growing up together.

"No. It was just sex. Did you know some Na'vi do that? I thought they only mated with people they intended as permanent partners but apparently, some of them prefer meaningless sex."

"There's an exception to every rule," Jake smirked. "It doesn't surprise me that some Na'vi don't want to wait until they mate for life, so why should it shock you?"

"I don't know," admitted Tom. "I just didn't expect her to dismiss me like that. She wasn't even tactful about it."

Jake found it a little baffling himself. "Maybe she was just trying to thank you for stopping Phelps."

"By treating me like a dildo?" Tom grimaced. "That's just great."

Jake peered into the water below Tom's waist, until the other twin became suspicious. "What are you doing?"

"Checking to see if your junk's still there," answered Jake with a smirk. "Okay, so you got jumped by a sexy Na'vi woman with no strings attached—a chieftess, as a matter of fact. A lot of guys would be bragging about that, not bitching about it."

Tom's expression soured even further. "Maybe they would but some of those guys could spit into a Petri dish and start their own civilization."

Jake couldn't contain his laughter any longer. He waded over to his brother and clapped him lightly on the shoulder. "Just count your blessings and move on. You just said yourself that you aren't looking for anything long-term, so maybe it's a good thing. Na'vi women don't get pregnant unless they're in heat, so you don't have to worry about a kid showing up and surprising you one day."

"It isn't that," Tom argued. "There are psychological ramifications here too, Jake. She was almost _raped_. Even though it didn't get carried through, she had her power taken away from her for a few moments...long enough to leave a lasting emotional scar—even for a warrior like her. Some people cope by trying to take that power back...which is what I'm starting to think she did with me last night. What I don't understand is why she took it out on me."

"So you're worried about her?" Jake thought about it and he scratched his chin. "I'm no expert but I'd say she picked you because she figured you would understand. Maybe since you stopped Phelps, she felt safe with you."

Tom's eyes went blank as he considered the suggestion. "That actually makes some sense," he murmured. "Do you think I should say something to her or just pretend nothing happened?"

"You're the one that took psychology, not me," Jake reminded him.

"It was only a minor," protested Tom. "It was elective. I didn't go into it extensively and you've got more real-life experience with the Na'vi people."

Jake couldn't really argue with that. "Okay, I can give you a little advice," he said after a moment's contemplation. "Na'vi people don't always cope with things the same way Humans do. Things you wouldn't expect to piss off a Human can provoke a Na'vi to punch you. Things that would embarrass or anger a lot of Humans hardly phase most Na'vi. Maybe you shouldn't treat Tanhi's situation the same as you would a Human woman's. She might think you're assuming she's weak if you treat her like a victim. I'm not saying you shouldn't say anything at all but if I were you, I'd test the waters first and be subtle about it."

Tom considered the suggestion and nodded. "I think you're probably right. I'll try to come up with something before you take me back to Hell's Gate."

"You _could_ just hang out here for a few more days," Jake suggested. "It would give us more time to catch up and give you a chance to figure out what's going on with Tanhi."

Tom smiled a little and shook his head. "I'd love to, but I've got responsibilities to take care of in the compound. Maybe once the prisoners are returned to their ISV and we can be sure the threat is over with I can come and spend a week here. Don't let your guard down, Jake. We beat them back but we shouldn't relax until they're out of Alpha Centauri."

Jake's mood darkened and he nodded. "Don't worry, Tommy. We're not taking our eyes off them until they're good and gone. Now that you mention it, I've got another council to organize with the visiting _olo'eyktan_ and I think we could arrange a little 'going away' party for our friends."

* * *

"May I speak to you privately?"

Tanhi looked up at the male dreamwalker warily. It wasn't that she thought Tomsully would try to drag her off or harm her. He had seemed hurt by her dismissal of him that morning and she feared she was in for a confrontation over it. She should have known better than to mate with him last night, but she hadn't enjoyed a male in some time and after the horror of what happened in the enemy compound, she thought she deserved an encounter on her own terms.

"What do you wish to speak about?"

Tom gazed at her levelly. "I think you know."

Tanhi cast a look around and sighed. Mating with the dreamwalker had been a gratifying diversion but he obviously didn't understand her ways. Still, she thought he deserved a little consideration. She pointed at a natural trail leading out of the encampment near Hometree.

"We will walk together," she told him. "Only for a short time."

"I can live with that," he agreed.

He went into the forest with her and she stopped several meters in, when she thought they were far enough away from her people to have the privacy they needed.

"I explained to you what I needed, Tomsully," she said before he could open his mouth, "and I gave you the chance to refuse." The man who attacked her hadn't given the same courtesy. She clenched her jaw and shoved the memory aside.

"I know," he said in that calming tone of voice she had come to associate with him. "I understand that, and I'm not here to accuse you of anything. I was willing and you did make your intentions clear. All I wanted to say to you before I go is that I wish I knew it was really _me_ you were seeing last night."

Tanhi was surprised and confused by the statement. "What do you mean? Who else do you think I was seeing when I invited you to my tent? Your brother?" She smirked. Tomsully was very different from his twin, on the inside. He had his own attractive qualities that made him an appealing prospect for mating.

Tom frowned. "I wasn't considering that, until you said it." A disturbed expression flitted over his handsome features and he gazed at her suspiciously. "Is _that_ why? Were you pretending that I was him?"

Tanhi chuckled low in her throat and shook her head. "No. I will confess, Jakesully is a fine man and part of my interest in you came from the attractive features you share with him. That does not mean I saw him when I looked at you."

"And you weren't seeing the man who attacked you, either?" He said it bluntly and his golden eyes searched hers.

"Why would I...you make no sense!"

He gentled his voice again and he kept his hands off of her as he resumed speaking. "I was working with those people who stole your tribe. I wore the same uniform. You said last night that you were wrong about me being a 'demon' but I want to know if you meant that, Tanhi."

"You suffer guilt," she guessed, studying him shrewdly. "It is misplaced. You showed honor and that is why you stopped being a demon to me. That is why..." She trailed off and looked away, disturbed. "I was not seeing one of _them_ when I looked at you, either."

"What were you seeing?"

She looked at him again and she realized that she would sound too endeared to him if she answered plainly. She shrugged, instead. "I saw a male who I wanted to have for the night. One that would not try to dominate me or expect more than I will give. Was I wrong in my observation, Tomsully?"

His expression changed and he tilted his head. To the chieftess, he looked as though he'd come to a revelation and his stance relaxed. "You weren't wrong," he answered, smiling a little. "I would never try to do any of that. Thank you for talking to me about this, _Olo'eyktan_.If you ever want...I mean, if you ever need..." He trailed off and seemed to struggle for words.

Tanhi smirked and drew her own conclusions. She rested her fingertips against his chest and rose on her tiptoes to brush her lips over his right ear. "I will be sure to contact you, when I feel the desire to share my pallet with you again."

The pigment around his cheekbones darkened, amusing her.

"That wasn't exactly what I—" He began to say in English.

"I must return to my duties," she interrupted after running her free hand over his bottom lightly. "I will see you again sometime, Tomsully."

* * *

"Shit."

Jake craned his neck to look at his brother as he mounted Shadow behind him. "What's the problem now?"

The pair of other hunters chosen to fly with them for security mounted up a few feet away, keeping a respectful distance when they noticed the twins having a private conversation.

"I tried to tell her that she could come to me if she ever wanted to talk to someone about what happened to her but I choked. I remembered what you said about giving the impression that I thought she was weak. I didn't finish the sentence and she thought I was offering something besides an ear."

Jake stifled his laughter. "Was she pissed or happy about that?"

"Happy, as far as I could tell. I put my foot in my mouth with that one."

"Are you sure _you're_ not happy about that too?" Jake grinned at him. When Tom glared, he wisely decided to stop teasing him. "How did the rest of the talk go?"

Tom's arms briefly squeezed Jake's breath out as the toruk spread his wings and lifted off. "I'm pretty sure you were right, about her feeling safe with me. I feel a little better about it now."

"Good." Jake's grin returned as he faced forward again. "Now you just have to worry about dealing with the other one."

"What 'other one'?"

"Trudy." Jake shrugged. "You're going to say something accidentally-on-purpose to make her fall at your feet too, aren't you? You've got a habit of doing that to women without even realizing it."

"Knock it off, Jake. That's not funny."

"Hey, you're the one starting your own harem," Jake retorted.

"I'm _not_...just fly the damned toruk straight, so I don't fall off to my death."

Jake patted Shadow on the neck consolingly. "Don't worry boy. He didn't mean anything by that."

* * *

-To be continued

**Translations:**

_**Teylu **_= Beetle grub. One of the prime sources of protein for the Na'vi. Said to have a sweet flavor not unlike a jumbo shrimp.


	20. Chapter 20

"Between worlds"

Chapter 20

* * *

_**Author's note: See footnotes at the end of the chapter for Na'vi/English translations. **_

* * *

*Disclaimer: I do not own Pandora and I make no profit from writing fanfiction based on the "Avatar" film.

* * *

Three days had passed since the conflict at the enemy compound. Tom suffered restlessness and confusion as he tried to adapt to life at Hell's Gate. At first, there wasn't much for him to do. Air traffic was restricted while the flying vehicles on the base were being inspected and repaired from the damage caused by the conflict. His thoughts over his drunken encounter with Tanhi distracted him and when he wasn't berating himself over his one-night stand with her, he was cursing his eyes for latching onto Trudy every time he saw her.

He kept telling himself that he needed to get over it. This wasn't a luxury vacation and he wasn't there to troll for booty. Katherine was kind enough to offer some of her plant specimens for his research and Tom plunged into his work almost desperately. His concentration was crippled by thoughts of two very different women and Jake's teasing accusation that he was starting a harem.

"I'm not starting a harem," Tom muttered under his breath as he peered into the microscope. He was on the verge of developing a new treatment for staff infections and he couldn't afford to let his mind drift...yet it was steadily drifting anyhow. "Tanhi jumped me. I haven't laid a finger on Trudy."

His turgid thoughts were interrupted as someone knocked on the door of his assigned lab room. He turned to see Max Patel peering in through the glass and he gestured for him to come in. The human scientist opened the sliding door and walked into the lab, smiling in a friendly manner behind his exopack mask.

"How's the research coming along, Dr. Sully?"

Tom nodded. "It's coming along pretty well, thanks. Have a look at this culture I've got." He stepped aside and motioned invitingly to the other man.

Max approached the microscope and looked into it. He blew a soft whistle. "I think you're onto something here. How long have you been working on this?"

"A few weeks," admitted Tom. "My work was interrupted for obvious reasons but I think I've gotten back on track, since coming here."

Max nodded and pulled away from the microscope, searching Tom with his eyes. Tom smirked, fully aware that Max had only begun trusting his loyalty recently. Dr. Patel looked uncomfortable and Tom guessed the reason why.

"It's okay," Tom assured him. "I'd have had me watched too, if I were you."

Max blinked. For a moment, it appeared that he was going to try and come up with some excuse for denial, but he shook his head and had the grace to look embarrassed. "Not much gets by you, does it?"

"It was pretty obvious," Tom informed him. "I don't mind, though."

Max grimaced. "Well, if it's any consolation, you've already proven we can trust you. I still want to apologize for being suspicious, Tom. We've been under a lot of stress, here."

"You don't need to apologize." Tom shrugged. "Your situation made it necessary and you had every right to keep an eye on me."

"Be that as it may, you deserved better from us," Max offered his hand and Tom shook it. "Thank you for being so gracious about this, Dr. Sully."

"My brother trusts you and so do I. There's nothing to forgive."

Max looked a little embarrassed. "Well, now that we've cleared _that_ up, how do you feel about getting out of here for a few hours? The airships have all been inspected and repaired, so I can arrange a pilot to take you out for sample collections if you want. No offense, but you look like you're getting a little stir crazy."

"Thank God," Tom chuckled. "I have to admit, a restless spirit is something my brother and I have in common. I'd love to get out for a few hours. Dr. Hart has been good enough to give me some of her spare samples but I'd like more variety."

"I understand." Max smiled. "I'll assign a pilot for you right away, Tom."

* * *

Tom's relief at the prospect of getting out of the compound for a while was short-lived. When he went to the hangar to meet up with his assigned pilot, he found himself facing Trudy Chacón. She grinned at him from behind her breathing mask and waved him over.

"Hey Tomcat. You're with me today."

Tom adjusted the cap he was wearing and silently repeated the nickname under his breath. Trudy's affectionate new nickname for him was as distracting as the sight of her low-cut sleeveless shirt and mischievous grin.

"What's wrong? Did you eat something that didn't agree with you?"

Tom swallowed and shook his head, approaching the aircraft as casually as possible. "I'm fine."

_~Great. This ought to clear up my confusion right away. Thanks, Max.~_

It wasn't Max's fault, though. Tom had nobody but himself to blame for his attraction to Trudy. He was just going to have to deal with it and remember that a romantic relationship with a human would be difficult to maintain. He started to climb into the cabin of the Samson but Trudy's small hand settled on his arm and she shook her head.

"Why do you want to sit back there? You can ride in the cockpit with me, partner. We'll keep each other company."

Tom gave her a faintly suspicious look but Trudy was all innocence. Something told him that she still didn't fully trust him and her invitation was more to keep an eye on him than a gesture of good will.

"I suppose we could do that."

* * *

They flew to the southwestern territory and landed near some marshlands. It was an ideal location to collect bacteria and plant samples. Tom checked his backpack when they touched down, reviewing the supplies within it to be sure he had everything he needed. Trudy cut the engine and drew her gun to check the ammunition.

"Too bad Wilson was out on another assignment," she grumbled. "We could have used an extra gun. This spot should be pretty safe, though."

Tom looked outside and nodded with agreement, even as he checked his own gun. "I'll try to make it fast. You've been to this territory before?"

"Yeah, a few times," answered the pilot. She sighed and reached for the exopack stashed overhead. She glanced sidelong at him as she slipped the filter over her shoulders and prepared to put the mask on. "Are you sure you don't want to wear one of these?"

Tom shook his head. "That's all right. It only takes a minute or two for me to adjust."

"Suit yourself, Tomcat. I'm ready when you are."

He smirked a little. "What's with the pet name, Lieutenant? I might start to think you like me, if you aren't careful."

Trudy chuckled. "Don't get too excited. It's bad luck when a black cat crosses your path, you know."

"So I'm bad luck?" Tom grinned at her. "And I'm blue, by the way."

"Black hair," she reminded him, pointing at the braid draping over his shoulder and down his chest.

"Fair enough." Tom secured his backpack shut and set it on the floor for a moment. He started to unbuckle his safety belt and he frowned when it didn't budge. Looking down at the clasp, he tried again. "Hmph."

"What's the holdup?"

Tom glanced up from his task. "I think it's jammed."

Trudy's eyebrows hedged. "You're kidding me."

He grunted softly and tugged at the buckle, shaking his head. "No, I'm not kidding. The damned buckle won't open."

She shook her head and slipped the strap of her mask over her arm. "Let me see that," she grumbled.

Tom blinked as the pilot climbed over the seat and squeezed between his legs and the dash. Her dark lashes were lowered as she examined his safety belt and pushed his hands away.

"How did you manage to do this, Sully?" Trudy tried pressing on the release and she absently maneuvered herself into a better position—which incidentally put her right into his lap.

Tom compressed his lips and tried to ignore the way her smaller frame squirmed against his. "I didn't do anything," he insisted. "I just buckled it, like normal."

"Well, you sure as heck did a good job," she informed him with a little grunt as she started tugging and turning the buckle.

Her position gave him a nice view down her shirt and Tom quickly looked away. He knew she wasn't doing it on purpose but Trudy seemed determined to remind him of what he'd be missing out on if he never tried to pursue her.

"I can do this," Tom muttered, trying to reach for the buckle without accidentally brushing against certain parts of her body. Despite his efforts, the back of his hand managed to bump against one of her breasts and his face heated quickly in reaction. "Sorry," he apologized awkwardly when Trudy paused.

She parted her lips to say something but when he started fumbling with the buckle, she swatted at his hand. "Chill, man. You're the one that got yourself into his mess and you'll probably just make it worse if I let you keep fooling with it."

Tom sighed and let his hands drop to the sides. "Maybe we should just cut the strap."

Trudy shook her head. "Not 'till I'm sure we can't get this open. I'm getting a record for damaging air transport as it is."

"It's just a seat belt," argued Tom with a low chuckle. "I think they'll let it slide." He swallowed as his body began to react to her squirming.

Trudy suddenly smirked and looked him in the eyes. "If someone came along right now and looked in here, they'd totally get the wrong idea."

Tom managed a grin, though her suggestion made a collection of inappropriate thoughts rage through his mind. "I'm sure they would."

Her smile faded and she stared at him. With acute humiliation, Tom realized she could probably feel his arousal pressing intimately against her and he cleared his throat and averted his eyes.

"That's not on purpose," he muttered.

Trudy shrugged and bit her lip. Her cheeks blossomed with color even as she tried to look unconcerned. "Hey, don't sweat it. These things have a mind of their own."

He couldn't help it. He laughed. He tried to quell his mirth but she was just so blunt and unfettered, he couldn't contain himself. He laughed harder when her eyebrows shot up and he gasped an apology, imagining she might think he was in hysterics.

A grin spread over her lips and she joined his laughter, shaking her head. "You science guys have a weird sense of humor, you know that?"

"You're laughing too," he pointed out between chuckles.

"It's infectious," she excused. She tried the seat belt again and this time, it gave. "Okay, you're free now. Am I good or what?"

He grinned and nodded. "I guess you are. Maybe I should let you buckle me in from now on."

"Yeah, you'd like that, wouldn't you?" She grinned and climbed off of his lap, back to the pilot's seat.

Tom refrained from running with that. The last thing he needed was to mistake a little friendly banter for flirtation. Telling himself firmly that Trudy Chacón wasn't for him, he waited for her to secure her exopack before opening his door and stepping out of the aircraft. He waved Trudy away when she came around from the other side of the Samson to help him once he started coughing.

"I'm okay," he assured her when his lungs adjusted. "Let's get started."

* * *

Somehow, she and Tom kept winding up in compromising situations together. The second time she took him out for sample collecting, Wilson went with them. Trudy was unreasonably relieved for the marine's presence, thinking that there was less chance of another sticky situation happening if it wasn't just the two of them. She was wrong. Just as they called it a day and started heading back to the Samson before the sun began to set, a herd of hammerheads wandered into their path. There was no time to seek a way around them. Being familiar with how aggressive and territorial the bulls could be, the three of them scrambled up a tree and waited in the branches as the herd passed beneath them.

"They're not leaving," Wilson muttered. "Shit...how are we going to get back to the bird with them hanging around?"

"Just give it some time," Tom suggested, frowning down at the animals. "I'm sure they'll move on after they've grazed for a while."

Trudy sighed and checked her weapons, though bullets wouldn't do more than annoy the thickly armored creatures. "And I swore I'd never end up stuck in a tree again," she grumbled.

"It's better than being on the ground with them," Tom replied with a gesture.

She shrugged and nodded grudgingly with agreement. The sun steadily dropped and the blasted herd stayed in the area until well after dark. When they finally left, it was too late to travel back to the Samson with any guarantee of safety. They would have to wait until morning. Fortunately, Trudy always kept rations with her, after her last trek through the Pandora wilds. Tom likewise had some food stashed in his backpack and she was a little surprised to find it was Human food. He added his food to hers and the three of them ate a cheerless meal together.

"Wouldn't it be easier to eat native food?" Trudy said when they finished eating. "I mean, you'd have a better variety."

Tom shrugged. "If it were just me, I would. Given the luck you and I have together, I figured I should pack for all of us, just in case."

Wilson snorted. "If you guys always have such bad luck, why don't you pick another pilot, Doc?"

"Max keeps sticking me with this one," answered Tom with a smirk in Trudy's direction.

"Hey, it's not _my_ idea, you big jinx." She gave him a sour look but her lips twitched tellingly as she poked him with the toe of her combat boot.

"Get a room, you two," Wilson remarked, combing his fingers through his short-trimmed brown hair.

Trudy and Tom looked at each other and the doctor's expression mirrored the surprise she felt. She hadn't thought her and Tom's teasing jabs at each other were flirtatious but apparently, other people got a different impression. Her first instinct was to blow it off as a ridiculous misunderstanding on Wilson's part but every time she looked at Tom Sully's attractive, Na'vi features, she realized she really _was_ flirting with him.

The revelation put Trudy in an even sourer mood. The guy was twice her height and they had nothing in common. Besides, she had already decided not to get mixed up in a relationship...at least, not until she could say for sure that she wouldn't end up falling for someone just to watch them get blown up.

"Let's get some shut-eye," she grumbled finally.

The men agreed with her and they all settled in as comfortably as they could. Tom stretched out on his stomach over the thick branch and Trudy rested her back against the trunk. Wilson moved over to the next branch and did the same as Trudy, holding his gun ready in case something tried to attack them during the night. Trudy found herself watching Tom's tail through lowered lashes, mesmerized by the slow, lazy swish of it. Even when he seemed to drift off to sleep, the appendage occasionally flicked.

Just when Trudy was starting to fall asleep, Tom's voice reached her ears.

"Put it on the counter."

Trudy blinked at him. His cheek was pillowed on his folded arms and his eyes appeared to be shut. "Huh? Put _what_ on _what_ counter?" Wilson was snoring softly beside her, oblivious to the odd conversation.

"Sample," Tom mumbled dreamily. "Put it next to the microscope."

Trudy bit back a laugh and rolled her eyes. "You're in a tree, big guy. The nearest lab is miles away from here."

"Tree?" A frown of confusion tugged his lips. "The sample is from a tree."

Trudy took pity on him. "Okay Tom. I'll put the sample on the counter. It's cool."

"Thanks." He settled back down, apparently satisfied.

Trudy grinned at him in spite of herself and when his ear twitched in response to the warm breeze touching it, she had an urge to caress it. Realizing where her thoughts were heading, she chastised herself and looked away. Shutting her eyes again, she tried to get to sleep. Unfortunately, Tom kept chatting in his sleep and Wilson's uneven snores didn't help. Trudy sighed and assured Tom that the oven was turned off. It was somewhat entertaining and kind of cute, she had to admit.

Tom's tail flicked again and she reached out to catch hold of it before even realizing what she was doing. She studied the appendage and she combed her fingers through the tuft of hair on the end of it. It was surprisingly soft. Tom sighed in his sleep and she had the sneaking suspicion that he enjoyed the touch. She was about to let go of the tail but a mischievous impulse took hold of her.

"These guys are going to keep me up all night," she whispered. "Might as well keep myself occupied."

Trudy had never been the kind of little girl that liked to play with dolls. She always had toy horses and helicopters as a child. One of the few girlish pleasures she had always enjoyed was braiding the tails of her toy horses. With a shrug, she combed her fingers through the soft hair at the tip of Tom's tail and she began to entertain herself.

* * *

Tom woke up stiff and aching. He covered his mouth on a yawn and sat up, straddling the branch. He turned around to check on his companions and he found Trudy wide-awake and chewing a piece of gum. Her eyes were reddened and he gazed at her with concern.

"Did you get _any_ sleep at all?"

"I dozed off a few times," she answered, "but you guys kept waking me up. Wilson sounds like a lumberjack sawing down a forest and you were yapping in your sleep."

Tom smirked, a little embarrassed. "I haven't talked in my sleep since high school. Sorry." He looked around with a frown. "Speaking of Wilson, where is he?"

"He's off taking a leak," informed Trudy. "He'll give a shout of he gets into trouble. So are you ready to head back to the Samson, sleeping beauty?"

"More than ready," he agreed, stretching sore muscles. "Are you sure you're okay to fly? Wilson has pilot training, doesn't he?"

Trudy snorted. "Not enough for me to trust him to get us back in one piece. I'm good for it, Sully. I'll get some sleep after we get back to Hell's Gate."

Tom slipped his backpack over his shoulders and prepared to start climbing down behind her when he caught a glimpse of his tail tuft. He froze and grasped the appendage, staring at the multiple braids woven through the tuft.

"Trudy?"

She paused in the action of reaching for a vine and she looked over her shoulder at him. "Yeah?"

"You wouldn't happen to know why the end of my tail is braided, would you?"

Her dark eyes flitted to the object in question and she gave an almost sheepish grin. "Hey, you guys were keeping me up. I had to do _something_ to stay occupied."

Tom chuckled and dropped the tail. "I guess that's fair. So what all did I talk about in my sleep?"

Trudy shrugged and began to shimmy down the vine to the ground. "Mostly science stuff. I guess you thought you were in your lab or something. One time you said you left the oven on and I was afraid you were going to jump out of the tree to go turn it off."

Tom followed her down and he laughed breathlessly. "I'm lucky you were here to stop me, then." When they made it to the ground, he looked down at her uncomfortably. "I didn't say anything stupid, did I?"

Trudy's expression softened and she shook her head. "Nah, you're in the clear. It was mostly just the lab stuff."

Tom relaxed a little. At least he hadn't blurted out a confession of his attraction to her or said anything about the night he spent with Tanhi.

* * *

A couple of days later, they got word from Jackson. He said he would be sending a shuttle to collect the prisoners in two days and he insisted on at least meeting Jake to speak with him. Max was quick to contact the Omaticaya leader and let him know what was going on. He wasn't really surprised to hear that Jake had gathered several clans together at Hometree.

"We're giving those guys a proper send-off," Jake told him. "They need to see that we mean business and I'm not taking the chance that they're planning to take a last shot at taking over the compound."

"I think that's the wisest course of action," Max agreed. "I've got to admit, I'll feel better about this with a full Na'vi army backing us up. Some of those guys we have locked up don't give me the feeling they're ready to give up."

"You just keep that security tight until this is over with," Jake answered. "We'll be there tomorrow. I know there's not enough room in the avatar bunkers to house all of these clans, so we'll probably set up camp outside the perimeter."

"Okay. Thanks, Jake. We'll see you tomorrow."

* * *

"Damn...Sully doesn't kid around."

Wilson stood beside Trudy and the group of scientists that gathered near the main access gate and he stared at the approaching Na'vi. The sky was full of ikran riders and the ground beneath them was taken up by other Na'vi on horseback. The ground riders carried supplies on stretchers harnessed to their mounts. It was easy to pick out Jake from the rest of the Na'vi, as his great, red and black mount took up the lead of the flying procession.

Jake and the other clan leaders gave their orders to the Na'vi and then he came in for a landing with Neytiri, Norm and Ni'nat at the gate. He dismounted his toruk and approached his brother with a smile.

"How's it going, Tommy?" Jake gave his twin a brief, brotherly embrace before stepping back again.

"Good," assured Tom. "How's my nephew doing?"

"He's great. Mo'at's watching over him at Hometree for us while we take care of this. You ought to come for a visit again after we send these guys packing."

Tom caught sight of Tanhi in the crowd outside the fence and he swallowed as her eyes met his briefly over the distance. "That...would be great," he murmured. Except that he didn't know if he could expect another encounter with her or what he would do if she initiated one.

Jake followed his gaze and for a moment, Tom feared he would say something. The older twin curbed any amusement he might have felt and he turned his attention to Max and the others. "This may all be overkill but I'd rather have them by the balls than let our guard down. Make sure your people are prepared for a fight, just in case."

"I'm always ready," Trudy said with a smirk. "I've got my teams on standby. If those guys even sneeze our way, we'll be locked and loaded."

"Good." Jake nodded. He looked to Tom. "What about the ones you've put on your list, Tommy? Are they going to stay here or go back with the rest of them?"

"Most of them are taking our offer but some want to go back to Earth."

Jake looked surprised. "Really? Even stuck permanently in avatar bodies?"

"Yes." Tom sighed. "I think the ones that want to go back are scared. Maybe it's easier for them to go back to what they know, even if they'll never fit in again."

Jake shrugged. "Well, it's their lives. I guess we can't force them to stay." He put an arm around Neytiri's waist. "We've got to help get the camp set up. I'm keeping this on so you guys can get in touch with me fast if you hear anything else." He indicated the transmitter around his throat.

"Hopefully nothing dire will happen between now and tomorrow," Max sighed.

* * *

Late the next afternoon, the Valkyrie shuttle approached Hell's Gate and requested permission to land. The permission was granted and the resident marines took up arms along with the visiting Na'vi as the huge transport vehicle touched down in the compound. A dark-skinned, rather tall man exited the craft with several avatar guards and he looked around at the gathered forces with open astonishment. His men started to take aim at the threat but he ordered them to put their guns down.

Jake approached with Neytiri and he heard the man mutter "Jesus," under his breath. Jake resisted a smirk, satisfied that he'd sufficiently made a lasting impression.

"Foreman Jackson?" Jake asked when he came to a stop before the human. The man nodded and offered his hand, which Jake shook. "Jake Sully. This is my mate Neytiri, next in line to be _Tsahik_ of the Omaticaya."

Jackson nodded, his gaze flicking between the couple and the ikran-mounted Na'vi people holding their arrows steady on him and his men. "It sure looks to me like the Na'vi have taken over this base."

Jake glanced around. "My people are here to make sure yours don't try anything. After what's happened here before, it's necessary."

"I see. Where is your brother Tom?"

Jake looked over his shoulder and pointed him out. "He's right there with the rest of the science team. Your people are being brought out to board the shuttle now."

"And you said Max Patel is in charge here?" pressed the foreman.

"He keeps everything organized, yes."

"May I speak with him?"

Jake shrugged and motioned for Max. The scientist crossed the distance and greeted Jackson. The foreman began to question him and Max calmly answered all of his inquiries.

"Everything Jake Sully has told you is true," Max said sincerely. "The indigenous people allowed us to stay here and we work together. They don't attack us and we respect their lands."

"But you're operating equipment that belongs to the RDA," insisted Jackson. "They aren't likely to give up billions of dollars worth of construction, research and machinery, even if they can be convinced to give up their mining operation."

"Then war will continue to happen," Neytiri warned.

Jake nodded and gave the foreman and his guards a steady stare. "The Na'vi will never let the RDA start up where they left off. If you want to save lives, you'll have to help us get the truth out. There's never going to be peaceful negotiations between Earth and Pandora, as long as the RDA keeps coming here trying to blast everything. Make sure you tell them that, Jackson."

"I'll try, but I don't think they'll listen to me."

"Probably not," agreed Jake, "at least, not at first. We'll keep turning them away until they take us seriously and as long as the word gets out, at least there's a chance."

"Mind if I ask you something?" Jackson looked around again at the formidable clans.

"Ask away."

"Selfridge claimed the whole moon attacked his people. How much of that is true?"

Jake shared a little grin with Neytiri. "We had a little help from the local wildlife. We'll do it again, if we have to. What about Colonel Myers? Do you have him under lock and key like I suggested?"

Jackson looked uncomfortable. "I'm having him watched, but I don't have enough to go on to take him into custody. It's the best I can do, for now."

Jake frowned. "Then if I were you, I'd work on getting that ISV out of orbit and away from this world as fast as possible."

"I'll do what I can. The soonest I can promise is two weeks. We've got preparations to make for the trip and we'll need to run inspections to be sure we can make it home without incident."

Jake looked questioningly at Max, who confirmed the comment with a nod. "He's telling the truth, Jake. Remember how far this journey is."

Jake sighed. "All right. I guess I can't expect overnight results. You'd better push it though, Foreman."

* * *

"Jill, are you absolutely sure about this?"

She stopped on her way to the shuttle and smiled at Tom, nodding her head. "I'm sure. I still have family back home and maybe if I can testify to what I've seen here, I can help make a difference. This place...it's too big for me, Tom. It's nothing like what I expected, even after extensive training. I'm afraid I'm not as brave as you are."

He shook his head. "You're braver than you think. Willingly going back to Earth in an alien body takes a lot of courage. Take care of yourself, okay?" He offered his hand and she shook it.

"You too, Tom. Thank you for speaking on my behalf." She stepped away from him and got back in line behind the shackled avatars.

Tom watched her go with a sigh and when Jake shot a smirk at him, he muttered a warning under his breath. "Don't start with the harem cracks, Jake. I'm not in the mood."

"What's wrong with being proud of my little brother for all the female attention he gets?"

Tom grimaced. "How about we concentrate on making sure these people aren't a threat anymore, instead of my relationship with every woman I speak to?"

Jake sobered. "I'm just trying to lighten the mood a little. Believe me, I stay awake at night worrying about another fight."

Tom glanced at him and nodded. "Sorry I snapped at you."

* * *

The Valkyrie shuttle left the atmosphere and traveled into space with its passengers. When the transport was no longer visible from the ground, people began to relax and they chatted about the event for a while before returning to their duties. The leaders hung around to discuss the best course of action until the ISV was out of the solar system and no longer a threat.

"We may have an advantage soon that could prevent this from happening again," Max told Jake and Norm in a low voice. "Sebastian thinks he might be able to come up with a program to protect satellite access. He's told me that if he succeeds, no outside ships can interfere with or use our satellite systems without getting the code from us."

"Wouldn't he have to go into space to do that?" Jake's expression screwed up, while Neytiri and the other listening Na'vi looked at one another blankly.

"Not for a software upload," Norm said. "It sounds like some sort of super firewall he's trying to come up with. Even if he manages it, there's no guarantee that the IRA won't have someone on board one of those transports that can hack their way through it."

"Some protection is better than none," Max said with a shrug. "But at least now we know satellite tracking glitches aren't always just glitches."

"Great," muttered Trudy. "So now we'll just be getting ready for a war every time the space radar has a hiccup."

"There's nothing we can do about it now," Jake said. "We'll stick around for a few days before returning back to our homes. Keep communications open, guys."

* * *

Four days after the shuttles took the avatar operatives back to the ISV, Jake and the gathered clans were preparing for the journey home. They prepared food wraps and salted rations and they began to deconstruct the encampment outside the perimeter.

"She looks a little flushed."

Jake glanced up from the fish he was cleaning. "What's that?"

Tom nodded in Trudy's direction. "Something's not right."

Jake followed his gesture with his eyes and regarded Trudy, who was across the yard talking to one of her fellow pilots. "She looks okay to me. Here Tom, you're supposed to be watching this. You might need to do it someday."

Tom took his attention off Trudy and watched what his brother and Neytiri were doing. His interest in their activities didn't last for very long. He was again distracted when he noticed Trudy stagger ever so slightly as she walked away.

Jake sighed and stood up, walking over to Tom as Neytiri continued preserving the fish. "A little obvious there, Tommy."

"What?" Tom tried to look ignorant.

Jake chuckled. "You keep staring at her."

"She doesn't look well," Tom excused, his eyes again straying to the retreating pilot. She was heading for the recreation building. "It's my job to worry about people's health, remember?"

"Then Maybe you should give her a checkup." There was amusement in Jake's voice.

Tom gave his brother an exasperated look. "We could be on the brink of another firefight and you're standing here making lewd jokes."

Jake shrugged. "What's lewd about giving someone a checkup? I'm just saying if you think she looks sick you ought to check her out. Besides, if a fight _does_ happen we'll need her in top shape. Trudy's the kind of woman that would brush it off as nothing and make herself sicker, you know."

"She's not an idiot, Jake."

"No, but she's tough and she's stubborn. Think about it." Jake patted him on the arm. "I'll see you later, Tommy."

Tom looked across the distance at Trudy again and he cursed softly beneath his breath, even as he began walking after her. There was nothing wrong with making sure she was all right. Taking care of the medical needs of the people on the base was part of his job, after all.

* * *

"Hold up for a minute."

Trudy jumped impulsively as the male voice startled her. She paused in the action of opening the sealed doors and she turned to look up at Tom. "Man, I've about had it with nine-foot tall blue guys sneaking up on me!"

He smiled briefly, without humor. "I wasn't being stealthy. You should have heard me coming."

"Yeah well, I'm having an off day," she excused. "I figure a little workout might do me some good." She started to open the doors but Tom reached out and stopped her, his long hand closing over her wrist. "Hey, what's your problem?" She pulled but he didn't let go.

"Just humor me for a minute," Tom insisted as he knelt before her until their faces were level with each other.

Trudy grimaced uncomfortably. "I wish you wouldn't do that," she muttered, forgetting her annoyance in the face of mortification.

"Do what?" asked Tom as he peered intensely into her eyes.

"Kneel down like that," she answered. "It makes me feel like a little kid."

Tom smiled. "Well, you don't _look_ like a little kid." He felt gently along her neck with the fingers of both his hands, still gazing into her eyes as if looking for answers to a riddle.

"Okay, I give up," Trudy griped. "What the hell are you doing?"

"You've got some glandular swelling," he murmured absently. "Your eyes are too bright and your face is flushed. Are you in any pain?"

"I've got a headache," she admitted. "And you're making it worse."

He didn't take the bait. "Are you feeling dizzy or light headed?"

His patience was maddening and Trudy was seriously contemplating throttling him. "A little, I guess. No big deal."

"Maybe not, but it could become a big deal. Hold your breath."

"Why?"

He gave her a stern look and she grumbled and complied. Tom slipped her mask up and felt her forehead and cheeks with his palm before replacing the mask. He nodded and stood up. "Come on, I want to have a better look at you."

"I'm fine."

Tom looked down at her with another stern expression. "Lieutenant, you have symptoms of an infection and even if you think you're 'fine', I'm getting a different impression. It won't take very long."

If she weren't feeling so shitty, she might have argued further with him. Trudy staggered a little as she took a step and her equilibrium shifted. Tom quickly steadied her with a hand on her shoulder.

"All right, so maybe I'm not a hundred percent," she grumbled.

She walked with him to the lab building and she winced in spite of herself when he coughed in reaction to being exposed to the Earth air. He took her into one of the examination rooms for human patients and he waited while she removed her exopack and hopped onto the examination table.

"You don't have to look so smug," Trudy complained as he started going through the cabinets for instruments.

"I'm not 'smug'," he countered with a sidelong glance at her. "I'm just glad you came to your senses. A simple infection could turn into something deadly if it goes untreated and I won't have you keeling over on me."

She hid a grin as she detected the sincere concern in his voice and eyes. He approached her with an electric thermometer and he slipped sterile cap over the length of it before handing it to her. She obligingly placed it under her tongue and she gave a little start as he cupped her face. For one freaky moment, she thought he was going to try to kiss her—thermometer and all. His fingertips roved over her face, gently pressing around her cheekbones and under her eyes.

"It doesn't look like you've got any swelling in your sinuses," he mused.

His fingers moved along to beneath her ears and Trudy inadvertently shut her eyes as he kneaded along her jaw and neck. It felt good and she thought he could easily lull her to sleep if he kept it up.

"Raise your arms over your head, will you?" His tone was professionally detached and his eyes were hard to read.

Trudy did as he asked and she felt a little thrill go through her when his hands glided over her ribcage and up. Goosebumps sprang up on her bare arms and she wanted to kick herself for the reaction. His hands moved over the material of her sleeveless top until they reached her armpits.

"Hey, dat tickles," she complained around the thermometer when he pressed his fingers against her armpits and felt around.

He gave her a brief smile and for a moment, their eyes met and held. She saw a flash of warmth in his amber gaze before he quelled it and took his hands off of her. "Your lymph nodes are swollen. Have you had any untreated injuries over the past couple of days?"

She shook her head. He drew some blood and she endured it without flinching. When he finished with that, he checked her ears. Trudy grimaced as he used the instrument on her but she held still for him, despite how much she hated having her ears prodded. Tom made a satisfied sound in his throat and he put the instrument on the counter for washing. He took the thermometer out of her mouth and checked the temperature, then gave a little nod.

"You've got an ear infection," Tom announced. "It's not hard to treat but you need to avoid flying until it's cleared up. The air pressure will only make it worse."

"Whoa, hold up there, buddy. I'm a pilot. Flying is my job."

Tom gazed at her levelly. "If you're having trouble walking without losing your balance, what do you think is going to happen if you go up in an aircraft?"

She worked her mouth but there was no good argument against that. "We'll see," she muttered.

"No, we _won't_," he countered. "You're not going anywhere near an aircraft until this infection clears up. Max and the others will back me on this. Doctor's orders."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "You guys abuse your power sometimes, you know that?"

"Only when we have to." He patted her on the shoulder and walked back to the counter to check through the drawers. "I'll write you up some prescriptions for antibiotics, ear drops and a fever reducer. I'll let you know if I find anything to worry about in your bloodwork."

Trudy shrugged, watching with interest as he opened one drawer after the other. "Fine. What are you looking for?"

Tom turned around to face her again and he held a red sucker in one hand and an orange one in the other. Trudy gave him an annoyed look as he approached and offered the red lollipop to her.

She crossed her arms over her chest. "Laying it on a little thick with the patronizing treatment, don't you think?"

"Hey, I'm taking one too," he said, waving the orange sucker. "Go ahead." He gave her a knowing smirk. "It's strawberry flavored."

Trudy pursed her lips. "Give me that," she said, snatching the red sucker from him.

Tom chuckled. "You're kind of a brat when you're sick, Lieutenant."

She unwrapped the sucker and popped it into her mouth before getting off of the examination table. "I get pissy when people tell me I can't fly."

"It's only for a little while," he reminded her. "Take care of yourself and get some rest."

She turned to look up at him and she hesitated, watching him put his sucker into his mouth. "I guess I should thank you," she told him grudgingly when he gave her an inquisitive glance. "See you around, Tomcat."

She left without waiting for his reply and she mentally smacked herself for using that pet name again.

* * *

"I don't get it," Trudy muttered to herself once she was safely in the privacy of her sleeping quarters. It couldn't just be Tom's looks—otherwise she would have been crushing on Jake a long time ago. "What the hell's _up_ with me?"

She reasoned that it must have something to do with the pickles she and Tom always seemed to land in together. All of that close, awkward contact had to have something to do with it.

"Throw a starving woman a piece of steak and she'll probably eat it," Trudy reasoned aloud as she sprawled over her bunk. "And I've been going hungry for a while now."

She pulled her half-dissolved sucker out of her mouth and studied it in the fluorescent lamplight. Tom knew her favorite flavor. Either the guy was just super observant or she wasn't the only one crushing a little, here. Trudy grinned, even as she warned herself to stop going there.

"I don't really know the guy that well yet. This shit could go away after a while, if I don't encourage it."

Unfortunately, it was difficult not to encourage it when the memory of how his hands felt on her kept playing through her head. She dozed off and had a rather vivid dream concerning herself, Tom and her chopper. A grin spread over her lips, at first. When things went from amusing to heated in the dream, she began to squirm restlessly. Soft, distressed moans broke free of her parted lips and her tension mounted.

Trudy woke up wide-eyed and stunned when it ended in the best climax she'd had in a year. Her chest heaved with labored breath and she stared up at the ceiling, replaying every delightful moment of the dream in her mind. She had never dreamed herself into an orgasm before, which meant she was more deprived than she thought or she liked Tom a lot more than she wanted to admit.

"Oh, crap."

* * *

-To be continued

**Translations:**

_**Tsahik **_= Matron, spiritual leader of the clan


	21. Chapter 21

"Between worlds"

Chapter 21

* * *

_**Author's note: See footnotes at the end of the chapter for Na'vi/English translations. This one is a long chapter with a lot of character dialog and angst. My apologies for the lack of action.**_

* * *

*Disclaimer: I do not own Pandora and I make no profit from writing fanfiction based on the "Avatar" film.

* * *

A week went by and once her infection cleared up, Trudy was again put on assignment to fly Tom Sully out to forage research samples from the wilds.

It wasn't that Trudy minded flying him anywhere, exactly. She liked the guy...maybe more than she should. If he and Max could discover new medical treatments in their studies, it would be better for everyone. The problem was that it was going to be just the two of them again and their track record for getting into trouble together was growing steadily.

Now she was preparing to take him out again and who knew what sort of mess they'd end up in? She double and triple-checked everything on the Samson. She grimaced when she found a loose bolt on the underside of the aircraft. It wasn't anything significant but she wasn't about to take chances. Just as she was about to roll out from under the chopper to reach for the toolbox, a pair of booted feet strode up to her and stopped a couple of feet away.

"How's it looking, Trudy?"

She scooted the rolling flatbed out and looked up at Tom. He was dressed in loose-fitting cargo pants, a muscle shirt and a pair of hiking boots. His golden eyes stared down at her from beneath the brim of his cap. His queue swayed as he squatted down beside her and offered a helping hand up.

Trudy shook her head and held up her grubby hands for inspection. "I've got grease on me."

"So?" Tom tilted his head. "We're about to be exposed to plenty of dirt and grime. I can wipe the grease off." He didn't retract his hand.

She shrugged and took it, allowing him to help her up. He studied her quietly as she reached for the worn hand towel she had hanging on the vehicle door. She glanced at him sidelong as she wiped her hands. "What? I passed your inspection two days ago, Sully. I'm fine to get back into my routine."

Tom smiled quietly at her. "I just don't want to rush it. You were bad off there, for the first two days."

"Well I'm fine now, so stop being an overprotective sap."

He laughed softly and shook his head. "Now I'm a sap for looking after you?"

"I don't need looking after," Trudy grunted. She fished out a bottle of sterilizing hand wash from her toolkit and she used it before offering it to him. "So what kind of mess are you going to get us into today, Tomcat?"

He wiped his hands off on the towel she gave him and he shrugged. "I thought I'd yowl on someone's fence and get shoes thrown at us."

She smirked. "Sorry, the nickname stays."

He gave her a rueful look but his mouth curved slightly. "I guess I'll just have to get used to it, then."

* * *

Tom and Trudy barely made it down the hall of the medic wing before they were approached by one of the scientists Tom had invited to stay behind. Neil's tail swished busily behind him as he spotted them and closed the distance, clutching a holopad in one hand.

"Hey Dr. Sully, I've got those research notes filled out." Neil noticed that the other doctor was walking with a limp and a grimace. "Are you okay?"

Tom nodded, rubbing his left upper thigh as he came to a stop. "I pulled a muscle in my leg. It's nothing serious."

"Ouch. How did you manage that?"

Tom gave Trudy a sidelong look. "By catching a falling pilot."

"My foot slipped," she excused. "This is why I hate climbing trees but you just _had_ to get that fungus growing halfway up the trunk."

"You could have just let me climb up alone," Tom argued. The other scientist looked back and forth between the two of them as they bickered.

"You're accident prone," she shot back.

"Says the woman who almost broke her neck in a fall," Tom snorted.

"Yeah well...uh...thanks for catching me." Trudy looked almost contrite.

"So she fell and you caught her," summarized Tom's colleague. "How did you pull your leg doing that?"

"I slipped too," answered Tom. "I had to hook my leg over a vine to keep from going down with her. I'd love to talk about this but I'm in considerable pain here, Neil. Could you just leave the notes on my lab desk?"

"Sorry. I'll let you get that taken care of. Maybe your girlfriend can massage it for you tonight." He walked off to finish whatever he was doing before, leaving Tom and Trudy staring after him.

"Wow. First Max and now you," Trudy finally said. "I'm really racking up the fake boyfriends."

* * *

Trudy kept thinking of the new guy's suggestion about massaging Tom's injured area. She frowned as she spooned up another bite of food and looked around the cafeteria. She saw some of the human scientists and avatar drivers having dinner but there was no sign of Tom anywhere. Maybe he was eating in tonight. She guessed he probably would have wanted a hot bath after getting looked at by one of the other doctors.

She was so deep in thought that she didn't notice Max approaching until he sat down across from her at the table.

"I hear you and Dr. Sully ran into a little trouble today," Max said, cutting into her thoughts. "Are you all right?"

Trudy looked up from her half-eaten meal. "I'm fine. Sully wasn't so lucky, though."

"So I saw. I just finished examining him and giving him some muscle relaxants. He asked me to check on you."

Trudy took a drink of soda to hide her smile. "Like I said, I'm fine," she reiterated after she regained control of her lips and set the drink down.

"You're sure you don't have any shoulder pain? Tom said your angle could have wrenched something."

She blew her bangs out of her eyes in a sigh. "I'm okay. I'd tell you if I damaged something."

"All right, then." Max didn't press her further. He ate a spoonful of soup before speaking again. "You two seem to be getting along well. I think he likes you, Trudy."

She stopped eating again. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Uh...that he likes you." Max looked puzzled. "Is something the matter with that? We've already agreed he can be trusted so there's no harm in being friends with him."

She relaxed and chuckled. "Sorry, Maxi. The boyfriend rumors are starting up again so I guess I'm just defensive."

"Oh?"

She shrugged. "One of Sully's buddies thinks I'm his girlfriend and Wilson says we argue like a married couple, when we're not flirting. What do you think?"

Max smiled a little and shook his head. "I haven't had much time to be that observant but I suppose you two give that impression, sometimes."

Trudy frowned. If Max noticed it too then it was definitely something she and Tom were doing, rather than other people drawing random conclusions. She glanced at Katherine and Sebastian, who were eating with Ramona and Lee at the other side of the cafeteria. "Most Na'vi men have to be packing some heavy equipment. I wonder if Dr. Hart and Sebastian have gotten it on yet, or if Dr. Adams ever goes all the way with her guy when he's in his avatar body."

Max choked on his drink and he quickly turned away and covered his mouth with his napkin. "How did you come to this conclusion?" He asked when he recovered enough to speak. He kept his voice down and checked to make sure nobody was listening in.

She shrugged and pushed her food around with her spoon. "Body ratio. I don't go around staring at their crotches but it seems pretty logical to me that their junk would scale up like their height and size, right?" She wasn't about to tell him about the incident with the jammed seatbelt that day, when she felt evidence of said endowments pressing against her.

"I'm not really comfortable talking about this," Max said with a grimace.

"Why not? You're a doctor." Trudy grinned at him. "Plus, I know you've seen it all anyhow, working with the Avatar program and all. You never even looked while they were floating in those tanks?"

Max sighed. "I don't think we should be discussing our colleague's groins."

"Just tell me if I'm right or not and I'll stop asking."

He grimaced and finally nodded. "Okay, your suspicions aren't wrong. Satisfied?"

"I figured as much." Trudy nodded in satisfaction. "Like a porn star standing next to your average Joe, right? Maybe a Na'vi woman could do it with a human guy but I've got to wonder how it would fit, the other way around."

"I take it you've never actually watched porn, then." Max began to busy himself with eating and Trudy chuckled over the way he blushed.

"Damn, you're bashful about this. You really think a couple like that could make it work?"

Max swallowed his food and cleared his throat. "Trudy, the female body is generally designed in a way that allows versatility. Unless the male in question is very...gifted—even for a Na'vi—then it's safe to say it can be done with the right care. Now, can we please stop talking about this? Honestly, if you want to know more about it, maybe you should be talking to Katherine or Ramona. They've got experience with it."

"No thanks. Katherine seems too ladylike to give details and Ramona will just get the wrong idea and spread more gossip about me and Tom."

Max studied her shrewdly. "Yes, I can see how asking for details about Na'vi and human copulation might lead someone to the conclusion that you're interested in trying it."

Trudy suppressed a grimace. "I was just curious about how those two couples manage to fool around, is all. Don't get all excited, Maxi."

"It's a little strange for you to be so interested in someone else's love life." Max smirked at her. "Especially after all the complaints you've made over people being lovesick."

"Random curiosity, that's all. I guess being accused of dating Sully might have helped the question pop up in my head, but that doesn't mean I'm planning to go for a ride." She pretended to check her watch. "Well, I've got things to do before bedtime. Thanks for the talk, Max."

* * *

She was going to brush up on her mechanics with a little reading after she had her shower, but Trudy found her steps leading down the end of the barracks. She asked herself what the hell she was doing even as she came to a stop before Tom Sully's sleeping quarters. Maybe he was already in bed asleep. She almost changed her mind about knocking on his door but she figured she at least owed him a goodnight, since he had hurt himself saving her ass from a fall.

"Hey, it's Trudy," she called out when she knocked and heard his soft inquiry.

She ran her fingers through her loose, slightly damp hair and looked around with fabricated casualty. The door opened seconds later and she looked up at Tom's tall, tiger-striped form. He was wearing a pair of black boxer shorts and a green crew shirt. He stood gingerly as he gazed down at her but he didn't appear to have been woken up from sleep.

"Your hair is down," Tom said with evident surprise, just as Trudy was about to ask how his leg was feeling.

"Well I don't _always_ keep it in a ponytail." She shook the loose mane over her shoulders and she realized with a bit of a shock that she was preening for him. The last time she'd done that for a guy was back before she joined the military.

"It looks good." His eyes flitted over her hair and face and he smiled a little.

Not one to get easily flustered, Trudy shrugged. "How's the leg feeling?"

"The muscle relaxant is kicking in," he answered. "I was about to put a cold pack on it."

"Well, invite me in," Trudy demanded.

Tom's eyebrows went up. "Not even a 'please'?"

She smirked up at him. "Since it's partly my fault you strained it, I figured I'd come by and give you a massage."

Tom tilted his head in that inquiring way that he and Jake both shared. "Isn't that something only imaginary girlfriends do for their fake boyfriends?" His grin was subtle and teasing on her.

"Look, I could just call it a night if you don't want me to help," she muttered.

His expression changed. "You're serious."

"Yeah, I think you've earned a _little_ pampering. I know a thing or too about therapeutic massage, believe it or not."

He considered her quietly for a moment, his golden eyes staring into hers until she nearly looked away. He slowly nodded his head. "I guess it couldn't hurt...unless you want it to. You're not planning on hurting me, are you Trudy?"

She rolled her eyes, though inwardly she wondered if he meant to make the question sound kinky or if her mind was just in the gutter. "No more than I've got to. Are you going to let me in or not?"

Tom lurched aside to make room in the doorway and he made an inviting gesture. "Be my guest."

Trudy walked into the room and she spotted the bottle of muscle rub sitting on the small desk by the door. She grabbed it and crossed the floor to the large bunk against the back wall. It was high off the ground to her but she supposed it was ideal for someone of Na'vi build. When Tom shut the door again and turned to look at her, she patted the mattress.

"Get over here so I can have a look at you, Doc."

For a minute his yellow gaze slid over her bare legs and Trudy realized he'd never seen her wearing anything but army issued cargo pants. The sight of her in a pair of loose shorts seemed to be as novel to him as her hair being worn down. She compressed her lips a bit as his eyes traveled her legs and she nearly blurted out a demand that he snap out of it. The guy was exposed to practically naked Na'vi women all the time. A pair of human legs shouldn't be a big deal.

Tom's glance only lasted for a moment, though to Trudy it felt like longer. He walked over to the bunk and sat down cautiously, wincing as his tightened thigh muscle reacted to the motion.

"All right Trudy. Do your worst."

She chuckled at him, amused by the expression of pain anticipation on his face. "It isn't going to feel good at first. Once the muscle loosens up a little it'll at least ease the pain." She opened the bottle of gel and poured a little into her palm. "Okay Tomcat, just lay back and chill out."

He did as she asked and he watched her with glittering, amber eyes as she rubbed her hands together and prepared to start working on the visibly tense length of muscle. Trudy realized something then; his injured leg was on the left side. Since the bunk was against the wall, she'd have to lean over the mattress awkwardly to work. She huffed a sigh and considered the problem for a moment, before slipping her sandals off and leaving them at the foot of the bed.

"What are you doing?" Tom asked as she climbed onto the bunk and nudged his knees apart.

"I can't do this right standing up," she answered. "Spread your legs a little more to make some room for me. I don't take up much space."

Tom stared up at her for a moment before complying. Was it her imagination, or did the pigment around his cheeks darken a little? Trudy subtly scanned the length of his reclined form from beneath lowered lashes and she resisted a smirk. Once again, they were in a suggestive position. She folded her legs beneath her and scooted up carefully, mindful not to move in too close and accidentally knee him in the groin. The size difference between them didn't seem all that obvious to her now—possibly because she was looking down at him from between his parted thighs. He tensed when she laid her hands over his upper left thigh and felt along the taut muscle.

"Down boy," she muttered when Tom started to sit up. "I'm working out where to start. Hmph, pull the hem of your boxers up on this side, will you? It's going to get in the way."

"Just how far up do you plan on doing this?" Tom was looking down at her hands, which appeared quite small as they felt along his thigh.

"You're lucky you didn't pull your groin, pal. Don't worry, I won't cop a feel or anything."

Trudy kept her eyes lowered and her tone as casual as possible, deliberately fixating on the lean stretch of muscle she intended to work on. She was afraid that if she looked him in the eye, she'd either burst into laughter or say something supremely stupid. He was in great shape for a scientist but considering the Sully family physique and his active role in collecting his own samples, it wasn't surprising.

Tom grimaced as he pulled the left side of the garment up a little to get it out of the way. Trudy slid her hands up his inner thigh and she enjoyed the feel of his skin and muscle beneath her palm a little too much. She began to knead and stroke firmly, working her way down to just above his knee before going back up again. She could tell by his winces and soft grunts that it was painful but to his credit, he didn't whine or ask her to stop.

"So when did you learn how to do this and why?" Tom asked in a strained voice as she thoroughly worked over the muscle.

She applied more of the medicinal gel and worked her hands back and forth horizontally over his thigh, soothing it before resuming the deep tissue massage. "Basic training, man. If you get a cramp while you're in the air or stuck in a survival situation, you can't just stop what you're doing and wait for it to ease up. It's just like the basic first aid. They taught us how to use trauma kits, stitch up cuts, rub cramps out and even take out a bullet if it's just a flesh shot."

She looked at his face and smirked. "Jake never told you any of this stuff? I'd have thought you knew there was more to being in the army than shooting straight and kicking ass."

Tom shrugged and lowered his gaze. "Jake never talked about his military life much. Probably because he knew I didn't want him to join."

Trudy almost stopped. "Why not? He's a good fighter, Doc."

"Because I didn't want him to get killed."

She felt her expression softening. Tom's handsome face bore an almost vulnerable expression of brotherly love that he couldn't quite mask. Their personalities were very different but the bond that Tom and Jake shared was deeper than they both let on.

"Well, he didn't get killed," she said after a moment, "And there's a lot of other things in life that can kill you, besides a bullet."

"I also don't approve of war," he informed her.

Trudy snorted. "What are you going to do, stand in the middle of a firefight, shake your finger at everyone and tell them to settle down and stop killing each other? Wars happen because two sides can't reach an agreement, Sully. That's life. Your brother fought for _your_ freedom when he took that bullet."

Tom lifted his gaze to her again. "I know. I know why he went and I know a lot of his reasons were the same as my own for joining the medical science field. I think maybe if I'd been a little more supportive, he might have opened up to me more."

She continued her kneading and she felt a twinge of sympathy when he gasped a little in pain. "He probably didn't want to make you worry. Anyway, you ought to just live for the moment now. He's here, you're here and so far it's all good."

Tom gave her one of his quiet little smiles and Trudy inadvertently slid her hand up his inner thigh a little further than she intended. His smile faded and his lips parted as she massaged the spot, so close to his groin. She glanced down and realized how close she was to breaking her promise to him not to "cop a feel" and a rush of warmth flooded her entire body. The crotch of his boxers started to bulge conspicuously and her fingers were probably only an inch or so away from touching the source of the uprising.

Trudy pulled her hand away—too hastily. She didn't compensate for the shift in her balance and she experienced a klutzy moment. She was leaning too far over him and the next thing she knew, she sprawled on top of him and planted her face in his stomach. She had time to realize his dick was pressing right between her breasts before Tom's supporting hands went around her upper arms and helped her lift up.

She couldn't decide whether she was more embarrassed or turned on as she squirmed on top of him. When she lifted her head, she realized she was lying full-length over his torso and upper legs.

"Shit," Trudy muttered, looking up from his chest to his face.

Tom appeared as if he wanted to say something pacifying to her but he just stared back, with a softened expression on his features. Trudy gave into her impulses and supported herself with her arms, wriggling up sinuously until her face was even with his. She hesitated, her brows furrowing with the realization that she was about to do something she probably shouldn't. Tom's hand reached up and his long fingers lightly traced her lips and jaw before sliding into her hair. He combed the disheveled, dark strands back from her face and he raised his head off the pillow as he urged her head down.

Trudy's brain completely froze as their lips touched. She had expected it to feel different somehow. Na'vi skin felt smoother than human skin and she had imagined that a real kiss from one of them would feel alien. As Tom's lips moved against hers, she learned she was way off base. They were more silken than what she was used to, but they were firm and confident. There was no hint of stubble brushing her skin but it didn't take away from his masculinity. His mouth fit perfectly against hers and when his warm tongue caressed between her lips, a jolt seemed to go up her spine.

Her initial shock wore off and she groaned in a decidedly un-ladylike way as he coaxingly traced her lips with the tip of his tongue. She parted them and when the teasing, damp organ slipped into her mouth, she returned its caress. Her hands splayed over his chest and a soft, needy moan rose in her throat. The throbbing, sweet ache in her pelvic area intensified as he shifted beneath her and bumped his hard-on against her leg. Trudy pushed back against his tongue and took dominance over the kiss, exploring his mouth and stroking the sharp points of his canines with her tongue.

Something exploded within both of them after that. Trudy lifted her body just enough to start tugging at his shirt, while Tom slid a hand over her abdomen and cupped her hips. He ground himself against her and echoed her lusty groans. She felt something smack her on the outer thigh and she blurted a muffled complaint of surprise. She looked down and when she realized his tail was the culprit, she relaxed. The appendage had been lying to one side beneath him and now it was flicking with agitation, probably without Tom's conscious direction.

Trudy gave up on the shirt when she realized she'd never get it over his head without interrupting his exploration of her body. His hands felt too good on her for that, especially when they eased up under her t-shirt and fondled her breasts. She murmured approval when he didn't squeeze them like fruit the way some guys did. He caressed the swell of them before stroking the nipples to hardness with the pads of his thumbs. She squirmed with pleasure and greater lust, practically assaulting his mouth with the demanding aggression of her kiss. She slid a hand down and started pulling at his boxers, wildly curious and a little worried. If he was too big for her to take him, she just might cry.

"Wait," Tom suddenly gasped, pulling his mouth away from hers. "Trudy, hold on a minute. There's something I've got to tell you before this goes any further."

She nearly groaned in frustration and she laid her forehead against his shoulder. "What's more important than this?"

He cupped her chin and coaxed her to look at him. His eyes were serious and wary as he spoke. "I slept with Tanhi."

At first, utter confusion reigned. She frowned at him. "Uh, okay. And Tanhi is...?"

"The leader of the Ikran clan."

Her confusion rapidly bled into an ugly, twisted feeling inside that she identified as jealousy. Hurt swiftly followed but she stifled the unfamiliar emotions and swallowed. "Why do you think I give a damn _who_ you've screwed, Sully? I don't have the right."

"The look on your face says something different," he told her gently. "Trudy, it happened in the heat of the moment. I didn't expect it and it was just physical."

Her pesky feelings of jealousy and hurt didn't fade. "Yeah? So when did you fuck her?" She almost grimaced when she heard the anger in her own voice.

"The night after the raid on the compound," Tom explained. "We were celebrating at Hometree and I had too much to drink. I thought she was just inviting me to sleep in her tent, so I wouldn't have to try and climb into a hammock. I know it sounds cliché, but one thing led to another."

"Yeah, I've heard that song and dance before," she muttered. She got off of him and straightened her clothes. She tried to shrug it off, reasoning that she hardly knew him at the time and it wasn't her business. With that logic in mind, she had to wonder what his motive was for telling her about his little conquest, right before the two of them were about to get it on.

"So what, you figure it's a turn-on for a chick to hear about your little escapades in the middle of making out? I've got news for you pal, it isn't. Did you get a sick little thrill out of seeing the look on my face or what?"

Tom sat up and the retreating tent in his boxers indicated that his libido was rapidly cooling, too. "No, that isn't why I told you. I wanted you to know now, before we did anything else. With all of the interactions between Hell's Gate and the Na'vi, I knew you'd hear about it eventually and I thought I should just be up front and tell you now."

"What the hell difference does it make?" She demanded. "We weren't even on each other's radar then and I've had other guys before you. I don't get your logic."

Tom sighed. "Because it's...complicated. Sooner or later, I'll have to interact with Tanhi again and the last time I spoke with her, I think she got the impression that we'd be doing it again sometime. I just want you to understand that, so there aren't any surprises."

Her eyebrows shot up. "So what are you saying? You'd go for it with her again?"

He shook his head and gazed at her with so much sincerity it was a little scary. "Not if I'm with someone else. I'm not even sure I'd allow it to happen again if I were single."

Trudy was getting more perplexed by the minute. "Why not? Was she bad in the sack or something?"

He hesitated before answering. "No, and that's as far as I'll elaborate on rating the experience, because I know a loaded question when I hear one."

Trudy almost smiled...almost. "So you're not totally clueless about women. All right brainiac, tell me this, then: Why would you pick me over a hot, horny Na'vi chick? You're one of her kind now."

"No, I'm not," he denied. He took her hands and held them when she tried to pull them away. "Trudy, listen. Maybe one of the reasons some of the other guys joined the same program as me was to sample the native women, but I'm not one of them. I came her to do a job and this transformation offered the most efficient way for me to do it. I'm not a Na'vi. I'm a human in a Na'vi body. My twin may have chosen to become one of them but I haven't and something told me that if I didn't do this, I was going to die anyway. It turns out I was right about that."

"So you risked your life on a hunch that someone was after you and you volunteered to do this just to make your research easier?" She summarized.

"That's the basic idea," he agreed.

"Still doesn't answer my question. You're in _this_ body for keeps now and you haven't told me why you'd pick me over her. We haven't even had sex."

He smiled a little painfully at her. "The truth? What Tanhi and I have is purely physical. I can count what I know about her on five fingers. She's strong-willed, she's a leader, she's attractive, she's devoted to her people and she doesn't hold back. That's it. I don't know her likes or dislikes, what she likes to do in her spare time or even if she really likes me at all. I get the feeling she prefers to keep her distance."

Trudy bit her lip to keep nasty comments at bay. "So what about me?"

"You're also attractive, strong and devoted, but I've gotten to know you. I know what you like to eat, I know what your favorite color is, and I know what kind of music you like. You make me laugh and that's _not_ such an easy thing to do...just ask my brother. You say exactly what's on your mind and you don't care what people think about it. I admire that. As far as physical chemistry goes, that kiss we just shared answered any questions in my mind. I really like you, Trudy. Sometimes you drive me crazy but that just makes me want you more."

Trudy felt a flush of pleasure spreading over her face and she firmly kept her figurative feet on the ground. His gushing flattery seemed sincere enough, if the look on his face was any indication. The problem was, none of this changed the biological differences between the two of them. Size was just one obstacle; they could never reproduce and she could never link to him—and from what she'd heard, _tsahaylu_ wasn't something he should miss out on. Besides that, she knew what could happen to a woman's free will if she fell too hard for a man.

With a peculiar ache growing in her chest, Trudy made her decision. "That's all swell Tomcat, but I'm going to make this easier on you. Look at what we're doing, here. Maybe Sebastian and Katherine can make it work because there's not such a drastic difference between them and Ramona's guy doesn't live in his avatar body. This is just a stupid mistake." She climbed out of the bed and slipped her sandals back on.

"Wait," Tom insisted, swinging his legs over the side of the bunk with a groan. "Trudy, don't do this."

She swallowed and fortified her resolve. "I'm going to go now. I guess your little confession didn't come at such a bad time, after all. It shocked some sense back into me."

He stood up and took a limping step toward her. "What kind of sense does this make? I didn't even want to be in a relationship before but I just put myself out on a limb, because I thought you wanted me as much as I want you."

She tried to give him a little smile but she felt it waver. "You thought right, but what we want isn't always what's best. You should see if there's something to go for with Tanhi." She was proud of herself for saying the woman's name without spitting it like a curse. "Even if there isn't, you've got plenty of other Na'vi chicks to romance. Maybe you'll even hook up with one of the avatars like you that stayed behind. All I know is you and I aren't going to fit together."

She turned and walked to the door, determined to leave with a little dignity. She felt his hand on her shoulder just as she reached for the hatch to open the door and she turned around with a sigh. She kept her expression as mild as she could as she looked up at him.

"I don't believe we don't 'fit' together," Tom said softly, "regardless of body height."

His eyes were so intense and earnest; it was hard to resist giving in and taking her chances with him. Trudy didn't count herself as a noble person by any stretch of the imagination and it was as much for self-preservation as for his best interests that she strengthened her resolve.

"Listen, when you like someone, you're supposed to want what's good for them, right?"

He nodded warily and the visible ache in his eyes told her he guessed where this was going. "I'll concede that's true."

She managed to crack a little smile. "Well I'm no good for you. I'll be honest; I came here all soft and feminine and I totally set this up without even realizing it. This was my fault, Tomcat. Sorry I started this but I'm ending it now. There's an ass-load of reasons why this wouldn't work and you know it."

His eyes darkened with anger but he didn't rant at or insult her, the way Trudy would have expected of other guys. Instead, he compressed his lips and gave her a stiff nod. "I'm not going to make a fool of myself by groveling further. If this is what you really want, I can't stop you. Goodnight, Lieutenant."

He took his hand away from her shoulder and limped back to his bunk without another glance at her. For a moment, Trudy stared after him and she felt her stoicism crack. She swallowed and walked out, shutting the door behind her. She walked rapidly down the corridor, hardly seeing where she was going as she hurried to her own sleeping quarters. When she arrived at her destination, she locked her door behind her and sprawled over her bunk, stomach-down.

"I did the right thing," she insisted aloud. Her voice caught and she frowned, annoyed and a little embarrassed with herself. She stuffed her pillow over her head and muttered to herself, fighting with everything she had as her eyes stung and her voice thickened.

"Come on, don't start fucking crying," she muttered into the pillow. It was no good. She rolled onto her side and curled into a fetal position as the unwanted tears came anyway.

* * *

A few days later, Jake came to Hell's Gate to check on the progress of the ISV and visit his friends and brother. He greeted people in passing who by now were used to his comings and goings. He'd chosen to ride his ikran rather than the toruk, as there was no need to impress anyone and the toruk frankly made the residents of the compound nervous. Tom met him at the gate, having heard that he was coming. The twins exchanged pats and greetings before heading to the lab building.

"Has there been any more word from the Foreman?" Jake asked as they walked through the compound.

Tom shook his head. "Not since the last time he contacted us. Max has been keeping an eye on the radars and there haven't been any glitches so far. My guess is they've either got complications to take care of before they move to leave, or they're plotting something."

Jake nodded, his features hardening in a frown. "I wouldn't put it past them to scheme like that. I hope I'm not wrong about Jackson but even if we can trust him, guys like Colonel Myers don't give up—not even when they've lost. I hope to hell Jackson's taking the initiative and having that guy and all transmissions between the ship and Earth monitored."

"We'll see if Max has heard anything else when we get to the communications room," Tom assured him. Maybe he's had some personal exchanges with the Foreman that I just don't know about. We've all been busy around here."

"I understand that. So how are things going with you otherwise? Anything interesting happening?" Jake smirked and by the grimace on Tom's face, he knew he was referring to Trudy.

"No. Nothing interesting."

Jake raised his brows a little at the flat tone in his brother's voice. Now wasn't the time to ask him what the matter was, though. They needed to discuss things with Max and decide whether another massive gathering would be required soon. Tom fell into silence and Jake didn't press him for information, knowing that his brother would talk to him when he was ready to.

After walking into the main entrance of the building, they stopped for Jake to grab an exopack before proceeding through the airtight doors. There was a hiss of air as the vents surrounding the doors automatically filtered the oxygen to keep it balanced for human breathing. After adjusting to the change of atmosphere, Tom began to talk about his research. They moved through the wings, passing scientists and military people coming and going. Jake didn't have the head for biology but he nodded along anyway, interested to hear what his brother might come up with even if he couldn't comprehend the steps he took to get there.

"I'm hoping that I can find a better treatment for Forges Disease," Tom explained as he described one of the new vaccines he was working on. "Millions of people on Earth could benefit from it. Think of all the kids that could be...saved."

Jake noticed his lapse and he looked at him with a frown. Tom had stopped in his tracks and he was looking straight ahead. Jake followed his gaze to see Trudy standing in the hall near the doors leading to the military wing and hangar area. She was talking to Dr. Adams and Lee Williams about something. The avatar driver was in his natural body and he had one arm around Ramona's waist as they spoke. Jake glanced sidelong at his brother and he recognized a hint of a smitten expression on his features. Trudy turned her head and spotted them over the distance, as if she sensed Tom's gaze on her. Their eyes locked and Jake saw a flash of the same longing on her face.

Tom abruptly looked away and started walking again, nearly leaving Jake behind as he turned down the hall to the left. Jake glanced at Trudy before following his twin and he swore he saw a spasm of pain and regret tighten her features before she returned her attention to her two companions.

* * *

"Hmm, talk about doubling your pleasure," Ramona said, following the retreating Sully twins with her eyes. "Do you guys think Neytiri ever played with the idea of having both of them together?"

Lee abruptly stopped speaking to Trudy in mid-sentence and he blinked at his girlfriend. He looked down the hall to see Jake and Tom disappearing down one of the adjoining corridors. "Hi. I'm Lee: your boyfriend. Remember me?"

Ramona chuckled and squeezed him around the waist before giving him a brief, sound kiss on the cheek. "Yeah, I remember who you are. What's wrong with looking? You do it too."

"But I don't make comments about any of the women I glance at having threesomes."

"I'm sure you think about it though," Ramona countered teasingly.

Trudy's lips twisted into a grimace. "No offence Doc, but you're one twisted sister."

"Huh? Why?"

"They're _brothers_, that's why." Trudy smirked. "I can get on board with fantasies about two hot guys in the same bed with me but I draw the line at incest."

Lee's eyes widened and he pulled away from his lover. "Aw, you're _sick_, Mona!"

The zoologist had the grace to look faintly mortified. "Okay, I wasn't thinking of it that way until you said something. Thanks for spoiling it, Lt. Chacón."

Trudy shrugged. "No problem. I know I'll be having nightmares tonight." She looked in the direction Tom had disappeared to and she heaved a sigh before she realized it. Her inner turmoil must have shown on her face because her companions looked at each other before expressing concern for her.

"What's up, Trudy? Are you okay?"

The pilot shook herself out of it. "I was just thinking of all the flight scheduling I've still got to do for you nerds."

* * *

"I have good news, I hope." Max motioned for Jake and Tom to come to the orbital radar screen and he pointed out a holographic object representing the ISV. It was moving slowly past the virtual representation of Pandora. "The ship came out from behind Polyphemus this morning and so far, there's been no attempt to scramble our signals and hide their trajectory."

"They're leaving?" Jake heard the relief in his own voice and he reminded himself not to relax just yet.

"It looks like they're getting ready to," Max answered with a nod. "They haven't contacted us yet to confirm it, though. They could be moving into position to set their course and they could end up hovering there for several days before they're ready to leave the system."

Jake's eyes narrowed on the screen. "Jackson should have reported to you by now."

"I don't want to leap to any conclusions just yet." Max looked from the screen to Jake. "We're as prepared as we can be, but I'm taking into account that these people didn't come here expecting to pack up and leave so soon. We may just have to make allowances for the situation, Jake. If Jackson is being straight with us, I'm sure he'll contact us when they're ready to depart."

"I want to know the second you hear something."

Max nodded. "Of course. There's really nothing more to report, right now. You should try to relax a bit and catch up with everyone, while you're visiting. Tom's been working like a machine over the past couple of days and I know you aren't big on science, I think you'd still be impressed by his progress."

Jake gave his sibling a crooked smile, keeping his concern for him to himself. No wonder Tom looked so tired. He was pushing himself too hard. "Yeah, I think I'd like to see what you've done so far, Tommy. Maybe seeing it will help me understand it better."

Tom managed a worn smile in return. "Not likely, but since getting you to look at anything scientific is usually like pulling teeth, I'm happy to show you."

Jake laughed under his breath. "Well, let's see this fungus you've been growing."

"It's bacteria," corrected Tom with a little grunt of annoyance. "Though some of it does come from fungus. I'm developing vaccines, not growing a shroom farm."

Jake shrugged. "Fungus, bacteria...whatever."

"You two really aren't alike at all," chuckled Max.

* * *

"Have a look," Tom offered. He stepped aside as his brother approached the microscope and looked through it at the culture growing in the Petri dish.

"Very...squirmy."

Tom laughed dryly and shook his head. "You see how those 'squirmy' things are devouring the ones that look like puffballs?"

"Yeah, I see that."

"The latter are samples that were shipped here from Earth, taken from infected people. The Pandoran bacteria are killing them."

Jake straightened up and grimaced. "So you want to inject people with bacteria to cure them?"

"Not all bacteria is bad, Jake." Tom considered the best way to explain it. "Probiotic bacteria live in our stomachs and helps digest food and absorb vitamins. Some bacteria can be used to make an unfavorable environment to other bacteria, without causing any harm to the host. The bacteria in that Petri dish is a good example of what I'm talking about. It's killing the bacteria that cause Forges. If I can find a way to introduce it to the human body without endangering the recipient, it could be a breakthrough."

Jake nodded. "That I can understand...sort of. I'm pretty stupid, compared to you."

"You're _not_ stupid," the younger twin assured, patting his brother's arm supportively. "You've got tactical smarts and instincts I could never match. Intelligence isn't just about equations and book knowledge."

There was a knock on his lab door and Tom absently called out permission to enter. He regretted it immediately when the door slid open and Trudy walked in. Tom immediately went to the microscope his brother had just been looking through and he took acute interest in the culture specimen.

"Is there something I can do for you, Lt. Chacón?" He felt her pause. His awareness of her was painfully heightened and he could faintly detect her scent, even from across the room.

"I just came to drop off your flight schedule," answered Trudy. "Your pilot's going to be Edwards, this time. He'll be waiting for you at 1300 hours tomorrow."

Tom shut his eyes. Of course, she wouldn't want to be his pilot anymore. He didn't truly want that either, after what happened between them. "I'll be ready on time."

"Okay, Tomcat." Her voice was light but he detected the tension beneath her tone. "He's a good, solid pilot and he'll fly you there and back without a hitch."

"I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't use informal nicknames like that with me," Tom said coldly. "It isn't professional." He dared to look up from the microscope and meet her eyes, forcing his expression into a bland mask.

He nearly faltered when he saw the look of hurt flitter over her features. It was gone quickly and she drew herself up to her full, diminutive height. The look she gave him was the equivalent to flipping him the bird.

"Can't have that, can we? Whatever you say, _Dr. Sully_. I'll just leave this here." Trudy slapped the piece of paper with the flight schedule on it down onto the counter, loudly enough to startle both men. "See you around, _Dr. Sully_. Later, Jake."

She turned around and made her exit, shutting the door behind her. Tom's lips thinned with self-annoyance as his eyes admired the way the army pants fit over her tight little bottom before the closing door blocked her from sight. He looked at Jake and his twin was staring at him with an expression of open bewilderment on his face.

"What's your problem, Tommy?"

Tom wasn't prepared for the question. He'd expected Jake to ask why there was so much tension between them but he wasn't anticipating the one-sided accusation he directed at him.

"What makes you think I've got a problem?"

Jake's eyebrows went up and he gestured toward the door. "The sub-zero temperatures this room suddenly dropped to, for starters. The last time I was here, you ran to her rescue like a knight in shining armor over a little fever and now it's like the Arctic fucking Circle in here. What happened between you two, to make you treat her like that?"

"Treat her like _what_," demanded Tom, his anger rising, "a work colleague? I didn't say a single insulting thing to her, Jake."

The older twin shook his head and crossed his arms over his bare chest. "You may not have said it out loud but you couldn't have been colder if you'd called her a bitch to her face. I want to know why you're treating her like something you scraped off your shoe when I know damn well you were crazy about her a week or so ago."

"No questions about the way she treated me?" Tom asked bitingly.

Jake shrugged. "She was treating you just fine until you dropped the avalanche on her. From where I'm standing, it looks like she was just reacting to the way you talked to her. Now what the hell happened between you two?"

Tom opened his mouth to retort, shut it, then opened it again. It didn't seem unreasonable that he would stick up for Trudy, when he had no idea what prompted Tom to correct her inappropriate interactions with him. He heaved a defeated sigh and combed some loose strands of hair back from his forehead.

"All right, something _did_ happen between us, earlier this week," Tom admitted.

He went on to explain the encounter that resulted in the unbearable ache he now felt. Jake listened attentively and his hardened expression began to soften.

* * *

"Trudy, wait up!"

She sighed and wiped hastily at her eyes as Max came up behind her. "I'm on it, Max. I just finished giving Sully his flight schedule and I'm about to finish up with Joyce and Allen."

"Oh...well, that's good." Max caught up with her and she averted her face as he fell into step with her and looked at her. "That wasn't what I wanted to say, though. The ISV is in orbit around Pandora now and with any luck, it will be leaving by tonight."

"That's great, Max." Trudy tried to sound enthusiastic but she knew she just sounded weary. "Maybe we can all stop worrying for a while, soon."

Max was silent for a moment and she could tell he was studying her with friendly concern. "Trudy, is something bothering you?"

"Nah, I'm just tired. I stayed up too late last night."

Max stopped and gently took hold of her shoulders, coaxing her to look at him. She clenched her jaw and did so. "What?"

"Have you been crying? Your eyes are red."

"I told you, I didn't get much sleep tonight," she groused. "Stop babying me. I'm going to eat and go to bed early as soon as I finish doing my rounds, all right?"

"A lack of sleep would explain the red-rimmed eyes, but not the nose," he pointed out. "Tell me what's wrong."

She looked around covertly. Part of her wanted to get it off her chest but she didn't want to say anything in the hallway, where anyone could walk by and hear it. "I think it's just allergies or something. I had a sneezing fit a little while ago."

"Trudy..." His tone and expression was chastising, telling her he knew she was lying through her teeth. "I'm your friend. Whatever it is, I want to help."

The depression became too much for her and she looked away as her eyes stung warningly. "Had an argument," she said with effort, speaking past a lump in her throat.

"You don't cry over arguments," Max said with worried certainty. "You brush them off and you move on. What was so special about this one to make you this upset?"

"Because this one _hurt_," she confessed. It was getting more difficult with each moment to control her voice and keep it even. "Damn him! Why did I have to start liking him, Max? Why couldn't it be something un-complicated...something easy?"

An expression of dawning comprehension came over Max's kind features. "It's Tom Sully, isn't it? I had a feeling, but I didn't want to get in your business."

Trudy drew a deep, trembling breath and nodded, wiping her eyes again. "I fucked up. Now he hates me."

Max looked around and then he patted her on the back. "Come on; I'll get you something hot to drink and we can talk about it in my office."

"I've still got to drop off these schedules," Trudy protested. She also wasn't adept at talking about her problems. She was more of a "swallow your emotions" kind of gal but the guilt and regret she felt made her want the comfort of a friend, if nothing else.

"We'll get someone to do it for you," Max insisted. "Besides, you don't want other people knowing you've been crying, do you?"

Trudy managed a hoarse little laugh and shook her head. "Nah, I don't want that. You know me too well, Maxi."

Together they went to Max's office and he made her a cup of hot coco and listened to her explanation. She sat in his computer chair and only gave him the basic facts, keeping her account brief and to the point. When she finished, he gazed down at her uncertainly for a moment before patting her on the shoulder.

"I can't really advise anyone on relationships," he admitted, "but I think you only did what you thought was best for both of you. I know you're not a hugger but...well..." He trailed off and held his arms open with a supportive little smile.

Trudy almost blew it off and insisted she didn't need a hug, but it was just the two of them and she knew Max wouldn't think she was going soft if she indulged in a little more friendly comforting. She stood up and sniffed.

"What the hell...just this once."

She put her arms around him and squeezed as he returned the embrace. Another tear trickled down her face and she let herself grieve a little more openly over giving up what she wanted and losing a friend in the process. Max rocked her gently and patted her back, letting her know in his quiet way that his friendship was still very much intact.

* * *

"So we made out, she decided it was a big mistake and she dumped me before we even had the chance to commit," finished Tom in summary. "I never even intended to move in on her. I thought it would be too complicated and awkward but it didn't feel that way at all when we were kissing. Evidently, she didn't feel the same."

Jake winced. "That's rough. I don't know, Tommy. Telling her about Tanhi was a bone-headed thing to do."

"Why?" Tom demanded in a frustrated voice, throwing his hands up. "I was just trying to be honest with her! Isn't that what women always say they want from a partner?"

"Some of them, yeah," Jake agreed. "But you've got to pick and choose what you're honest about, brother. Most women don't want to know about other women you've slept with, unless you're cheating on them. You should have kept your mouth shut and if the subject ever came up, you could be honest then and tell her it happened before you got with her."

"Well, it's too late to take it back now," Tom sighed. "If the Tanhi issue weren't enough to scare her away, my desperate groveling cinched it."

Jake blinked at him. "Wait, say that again?"

"What, my groveling?"

"No. The part about scaring her away." Jake considered what he knew about Trudy. "Tommy, I think I know what the real problem is."

Tom huffed morosely. "Yeah, it's me. I've already figured that out, Jake."

Jake shook his head and smirked. "No, it's not you. Well, it is but not in a bad way."

"Okay," Tom said with a lifted eyebrow. "I want to hear this. What are you talking about?"

"I think she realized she likes you _too_ much and _that's_ what really scared her. Trudy isn't usually a wishy-washy person. If she freaked out at the last minute, it's because something scared her more than a few physical differences. She's an independent chick, just like Tanhi. I think she got spooked because she realized she could fall for you."

"Your Neytiri is an independent woman too, but she isn't running from you."

Jake smiled. "No, but she wasn't that easy to catch and I almost lost her as soon as I had her. Maybe Trudy will come around, after she's had some time to figure out you aren't going to lock her up and throw away the key."

Tom shook his head and sighed. "I doubt it."

Jake puzzled over him for a moment, wondering what he could do to help. He finally reached out and laid his hand over Tom's shoulder. "Come to Hometree with me tomorrow and stay for a few days. Getting away for a while might do you some good. You're working too damn hard anyway, trying to take your mind off this."

Tom gave him a rueful smile. "I'd love to come visit you and the others and my nephew, but I know I'll have to settle things with Tanhi if I do. Right now, I don't want anything to do with women, Jake."

"You don't _really_ have to settle anything with Tanhi," Jake persisted. "She isn't expecting anything out of you and all you have to do is say 'no' if she invites you to her tent. Besides, maybe a good screw with no strings attached is what you need right now."

Tom gave him an exasperated look. "So you're saying I should get a sympathy fuck from the woman I'm attracted to, in order to get over the woman I lo—" He abruptly snapped his mouth shut and rounded his lips, realizing what he'd almost just said aloud.

Jake's eyebrows shot up and he pointed at Tom accusingly. "Were...were you just about to say the 'L' word?"

"No." Tom took a step back and shook his head a little too vehemently.

Jake nodded and grinned. "I think you were. You're in _love_ with Trudy?" His smile faded and heavy sympathy softened his gaze. "I didn't know it was that serious."

Tom shook his head again as if to argue, but he deflated a second later and lowered his eyes, sighing heavily in defeat. "Neither did I."

All humor vanished from Jake's expression. "I'm sorry, Tommy."

Tom nodded slowly. "Me too."

* * *

-To be continued


	22. Chapter 22

"Between worlds"

Chapter 22

* * *

_**Author's note: See footnotes at the end of the chapter for Na'vi/English translations. Thank you everyone for the reviews! Lemon warning in this chapter. Rope that bronco, Tanhi. **_

* * *

*Disclaimer: I do not own Pandora and I make no profit from writing fanfiction based on the "Avatar" film.

* * *

In the end, Tom did end up choosing to return to Hometree with his brother for a few days, despite his reservations over being around Tanhi. In the morning he packed a backpack full of clothing, a microbiology kit, a first aid kit and some odds and ends that he thought he might need while he was away. He found Max in the cafeteria having breakfast but the bio-engineer was sitting with Trudy along with Dr. Jacobs, one of the other pilots and Dr. Olson. Rather than interrupt their meal and face an awkward, painful situation, Tom waited until Max bused his tray and started leaving the cafeteria. He met him at the exit to explain that he would be away for a little while.

"I'm going with Jake to Hometree, to visit Norm and my nephew for a few days," Tom informed him. "I'm not sure how long I'll be gone but it should only be for a few days. I'm sorry I didn't give earlier notice than this, Dr. Patel."

Max regarded him with mildly sympathetic eyes. "You're well within your rights to come and go as you please, Dr. Sully. I think a little time away might be good for you."

Tom looked over Max's head into the cafeteria, where Trudy still sat chatting with her fellow pilot. "She spoke to you?"

Max nodded solemnly. "Yes, she did. For what it's worth, I don't think either of you are at fault for this, Tom. Sometimes these things just happen, and they don't always work out. Maybe it's for the best after all, considering your differences."

Tom glanced across the distance, where Katherine and Sebastian sat together at another table. The couple seemed comfortably affectionate with each other, smiling at one another as if they couldn't help it. He envied them and he wondered why he and Trudy couldn't make it work the way they did.

"I appreciate that, Max." Tom returned his attention to the other doctor and shook his hand. "And I'm glad Trudy has a friend like you to count on. Would you tell her..." he trailed off and frowned, shaking his head. There was no message he could give to Trudy that would help the situation. When his heartache was more bearable, he would rather apologize to her face. "Never mind. Don't tell her anything. Just look out for her, will you?"

"Always," agreed Max sincerely. "Have a safe, relaxing trip."

* * *

The flight to Hometree was uncomfortable for Tom, but he made no verbal complaints. Being a passenger on an Ikran didn't allow for relaxation and by the time he and Jake landed in the nesting area of the gigantic tree, the biologist's thighs and back were sore. Jake seemed to realize he was stiff from the flight and he insisted on taking Tom's backpack and carrying it for him.

"You'll get used to riding ikrans and direhorses, eventually," Jake assured him.

"How do you figure?" Tom grunted as he followed his brother to the arch leading into the interior of the giant tree.

Jake smiled. "I'm going to convince you to become one of the People, sooner or later. Maybe while you're here I can get you started on learning how to ride horseback. If I can do it, you can."

Tom lowered his gaze. "Are you so sure I'm cut out to do any of that? I can't live with the tribe and do my research at the same time, unless I do a lot of traveling back and forth."

Jake shrugged. "We'll find a workaround for that, somehow." He stopped outside the archway and regarded Tom seriously. "You're my brother. You've got it in you. I've just got to convince you it's worth trying."

"You're really determined to bring me into this, aren't you?" Tom couldn't decide whether he was touched or annoyed. "Aren't the Omaticaya getting a little tired of outsiders pouring in to join their clan?"

Jake laughed and clapped him on the shoulder, shaking his head. "Not the ones they know they can trust. Besides, another healer would be welcome. Just think about it, Tommy. You might get used to it and start liking it, if you give life with the clan a try."

Tom sighed. "We'll see."

* * *

It was beyond him to comprehend how she did it, but Neytiri took one look into his eyes when she greeted him and she knew the pain he was in. Her smile was welcoming and sympathetic on him and she offered to let him hold his nephew. Tom accepted, glad to get the chance to familiarize himself with the baby.

"He's growing fast," Tom murmured as he cradled the infant and smiled down at him. "He was a lot lighter than this, the last time I held him."

Neytiri stroked her son's cheek and nodded in agreement. "Mother told me that children grow too quickly. She was right. His teeth are coming in and soon, I will begin weaning him from the breast."

Tom was surprised by that, until he remembered that Na'vi babies matured more quickly than human ones. The natives were adapted to the world around them and in their dangerous environment; it was only natural that the children grow out of the helpless stages of life sooner.

"Will you miss it?" Little Tommy started to fuss a bit and Tom cradled him to his chest and bounced him gently, settling him down.

Neytiri shrugged. "I will be happy to have more freedom, but sad to lose the bond of nursing him." She tilted her head. "Is that strange?"

"No," Tom assured her. "Not at all. I've heard a lot of women express those same feelings when nursing isn't required anymore." He absently straightened the baby's cloth diaper when it went askew and he allowed Tommy to suck on his finger when the infant grabbed it.

Neytiri watched with a smile and she put an arm around Jake's waist when he came up beside her. "Tom will make a good father, some day," she predicted.

Tom took the compliment in stride, though inwardly he wondered if he would ever get the chance to experience parenthood. He stroked the baby's soft hair and he felt the small, delicate tendrils beneath it in the back of the skull.

"His queue is growing," Tom observed. "How long does it take to reach maturity?"

"The time it takes to grow is different for each Na'vi," Neytiri obliged. "It will continue to grow as he does. It will be down to his waist by his third year of life."

Jake leaned down and nuzzled his son's cheek when Tommy cradled him horizontally again. "We'll have to start braiding his hair around it soon."

Tommy began to fuss again and this time, his uncle wasn't able to pacify him. A pungent smell reached Tom's nostrils and he grimaced. "I think Tommy is ready for a fresh diaper."

"I'll take care of it," Jake said, holding his arms out for the infant.

Tom handed him over and Neytiri watched her mate carry their son into one of the den alcoves. Her smile was fond on Jake and Tom found himself smiling with her. "I have to be honest, I never pictured Jake as the kind of father that would willingly change soiled diapers."

Neytiri looked at him with puzzlement. "Dy-purrs?"

"Baby wraps," Tom revised, remembering the Na'vi term for nappies.

"Oh." She grinned, her amber eyes lighting up with amusement. "This surprised me too. My Jake is a very devoted father."

"He is," agreed Tom with a thoughtful glance in the direction of the hide curtain Jake had disappeared behind. "I'm very happy for him."

"But your eyes are sad," observed Neytiri softly. She reached out and placed a gentle hand on Tom's shoulder. "My eyes were sad like that when I drove my Jake away. Is it a woman?"

Tom swallowed to ease the sudden tightness in his throat. "I don't know how you do that, Neytiri."

"Do what?"

"See into people like that." Tom gave her a rueful smile. "Yes, I'm pining for a woman."

"It is a _Tsahik's_ duty to observe her people's spirits." Neytiri said it as if she had rehearsed it before and Tom guessed the explanation was part of her training. "Do you think this woman of yours will come back to you, Tom?"

He shook his head. "Not a chance. I wish it were different but this woman isn't the sort to back down, once she has her mind made up."

Neytiri's expression of sympathy deepened. "You sound very certain of that."

"I am. What's more, I'm starting to think she was right to reject me. She's human. Our relationship would have been barren, confusing and difficult. I...I'm not really one of them anymore, at least not in body."

"Then what are you?" Neytiri prompted, her eyes searching his face.

It was a simple question, but it stunned Tom to his very core. His eyes unfocused and a chill swept through him as he turned the inquiry over in his mind and tried to find an answer to it.

"I don't know," he whispered finally, horrified.

Neytiri placed a hand on his shoulder and gazed into his eyes. Her voice was soothing as she spoke. "With time, you may find out."

* * *

That night, Tom sat outside of Hometree in the grass and gazed up at the stars and the beautiful, luminescent glow of Polyphemus. He was searching his soul for answers, conflicted between the world he came from and the one he was attempting to integrate into. He had nothing on Earth to go back to, which was why he had agreed to undergo his transformation in the first place. His parents had been deceased for years and waking up to hear the lie that his brother was dead only compounded his resolve. With no other family and only a handful of friends back home, he had no regrets...until now.

He couldn't go back to what he was. He couldn't be with Trudy. He couldn't be with Tanhi. He knew the Na'vi language and customs, but he couldn't let go of his old life completely and embrace them. Jake might talk like a human, but he had the heart of an Omaticaya warrior now. Tom thought his twin's unyielding faith that he could adopt their ways was misplaced, but perhaps—as Neytiri suggested—Tom simply hadn't found himself yet.

_~Who are you?~_

"I'm Tom Sully," he whispered aloud in answer to his own mental question.

The words meant nothing to him. It was only a name.

_~What are you?~_

"I'm...a human in a Na'vi body." No, that wasn't right. It tasted like denial on his lips and he understood then how lame it must have sounded to Trudy when he said it to her. He had Na'vi senses, desires and emotions now, blending in with the human. He wondered if the force of his pain and regret would have been this strong if he were still in his human body. Was his attraction to Tanhi only a symptom of his Na'vi urges? Was his attachment to Trudy just a product of his humanity, struggling to survive?

Tom drew his knees up and wrapped his arms around them, lowering his head. He needed the answers...needed to know that he had an identity beyond a name. He felt something lightly brush against his forearm in a spidery caress and he lifted his head, somewhat alarmed. Instead of a poisonous spider or insect, he found himself looking at a seed of the great tree. It rested lightly on his forearm, just beneath the rolled up sleeve of his shirt. More drifted over to him and he sighed as they began to settle on him.

"What do you want?" he muttered. "Stop pestering me."

The _atokirina_ didn't listen. Tom blew irritably at them but within moments, he was covered from head to foot with the glowing, willow-like seeds. He sighed and got to his feet, hoping that they would leave him alone if he headed back inside. He turned around to find himself face-to-face with Tanhi and he gave a start of surprise. The light from the seeds reflected in her amber gaze as she studied him.

"Eywa wants something from you," Tanhi murmured, her eyes flicking over the bothersome _atokirina_ that blanketed his body.

"And just what might that be?" Tom muttered, thoroughly fed up with ghostly seeds and fickle women.

Tanhi shook her head, the beads in her hair clinking together musically. "I am not _Tsahik._ The gift of understanding Eywa's will is not mine."

"That's funny," Tom said, his emotions boiling to the surface, "because I could swear this always happens to me whenever _you're_ around. Did you put these things up to it?"

She blinked. "I am not Eywa. I cannot tell the _atokirina_ what to do, Tomsully."

He compressed his lips. "But you can tell _me_ what to do, right? You can just snap your fingers and expect me to roll over like a dog for you."

An expression of mingled offense and confusion spread over her features. "What is this anger? I have done nothing to earn it."

He took a deep breath. Of course, she didn't understand his anger. They had parted on good terms the last time they spoke so she had no reason to think he was frustrated with her. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "I know that wasn't fair of me. I'm just in a very bad mood."

She tilted her head, animal-like with absurdly innocent curiosity. "Why are you in a 'bad mood', Tomsully?"

He gave her a sardonic, humorless smile. "Because of another woman. It really has nothing to do with you."

"Another...woman?" Tanhi's face went through an interesting spasm of emotions, so quickly they were impossible to identify. "What woman?"

"What does it matter to you?" He challenged. "You made it very clear that you only wanted my body that night. What I have inside doesn't matter to you at all, so why should you care who the other woman is?"

"I...do not care," she insisted. More forcibly, she added: "you are free to mate with whomever you wish. I was only curious."

"She's a human woman," he obliged succulently. "A pretty little warrior with dark hair and eyes."

Something very interesting happened, then. Tanhi's eyes flashed with what could only be jealous anger. "A _human_?"

"I thought you said I'm free to mate with whomever I wish?" he reminded.

"You are. I only expected you to name a sister of the People, not some weak little Sky Person."

Tom gave her another shark-like smile, inwardly enjoying the opportunity to take out his frustrations on one of the women responsible for them. "She isn't weak. In fact, she could probably do some damage to you in a fight—human or not."

She snorted. "If you care for her, you will not tempt me to prove you wrong."

"Why would you be tempted to do that?" Tom challenged. "I'm just a penis to you, remember?"

She stared owlishly at him. "Have you been eating glow worms, Tomsully? You are a whole man...not a single part of one."

"You could have fooled me," he laughed. It was an ugly sound, matching the turmoil inside of him. The seeds were disturbed by his angry gestures and the harsh sound of his voice. They scattered away from him but hovered nearby, waiting to swarm again.

"Your anger is misplaced," Tanhi tried to reason. "This...this _human_ female angered you somehow."

"She reeled me in and tossed me away, just like you," Tom said. "You're both alike."

"I am _nothing_ like a sky person," Tanhi hissed.

"But you'll mate with one, as long as he's in a Na'vi body." Tom knew he should quit before he passed the point of no return but he just couldn't stop himself. "You and Trudy are the same. You're both too scared of committing because it might force you to compromise with someone."

Tanhi's fists clenched at her sides and her eyes narrowed dangerously. Though deceptively petite in build for a Na'vi, the chieftess was quite menacing when angry. "You are not a Sky Person, even if you try to act like one. Do not speak that name again."

"What name: Trudy?" He was taunting her, releasing all of his pent-up emotions. He stepped closer to her and stared into her eyes. "_Trudy_ could kick your ass."

Her retaliation to the barb came in the form of a sudden, violent shove against his chest. Tom wasn't prepared for it and he stumbled and fell backwards. The wind was knocked out of him as he struck the ground and Tanhi advanced on him with fire in her eyes.

"I kick _your_ ass now!" She spoke broken English, because there were no Na'vi phrases to match the human slang.

"Try it," Tom coughed.

He rolled aside as she dove at him, narrowly avoiding her tackle. She lunged at him and he caught her wrists and rolled with her, pinning her beneath him. For a few brief moments, he had the upper hand due to his greater body strength. Tanhi was a trained huntress though, and years of practice gave her an edge that made up for the strength disparity. She braced her feet on the earth and bucked her hips upward so violently that Tom was thrown off, rolling onto his stomach.

He tried to recover but she anticipated it and the next thing he knew, she was clinging to him like a hunter taming an angry ikran. Her slim thighs were surprisingly powerful as they squeezed him around the waist and she grabbed each of his wrists as he tried to lever himself up. He shouted a startled curse as she yanked his wrists forcibly, putting him off-balance. His breath escaped his lungs again as his chest impacted with the ground. While he was stunned, Tanhi pulled his arms behind his back and Tom felt something being wound around his wrists. He realized in a daze that she was binding them with her hunting bola. By the time he regained the wits to react, his hands were securely tied behind his back.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he growled, struggling beneath her. Her weight pinned him down and he couldn't use his hands, bound as they were. Humiliation blended in with his rage.

"_Fnu_," Tanhi grunted demandingly.

"Make me," snarled Tom.

He shouldn't have said that. He realized his mistake when she tugged on his queue painfully and forced his head back. He had no choice but to arch his throat and tilt his chin up to relieve the pressure. Tanhi's hot breath tickled his right ear as she spoke into it.

"You challenged. I accepted. Now I will punish you for being a _skxawng_, Tomsully. You owe me _tsap'alute_!"

"Like hell, I do," he grunted, squirming beneath her.

"The Tomsully I know is honorable and gentle," she murmured, her voice softening with something resembling wistfulness. "Where is he now?"

Tom would have liked to know the answer to that question, himself. Where _was_ he now? His mind conjured up an image of himself, lying there on his stomach, hog-tied and having a temper-tantrum like a spoiled child. Mortification quickly replaced anger and his struggles weakened. Breathing heavily, he stopped fighting her and shut his eyes.

"I don't know where that Tom Sully is right now," he whispered past an aching throat. "But I _am_ sorry that I took my frustration out on you. You've been honest with me and I knew what I was getting into, with you."

That was twice in under ten minutes he had apologized to her for being a dick. Maybe he deserved to be humiliated like this. Tom tensed in surprise when she let go of his braid and got off of him. He struggled onto his side and looked up at her uncertainly. Her golden eyes caressed him silently for a moment before she spoke.

"I accept your apology, Tom-ee. Now, you calm down. I will retire and we can talk tomorrow." With that said, she turned on her heel and walked away, leaving him lying there with his wrists still bound tightly behind his back. Her hips swayed gracefully and she her tail swung in a lazy manner, back and forth.

"Hey," Tom called out, "aren't you forgetting something?"

"No," she answered over her shoulder, shooting a brief grin his way before moving on.

Tom's jaw dropped as he watched the chieftess stroll out of sight. "Unbelievable," he muttered. The _atokirina _came back and he squirmed and blew at them desperately as they settled onto his body once more.

"Why don't you make yourself useful and untie me?" he grumbled to the seeds.

They didn't comply, of course.

* * *

"Psst, Norm! Can you come here for a minute?"

Norm paused on his way to relieve his bladder and he looked around with a frown. "Tom? Or is that Jake?"

"It's Tom," called the hushed male voice. "I'm over here behind the Baja tree. I could use a little help."

Norm grimaced, his mind conjuring unsavory images. "Did you forget to bring leaf wipes or something?" He could just see Tom's head poking out from the other side of the plant.

Tom snorted. "It's not _that_ kind of problem. Just come here, would you?"

Norm approached, warily curious. When he circled around behind the tree, he saw what the matter was and he gave his friend a puzzled frown. "How did you manage _that_?"

"By angering a seasoned huntress," answered Tom ruefully. "She left me like this and I wasn't about to walk into the den looking for help."

Norm smirked through his puzzlement and urged Tom to turn around so that he could free him from the contraption binding his wrists. "It's none of my business, but I'll admit I'm curious about the details."

"It was Tanhi," Tom sighed.

Understanding, Norm grimaced. "What did you do to make her mad? She didn't do this because you turned down another night in her tent, did she?"

Tom shook his head. "No. I probably earned this. I took out my frustration over Trudy on her and insulted her...several times."

Norm had heard all about what happened with Trudy. Tom confided in him earlier that day and while it was shocking to hear that he had almost hooked up with the spirited pilot, Norm believed everything he told him. The pain in Tom's eyes was too genuine to be feigned. Norm struggled with the knot in the bola and glanced up. "Did you tell her about Trudy?"

"Yes. Stupid of me, right?"

"Sorry, but yes." Norm got the knot undone and he started unwinding the cord. "It's not like you to be so thoughtless, Tom. I'd expect more tact from you."

"I know," Tom sighed. The binds came free and he turned around to face Norm, rubbing the soreness from his wrists. "I suppose I thought she wouldn't care. At first, I was just explaining why I was angry but then she reacted when I said it was because of another woman. Something took hold of me and I wanted to see if I could push her buttons."

Norm's brows furrowed. "Why would you want to do that?"

"I don't know," Tom answered with a helpless shrug. "I just feel so...lost. I don't know who I am anymore or what I want. I suppose I wanted to find out if Tanhi had any real feelings for me. If it really was just about sex, then logic would dictate that she'd just shrug off news of another woman as inconsequential."

"Clearly, it wasn't inconsequential to her," Norm said dryly, "Either that, or your insults provoked her."

"She told me to stop saying Trudy's name," Tom announced with a flash of satisfaction in his eyes.

Norm nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, that _would_ indicate jealousy. But if you're trying to get over Trudy, why are you baiting Tanhi?"

Tom lowered his gaze and shook his head. "Like I said, I'm not sure why I do anything anymore. I promised myself I would swear off women after what happened with Trudy this week. My plans were to get sunk into my work and stay the hell away from the opposite gender, of both species. Seeing Tanhi again made me wonder if something could be there. I know I shouldn't rush into anything and rebound on her, but a part of me needs to know."

"The part that's becoming Na'vi?" Norm guessed, giving him a sympathetic look. He could tell that Tom was fighting against embracing the foreign urges he felt.

Tom took a slow breath and nodded, appearing ashamed. "I can't confide in Jake with this. He's too determined to integrate me into the clan and I don't want to disappoint him. I think I'm losing my humanity, Norm. My purpose for coming here feels distant now, like it was someone else's goal. I still want to help the people on Earth and our friends at Hell's Gate, but with each passing day, I feel more detached from them. At the same time, I don't feel I belong with the Na'vi either. Did you feel like that after you passed through the eye of Eywa?"

Norm shook his head, his concern growing sharper. "No. But by then, I'd already embraced the Na'vi way of life. Maybe you're just under too much stress, with everything that's happened. You're not giving your mind a rest, Tom. Even when you aren't working, I can tell your gears are still grinding. Power the machine down, okay? Just for a week or so. You're really starting to worry me."

Tom laughed humorlessly and ran his fingers through his hair. Some of the strands had come loose in his struggles and the unkempt look suited his obvious state of emotional turmoil. He looked at Norm with tortured golden eyes.

"I don't know if it's possible for me to turn off the machine. Like you said, even when I'm not physically working on something, my mind is going over things I've discovered and possibilities for future endeavors. When I'm not thinking about my research, I'm thinking about Trudy. When I'm not thinking of her, I'm thinking of Tanhi. The few minutes of the day when _those_ thoughts aren't occupying my mind, I'm worrying about what's happening on that ISV orbiting out there and whether Jill and the others that chose to go back are safe. If you can devise a way for me to turn my thoughts off, please let me know."

Norm decided not to press the issue further. He laid a comforting hand on Tom's shoulder and squeezed lightly. "Why don't you come inside and join everyone at the fire pit? Ni'nat's going to be singing tonight and we'll be passing around nectar. It might relax you a little."

Tom blew a sigh and nodded. "All right. I'm going to watch how much I drink this time, though."

Norm smiled. "I can really identify with that."

* * *

"Jake, I don't think I want to try sleeping in a hammock while I'm here."

Jake sighed and turned to look at his brother, one foot poised over the first branch of the natural stairway. "Why not?" He was getting a little tired of Tom's reluctance to try out the clan's ways.

"Have you forgotten that I used to walk in my sleep?" Tom adjusted the backpack slung over his shoulder and frowned at him. "What do you think is going to happen to me if I decide to take a stroll in the night while I'm high in the branches of this tree?"

Jake winced. He actually _had_ forgotten about Tom's escapades in the night. "But you haven't done that since we were teenagers. Have you started doing it again?"

"Not yet, but I've got confirmation that I've started talking in my sleep again. If I'm doing that, odds are the walking is going to follow."

"I'll gather some hides and a blanket for you," Jake decided. "There's a couple of empty alcoves in the den you can use as a bedroom while you're here. I don't want to wake up to find you lying dead on the ground with a broken neck."

Tom smiled a little sheepishly. "Sorry to be so much trouble, Jake."

"Nah. You're family and I want you safe."

* * *

Neytiri carefully eased Tommy into the sling that hung close to the hammock she shared with her mate. The device was sturdy and supportive, designed to cradle the infant in the night. It hung close enough for his parents to easily see to his needs, should he fuss or require feeding. She closed the top of it, sealing it like a protective cocoon with the breathable material. The cover would keep the infant dry if it began to rain. Jake stood beside her on the branch and he rubbed her upper arms affectionately as he watched her secure their son.

"I wish that _Sempul _and Sylwanin could see him," Neytiri whispered with a bittersweet smile. "They would be proud."

At the mention of her deceased father and older sister, Jake kissed her shoulder and embraced her gently from behind. "They see him through Eywa."

Neytiri turned to face him and she smiled up at him with pleasure, finding the pang in her heart more bearable. She reached up and caressed his features with her fingertips. He truly had become one of the People. He thought like an Omaticaya now, but his personality was still the same as always and she wouldn't change that for the world.

"You have learned much, my Jake. Thank you for reminding me that our Great Mother watches over our loved ones in the spirit world."

She slid her hand behind is head and drew him down for a kiss. He obligingly responded to it, tenderly at first and then with greater passion. Neytiri loved his kisses. She had experimented with males before him and it had left her feeling that kissing wasn't so important—until Jake's mouth caressed hers for the first time. She had never felt true passion, until that moment. Now the seductive motions of his lips and tongue stirred heat within her. Her melancholy faded as his hands caressed her back and hips, the fingers teasingly skimming over her bottom without fully touching it.

Neytiri pressed closer to her mate and slid her free hand down his back, aching for him. Jake used to be conservative by her people's standards, never engaging in kissing like this in such a public setting. He certainly never would have mated with her where any of the other tribe members could guess what they were doing. Over time, Neytiri carefully wore down some of the inhibitions placed on him by his human upbringing, until she could touch him more intimately without dragging him off to the forest.

After the birth of their son, private time together became even more of a commodity and they couldn't very well leave Tommy unsupervised. The first time Neytiri convinced Jake to mate in the hammock was awkward and his self-consciousness made him clumsy. He nearly flipped the hammock and sent them both falling to the ground, in fact. She could well imagine her people's reaction to seeing their _Olo'eyktan _and future _Tsahik_ falling naked out of the tree. It took her a week of coaxing, encouragement and teasing to finally convince him to try it again. Now his confidence was much improved and he was often the one to initiate intimacy in their bedding.

Neytiri gasped into his mouth as Jake lifted her against him suddenly, his tongue thrusting, curling and seeking inside of her mouth. She forgot where she was and she started to wrap her thighs around his waist, recalling the first night they had begun trying to conceive their child and how he had taken her against a tree.

Jake broke the kiss and lowered her back to the branch, grinning. "Don't get carried away," he whispered huskily. "I think it would raise a few eyebrows if we did it right here in the open."

Neytiri caught her breath and nodded, grinning back with slight mortification. Some modesty had to be maintained, after all. Even the Omaticaya had limits to how openly a couple could conduct their courtships before it was considered improper. It was difficult to remember social etiquette with the hard planes of his strong body pressed against hers. The evidence of his desire tenting his loincloth made it even more difficult for her to retain her wits.

Jake climbed down into the hammock and reached a hand up to her invitingly, his eyes promising to finish what they had started. Neytiri gladly joined him, taking his offered hand as she eased in with him. He pulled her on top of his body with a mischievous, charming grin before pulling the woven material closed around them. It didn't offer an opaque shield from prying eyes but the fibrous cocoon did conceal enough to prevent a clear view from the outside.

Jake's lips caressed her throat and his hands roved over her back and bottom, cupping and stroking. He shifted beneath her, pressing his arousal between her thighs through their loincloths. Neytiri murmured in delight, loving the feel and scent of his masculinity. She stroked his biceps, admiring the muscle tone before moving onto his chest. She angled her head to capture his lips and she invaded with her tongue, the moment they parted. He made a purring sound in his throat and his tail entwined with hers. She felt his erection throb against her thigh and she slid one of her hands down, stroking his abdomen in passing before gripping the jutting member through the concealing loincloth.

"Neytiri," Jake murmured over her lips with appreciation. He flexed his hips encouragingly, pushing his swollen arousal into her grip.

"My Jake," she sighed, fascinated as always by his reactions and the feel of his stiffened shaft in her hand.

He began to fondle her breasts beneath her necklace and she kissed him again, making soft, needy sounds in her throat as he stroked her nipples to tingling sensitivity. His touch was gentle, mindful of tenderness from nursing. His breath was quickening, fluttering over her lips and chin between kisses. He reached down to stop her hand's massage on his groin, gasping a soft warning. She smiled at him and allowed him to pull her hand away from his arousal, reaching for her queue instead. Jake likewise retrieved the end of his and they both sighed with pleasure when _tsahaylu_ was established.

Jake rolled his body carefully, taking her with him until they were lying on their sides. He urged her to turn around and put her back to him. When she complied, he resumed his seductive touch on her body and she pushed backwards against him restlessly, wriggling her hips to rub against the straining bulge between his thighs.

"Naughty," Jake chastised breathlessly, rocking his hips to grind himself against her. "Is there something you want, beautiful?" His lips sucked at the skin on her neck, provoking a moan of need from her.

Damp with arousal and losing patience, Neytiri slipped her fingers under the cover of her loincloth and pushed the material aside, whimpering softly. Her non-verbal response was evidently more pleasing than words to him. He growled her name softly and stopped caressing her body to shift his own loincloth and free his erection. She felt the silken knob of his glans nudge between the delicate folds around her entrance and she whispered his name urgently. It penetrated for a moment and withdrew, slippery with the evidence of her need.

"Do not tease," she warned in a tight voice. She felt his mouth smile against her neck before he drove forward again. Her breath caught on a gasp and her eyes fluttered shut as his thickness eased deeper and deeper into her. "Jake."

His hand burrowed into her loincloth from the front and she struggled to hold back a moan of delight as the pads of his fingers began to stroke the tender little nub crowning her womanhood. The touch ignited throbs of intense delight and she undulated her hips, turning her head for a kiss. He obliged her as he began to move in a steady, slow rhythm. The hammock swung gently with Jake's careful motions; he had learned to temper his vigor when they mated in it.

The baby whimpered and both of them went still abruptly, prepared to sacrifice their pleasure for his needs, if he continued to complain. When Tommy quieted again, Jake sighed with relief and resumed. Knowing that their mating could be interrupted at any time, Neytiri strove to bring release to them both sooner. Jake's fingers skillfully strummed her clit and she used her inner muscles, clenching each time he pulled out and relaxing when he thrust in again. She felt his intense pleasure through the link and she knew he felt hers as well.

Jake's grunts and groans picked up in volume and Neytiri panted a warning to him, reminding him to keep his voice down so as not to disturb their son or the nearby occupants in the other hammocks. She contradicted herself a moment later when his shaft eased in at an angle and depth that made her blurt a shaken moan.

"Practice what...you preach," Jake muttered with a breathless chuckle. He lowered his forehead to her shoulder and panted, his tail whipping around reflexively as his climax approached.

Neytiri felt the rising tension in him and his ecstasy fed hers. Their motions became erratic as they both struggled toward the release awaiting them. Jake's free arm was propping him up and Neytiri reached for his hand, squeezing it tightly as his touch and pumping brought her to the edge and over it. He hissed and returned the pressure of her hand, while the fingers of his other hand slowed their stroking on her sensitized nub. Neytiri bit her lip to muffle her cries as her body clenched rhythmically around his twitching cock, milking Jake's seed from him. His body went tense against her back and his breath halted for a moment as he was overcome.

"Damn, that was hot," Jake sighed when he recovered enough to speak.

Neytiri chuckled and rubbed his arm, enjoying the intimacy of his softening flesh resting snugly inside of her. "Your words are still strange at times."

"But you like them, admit it." Jake's lips pressed soft, brief kisses along her shoulder and neck.

"Yes, they are entertaining," she agreed with a smile.

* * *

Tanhi lay on her back with her fingers laced behind her head, staring up at the roof of her tent. She could see the stars through the small opening in the top of the structure that was meant to allow fresh air in. She thought of Tomsully as she watched the twinkling, celestial dots of light. She wondered if she should be blaming him or herself for the argument they had earlier. She had told him before that she didn't want a mate, and didn't care if he mated with other women. She had meant it at the time, but as the days went by found herself thinking of his voice, his touch and his nobility.

Her body yearned for him and the one mating encounter she had with another male while he was away proved disappointing. The male she had bedded was one of her clan mates, eager for her attention but unwilling to compromise, the way Tom was. Unsatisfied with the encounter, she found herself giving into fantasies about her absent _toktor _and the way he had easily traded dominance of the encounter back and forth, never complaining even when she stimulated him to the breaking point. He allowed her to touch him however she wished and he paid careful attention to her reactions, hardly needing verbal instruction at all to please her.

Perhaps that was why it bothered her so much, to hear that he had another woman in his life while he was away. He hadn't exactly specified that they mated but Tanhi had no reason to believe otherwise...especially given his anger at this _Trudy_ of his. The jealousy struck her without warning and while she was reeling with that, he taunted her. He sensed it and he used it as a weapon.

Tomsully was a kind man, or so she had thought. Why then, had he been so deliberately cruel and confrontational with her? She didn't understand. She thought he was content with their arrangement but he spoke as if he wanted more from her. If he wanted more, why was he pursuing some human woman? More importantly, why did his words hurt the way they had? He spoke as if she had used him. She expected better of him, after he stopped the evil dreamwalker from violating her body. He should know she wouldn't use him, of all people. She respected him.

The thought made her frown. Yes, she respected him. That was a problem. If mating without a commitment truly made him feel used, then she should curb her desire to share her pallet with him. She should keep her distance and show him that she respected him. Doing so posed another dilemma to her, because she wanted him in her bedding again. She wanted that body thrusting passionately between her thighs, wanted that mouth gasping in pleasure, wanted those eyes gazing into hers.

She was confident that she could have all of that again with the right persuasion, but seducing him wasn't respectful and his heart was obviously troubled. She had two other choices she could make. The first choice was possibly the safest one: to leave him be and keep her distance. The second option was to comfort him, let him in and possibly break her vow never take a mate.

_~I swore I would never do it. That day...I will never forget what it felt like when...~_

She shut her eyes and sighed as the grief she thought she had banished rose in her breast. It still ached, but it was bearable now. She was alive and she had her needs, so she saw to them. Despite her people's insistence that she was too young to swear off seeking a mate forever, she remained determined.

Tanhi smirked. Her people would not be happy if she chose an outsider as her mate. Doing so would probably cost her the leadership of her clan at best, exile at worst. Unless Tomsully passed a series of trials and got formally initiated into one of the great clans, mating before Eywa with him would be inexcusable.

_~I do not want a mate, so why do I even consider these things?~_

Perhaps it was because she discovered that she actually _did_ care about him sharing his body with another woman. The thoughts circled around in Tanhi's head and she couldn't find her rest no matter how she tossed and turned. She kept considering options, discarding them and then considering them over again. After the way he had acted earlier, she wondered if she was torturing herself for nothing. Even if she considered pursuing something more than commitment-free pleasure with him, he may no longer be interested.

A commotion from outside made her ears perk and Tanhi sat up on the pallet, listening. Peyla was speaking to someone, demanding to know what they were doing. Tanhi frowned curiously as she listened as the woman made another sharp demand.

Deciding to see what the fuss was about, Tanhi put her concealing necklace on and got up. She ducked out of her tent and she wondered if Eywa had been listening to her troubled thoughts. Lo and behold, there was Tomsully, stumbling through her people's camp with a blank stare. He was wearing a pair of the track pants favored as sleepwear by the Sky People and he mumbled something strange when Peyla asked him again what he was doing there.

"I lost something," Tom said absently, his eyes staring off into the distance.

Tanhi quickly approached and she waved people away reassuringly. "Tomsully, what have you lost?" she asked in a low voice.

He stopped walking at the sound of her voice, but his eyes didn't focus on her. "I can't remember. I have to find it again."

Tanhi exchanged a look with Peyla and the latter waved her hand over Tom's face. His eyes didn't follow the motion; they remained blank and heavy-lidded.

"He is not awake, Olo'eyktan," announced Peyla. A crooked smile graced her lips. "The Dreamwalker is walking a dream."

"Your humor is not appropriate," Tanhi remonstrated, gazing up at Tom with concern she couldn't quite mask. "People who do this have wandered into the forest and died from animal attacks, or drowned in a lake."

"Then wake him," suggested Peyla.

Tanhi smiled faintly at her. Peyla would be next in line to take over the clan, should something happen to her or if she never produced offspring. She had a good head for battle, hunting and command but Peyla wasn't familiar with dream sickness or subtlety.

"Waking him would not be good," Tanhi explained. She took Tom's arm when he started to move again, gently stopping him. "He does not know where he is and he could strike out in confusion. I will care for him."

"Of course, sister." Amusement flashed in Peyla's eyes, hinting that she had her suspicions concerning how Tanhi intended to care for him.

Tanhi ignored the sly look in the other female's expression and she took both of Tom's hands in hers and coaxed him toward her tent, walking backwards. "Come. You cannot stay out here. It is unsafe."

"Trudy?"

Tanhi felt that ugly emotion writhe within her and she compressed her mouth and pushed it aside. "No. Tanhi."

Tom's expression remained eerily slack. "Oh. Am I at Hometree?"

"Yes. Now come. You must rest."

"But I have to find it," he insisted.

Tanhi couldn't make sense of his words, so she tried to pacify him. "You can search for it in the morning. You will see better by daylight."

That seemed to appease him and he allowed her to lead him into her tent. Tanhi tied the entrance shut and coaxed Tom to lie down on her pallet. He was docile about it, complying with her urgings without complaint or resistance. She removed her necklace and hung it back on the rack before lying down beside him. His eyes were closed now and his breathing was deep and even. She smoothed aside a few loose locks of hair that had come free of his braid and she briefly traced his slumbering features with her fingertips. She moved her caress to his bare chest and stomach before scooting closer to him and putting an arm around his waist.

She wasn't sure what possessed her to cuddle him and she imagined he would be confused and displeased when he woke in the morning. Still, she thought she deserved something for the way he treated her, even if she _did_ leave him tied up on the ground. She allowed herself to take a small liberty with him and she curled her fingers firmly around the base of his tail. She kissed his throat and clavicle as she began to massage him and she smiled as his lips parted and he sighed in his sleep.

"Shh...relax, Tom-ee," Tanhi murmured between kisses as he moaned softly and flexed his bottom.

She eased up on the pressure she was using, not wishing to wake him. She felt him harden against her thigh beneath the track pants he wore. It made her itch to stroke him there until he spilled his seed. She resisted and contented herself with the relatively innocent action of stimulating his tail. She rested her cheek against his smooth chest and listened to his heartbeat. He relaxed now that her touch was gentler and he unconsciously nuzzled her hair and returned her embrace.

Tanhi pleasured his tail until she drifted off to sleep with him. Her last thoughts were of what his reaction would be when he woke up in her arms.

* * *

-To be continued

**Translations:**

Atokirina = Seeds of the sacred tree

_**Fnu**_ = Be quiet

_**Skxawng **_= Moron

_**Tsap'alute **_= Apology

_**Ftang **_= Stop

_**Sempul **_= Father

_**Sylwanin **_= Neytiri's older sister, according to the original movie script. She died in Grace's schoolhouse, shot to death in front of Neytiri.

_**Toktor **_= Doctor


	23. Chapter 23

"Between worlds"

Chapter 23

* * *

_**Author's note: See footnotes at the end of the chapter for Na'vi/English translations. Somehow I get the feeling I'm going to have a mutiny on my hands no matter who poor Tom ends up with. I think I opened Pandora's box with this triangle. Get it? "Pandora's box"? Hardy-har-har. On a side note, I wonder if the meanings behind Jake and Tom's names were purely coincidental or if JC deliberately set it up that way? **_

* * *

*Disclaimer: I do not own Pandora and I make no profit from writing fanfiction based on the "Avatar" film.

* * *

Tom was understandably confused when he awoke. He felt smooth skin and feminine curves aligned with his body and his arm was around a slender waist. His thoughts immediately went to Trudy but his brain registered that though the body in his arms was petite, it wasn't human-sized. The memory of what happened between he and Trudy came back and a swift pang assaulted his heart. He opened his eyes and blinked the sleep from them, gathering his bearings.

Tanhi was lying next to him on her side, half-embracing him with her cheek pillowed on his arm. He likewise had one arm around her. She was fast asleep and Tom stared at her with a feeling of dread. He had no memory of coming to her tent...none at all. The last thing he recalled was lying down in the little alcove that Jake and Neytiri had set up for him to sleep in. Tanhi was bare-chested but the length of her multiple braids fell over her shoulder and concealed her breasts, somewhat.

With his heart thudding painfully in alarm, Tom looked down the length of their bodies for confirmation of what he suspected. When he saw that Tanhi's loincloth was intact and he still wore his track pants, he breathed easier. At least he hadn't made love to her last night and forgotten all about it. That would have made for an incredibly awkward conversation, provided she didn't intend to kick him out of her tent the moment she woke up.

Tom considered trying to ease away from her and sneak out. The last time he ended up in her tent, his attempts to initiate some morning tenderness were met with abrupt, yet polite shooing. This time, he had no idea how he got there or what he might have done. He suspected that his expressed fears of sleepwalking had come true during the night and Tanhi must have come across him wandering. He didn't know whether to be thankful or wary.

_~I'm sure I would have woken up if we started fooling around, wouldn't I? Shit, would she have even known I wasn't awake? I can't remember ever reading anything about Na'vi suffering sleep disorders. Maybe it's only a human condition.~_

He started to withdraw his arm from around her waist but as his fingers brushed against her skin, he found himself caressing it. Something about a woman's soft skin that always weakened him. He let his fingertips glide over her back, mindful not to let his hand wander. He really didn't know why he bothered trying to be a gentleman, considering that he'd already fondled and stroked every inch of her body once before.

_~What are you doing, Tom? You're not in a good place right now to test the waters with this woman. Don't rebound on her, even if she says she's only having a good time with you.~_

He sighed aloud before he realized he was doing it and the sound awoke Tanhi. Tom swore silently as her eyes fluttered open to regard him sleepily. Deciding he shouldn't just lay there staring at her, he spoke up.

"I don't want to be rude, but can you tell me how I got here, Tanhi?"

"You were moving in your sleep," she obliged in a voice husky with sleep. "My people found you wandering into our encampment, so I took you to my tent. You cannot wander in your sleep alone, Tomsully. Something could happen to you."

"I was afraid of that." Tom shut his eyes and shook his head. "I was hoping I would be wrong about that habit returning to me."

"It is not something you normally do?" Tanhi looked faintly puzzled.

"Not for many years," he answered. He tried not to let his eyes wander below her neck and he braced himself for discomfort. "Tanhi, is walking the _only_ thing I did in my sleep?"

"You spoke." She shrugged. "But nothing more. You did not do it again once you laid down on my pallet." She smiled subtly at him. "What is it you think you might have done, Tomsully?"

He averted his eyes and shrugged. "What most men might do, if they were in a stupor with a beautiful, nearly naked female in their arms."

"You did not initiate anything," she assured him. She bit her lip and looked away. "I might have played a little, though."

Tom's eyebrows lifted. "Played how?"

"Only with your tail," she said defensively, her eyes daring him to lecture her.

Tanhi's expression of mixed defiance and guilt reminded Tom of a child caught spoiling her supper with sweets. He couldn't help it; he smiled. "You might as well have played with my—oh, never mind. I guess that's chaste enough." In truth, he wouldn't have expected Tanhi to practice that much restraint. Unfettered by human ideals of modesty, Na'vi women had no qualms about expressing themselves sexually to their partners and Tanhi was certainly no exception.

She proved this by running her hand over his chest and nuzzling his throat with her lips. "Now that you are awake, Tomsully..." she let the sentence hang and the sensual caress of her mouth and hand left little doubt where she was going with it.

Tom shut his eyes and fought against the urge to just give in and answer his body's natural desires. He shook his head and drew away from her, catching her hand in his. He looked into her eyes and saw disappointment there. He could relate. He had a common morning condition that obviously wasn't unique to human male physiology. Relieving it with a woman would have been fantastic, but he was more than a collection of flesh and hormones.

"Believe me, there's nothing more I'd like to do than lose myself in mating with you this morning," Tom pacified, "but our argument last night convinced me that would just be a mistake. I need time, Tanhi. I also need more than an occasional fling."

Her brows furrowed. "I do not intend to fling you anywhere."

Tom nearly chuckled. "It's an expression. Where I come from, it means to have casual sex—mating without any obligation to one another. Some men might think it's an ideal relationship to have but apparently, I'm not one of them. I don't know anything about you, really. I don't know your likes and dislikes, I don't know your favorite food or even your favorite color. If you really _are_ interested in me, then I need more than mating. I'm sorry."

She sighed and nodded. "I thought so. I will respect your wishes, Tomsully." She pulled away from him and sat up, brushing her many braids back over her shoulders to cascade down her back.

Tom's mouth went slack as her breasts were entirely exposed to his view. His body instantly demanded that he hang his moral code and jump her. He cleared his throat and looked away as Tanhi reached for the intricate, woven necklace hanging on the rack hanging nearby. He felt her eyes on him as she slipped it on and adjusted it to conceal her chest—as much as the garment _could_ conceal, anyhow.

"I should probably go now," Tom said, a husky note of desire creeping into his voice as he sat up. He looked at her again, now that she wasn't exposed. "I want to thank you for looking after me. I might not be here right now, if you hadn't. I also want to apologize again for taking things out on you."

"I did not mind watching over you," she answered graciously. Her yellow gaze lowered thoughtfully. "You have much to think of. I will wait for you to find an answer."

Tom paused at the tent exit, puzzled by her final sentence. What did she mean by _that_? He glanced at her and it could have been his imagination, but he thought her gaze was softer than usual on him.

"Have a good day, _Olo'eyktan_," Tom said in parting, for lack of anything better to say.

* * *

Norm was outside Hometree, taking care of laundry when Jake approached him with a worried look on his face.

"Norm, have you seen Tommy this morning?"

It took Norm a moment to realize that Jake was talking about his younger twin, and not his son. He took his and Ni'nat's freshly dried change of garments off of the rack and shook his head.

"I'm sorry, I haven't seen him yet. He isn't in the alcove you set up for him last night?"

Jake's expression of concern deepened. "No, he isn't there. I checked the pond and the den but he wasn't there, either. Where is Ni'nat? Maybe she's seen him."

"She's cooking our breakfast," answered Norm. "You must have passed right by her when you searched the den."

Jake swore under his breath. "I should have had someone keep an eye on him overnight. Tommy didn't want to sleep in a hammock because he was afraid his old sleeping habits were coming back. We might have to organize a search party if I don't find him soon...he might have wandered into the forest in his sleep."

Norm grimaced and draped the clothing articles over his arm. "That's not good. But I'm sure Tom is okay. He couldn't have gotten far without someone spotting him, so maybe you should check with the visiting clans and see if he wandered near any of their encampments. Someone would have recognized him and taken him in for the night if they saw him, Jake."

The chieftain looked around with anxious eyes. "Yeah, you're probably right."

Norm chose his next words carefully. "Can I offer you some advice?"

"What is it?"

Norm braced himself. "You need to stop worrying so much about Tom. He's only an hour younger than you and he's an adult. You also might want to start calling him 'Tom' instead of 'Tommy', especially if he's going to end up living here with us. It's going to get really confusing when your son gets older, you know."

Jake took it in stride, smirking good-naturedly. "I know I'm being a worry wart. It's just...Tommy...er...Tom hasn't been himself lately. Don't tell me you haven't noticed it."

"I've noticed." Norm thought of his own observations over how confused and moody Tom seemed. "He's got a lot on his plate right now, though."

"And I don't?" Jake snorted. "Leading a clan and keeping peace between visiting tribes isn't exactly a walk in the park."

"But you're more laid back than Tom is," Norm pointed out. "And Neytiri came back to you."

Jake opened his mouth, shut it and then nodded with a sigh. "Good point. I'll try to be a little more patient with him, since you put it that way. Right now I just want to make sure he's not a half-eaten carcass rotting in the wilds."

Norm was about to comment on that when he saw the object of their anxiety approaching in the distance, from the direction of the nearby Ikran encampment. Tom was still in his sleeping joggers and the rising sun silhouetted him from behind.

"You don't have to worry about him anymore, Jake." Norm nodded in Tom's direction.

Jake turned around and when he spotted his brother, he called out to him and waved him over. Tom obligingly changed his course and walked over to them. He looked well rested to Norm, lacking the dark circles around his eyes that had become so common lately.

"Your brother was about to call out a search party," Norm said with a smile of greeting as the other scientist approached. "Where did _you_ end up last night?"

"In Tanhi's tent," answered Tom flatly. He shot them both a _look_, daring either of them to crack a joke.

Jake exchanged a brief look with Norm before answering. "That's cool. At least I know you were taken care of."

"It wasn't like that," Tom snapped, "We just slept."

Jake held his hands out defensively. "Okay, calm down. I didn't say a word, did I?"

Tom deflated and looked faintly shame-faced. "Sorry Jake. I'm just a little on edge. It seems like I've been apologizing for my behavior a lot, lately."

His calm lasted until several _atokirina _floated down from somewhere in the foliage above and began to hover over him. He glared at the offending seeds and pursed his lips. "Why do these damned things keep bothering me?"

Jake gave an easygoing smile as a few of them settled on him for a moment, before returning to his brother. "I'm no _Tsahik_ but I'd say it means Eywa likes you. She's chosen you for something, brother."

"Chosen me for _what_, though?" Tom's voice was tense with frustration. "They've been bothering me ever since the Ikran village got raided. I've already helped free the clan and I stopped Lt. Phelps from carrying out his plans for Tanhi. What more can I do?"

Norm studied the floating seeds with interest. "You say they started showing up after the capture of the Ikran people? There must be some connection you haven't figured out yet. Do they come to you randomly now or is there some circumstance that sets them off?"

Tom shrugged. "I can't think of anything in particular, but it does seem to happen more whenever Tan—" He broke off in mid-word and stared at something behind Jake.

Jake and Norm looked to see Tanhi passing close by, on her way into the den. She was carrying a basket of food wraps, evidently going in to share with members of other clans as a gesture of diplomacy. Norm looked at Tom again and he noticed that the seeds swirled around his body as if in excitement. They settled down once more when Tanhi was out of sight and they floated away from Tom.

Norm looked at Jake with raised eyebrows. "So it has something to do with the Ikran _Olo'eyktan_."

Tom shook his head in denial. "There's nothing more I can do for her. It has to be something else."

Jake narrowed his eyes thoughtfully, glancing in the direction Tanhi had disappeared to before looking at his twin again. He looked as though he wanted to say something but he thought better of it and shrugged. "I can talk to Neytiri or Mo'at for you if you want. Maybe they can shed a little light on it."

"If they can, I'd be grateful," Tom sighed. "Where are they now?"

"They're helping with a birth," answered Jake. "It's going to be a few hours before they're available."

Seeing the crestfallen expression on Tom's face, Norm decided he needed to get away for a while. "Why don't you go fishing with Ni'nat and I? We'll be leaving in a little while and it's not far to ride."

Tom considered the offer before nodding. "All right. I'll eat and get cleaned up first, if you don't mind."

"Go ahead," Norm answered graciously. "You can have breakfast with us. There's plenty to go around. What about you, Jake? Do you want to come with?"

"I would, but I've got to be here for the birth of this new baby," answered Jake. "I've got to give the Chieftain's blessing to all newly born clan members."

"Right, I forgot about that." Norm smirked. "How does it feel to be revered like that?"

Jake shrugged. "I don't see it as much different than giving someone congratulations, you know? I just hold the baby up for everyone to see, announce its name and welcome it into the clan."

Tom smiled crookedly at him. "You love it, I can tell."

Jake chuckled. "You got me. I never knew I liked kids this much."

* * *

Norm and Ni'nat took Tom out into the forest with them later that morning, after having breakfast and getting cleaned up. Tom road double with Norm on the direhorse he chose and the three of them traveled a couple of miles away from the village, to Norm's favorite fishing spot. Ni'nat hummed softly as they traveled and Norm enjoyed the sound, giving her admiring smiles now and then. Tom was silent and broody—not surprising, given his most recent state of affairs.

It was obvious that Tom was trying to balance his two sides, struggling to accept his Na'vi side without losing his human one. Norm personally thought that Tom could be happy with the People, if he gave it a chance. There were ways to work around the conflict of research interests and village life; Norm did it all the time. He just needed to think of a way to accommodate Tom's career well enough to convince him. Norm's work didn't require a lab most of the time, so he was able to conduct his research more freely while living as a Na'vi. Tom, however, would need something more convenient than traveling back and forth to Hell's Gate.

"I have to admit, I'm impressed," Tom commented as he watched Norm make his first catch with the fishing arrow. "I never figured you for an archer, Norm."

"I'm not, really." Norm murmured the hunter's blessing to the fish as he pulled the arrow free and handed the catch to Ni'nat. "My aim is terrible when it comes to land hunting. Just ask my mate." He smiled at Ni'nat, who nodded with agreement and patted him on the arm.

"His fishing and gathering skills make up for that," insisted the huntress with a fond smile. She walked away to clean the catch near the temporary fire they had built.

When she was out of earshot, Tom leaned closer to Norm and spoke in a low voice. "What's the story with Tanhi? Do you have any idea why she's so adamant about never taking a mate?"

Norm considered him sidelong before fitting his arrow back into his bow. "Why, are you interested in changing her mind?"

"Let's just say I'm curious," Tom answered with a frown. "I don't know if there's anything there yet and I'm not sure when I'll be ready to explore it if there is. I just want to know more about her."

Norm lined up his arrow and studied the water for movement. "I don't know if I should be talking about her behind her back, Tom. I appreciate what you're saying but most of what I know is just hearsay. I think Tanhi is the one you should be asking, if you want to know more about her."

"And that's exactly what I'd be doing, if I thought she'd tell me anything." Tom's frustration was evident. "If you can enlighten me a little with anything...anything at all, it would help."

Norm thought about the rumors he'd heard concerning the Ikran chieftess and he weighed his obligations between friendship with Tom and respect for Tanhi. Finally, he decided to throw his old colleague a morsel, if only to appease him a bit.

"Something happened in her old village," Norm murmured. "Something bad. I don't know the details but the Ikran clan originally lived deeper in the forest. They moved to the coast when Tanhi took over. There's a lot of speculation over what drove them out but nobody wants to ask, out of social etiquette."

"Tribal warfare?" Tom whispered.

Norm shook his head. "I don't know. Whatever it was, it cut down the population by over half. That's all I can tell you."

Tom considered the information. "At least it gives me a hint. So, is there any reason to believe you and Ni'nat might be contributing to the birth rate, soon?"

Glad for the change of topic even though the subject made him a little uncomfortable, Norm glanced over his shoulder at his mate and smiled a little. "We're hoping to do that soon. Ni'nat's been really patient, but she wants a baby of her own. I see the way she looks at other people's infants and children. She never complains but I know she's envious."

"What about you?" prompted Tom, "are you ready to be a father?"

Norm chuckled, his aim wavering a little. "I'd better be. Sooner or later it's going to happen." He muttered the next sentence under his breath. "I hope."

"I'm sure it will," soothed Tom. He glanced at Ni'nat. "She seems like a very...fertile...woman."

Norm gave him a half-smile. "You don't have to speak in code. Most of the un-mated men in the village still haven't forgiven me for claiming the most beautiful woman in the clan."

Tom laughed softly and nodded. "I didn't want you to think I was leering at her."

Norm felt a rush of pride, though he knew it was shallow of him. "I can tolerate other men looking at her, Tom. Who could blame them? I have to admit, I wake up every morning thanking God, Eywa and every other deity that may or may not exist that a woman like her chose a geek like me. I know how lucky I am."

"I can't fault you for that," Tom said. "I imagine as soon as she's ready, you'll have her expecting in no time."

Norm flushed a little at the subtle observation of how often he coaxed Ni'nat away from Hometree to make love to her. "Let's hope you're right."

* * *

Tom couldn't deny the beauty of the forest surrounding him. All manner of ferns, mushrooms, trees and plants grew wild, without intervention or direction from humanoids. Some of the plant life was similar in color and appearance to those once found on Earth, while others were strange and alien. The electric blue _penghrrap _plant, known to humans as "binary sunshine", was one of Tom's favorites. He almost wished he could transfer one of them to a pot and keep it in his personal quarters on the base, but Norm said they were one of many "planimals" on Pandora. It had a simple nervous system and exhibited both plant and animal traits. The Na'vi word for it meant "danger teller", because the leaves lit up whenever the plant sensed danger nearby.

After eating the meal of fish that Norm and Ni'nat provided, Tom brushed his fingers over one of his favorite wild plants, smiling faintly at it. They were right; a trip into the forest did serve him some good.

"Thank you both for bringing me along," Tom said over his shoulder to the couple. "I _do_ feel better. I just wish I could contribute something in return."

"You healed my Waytelem when she was injured," Ni'nat answered with a gentle smile. "You contribute with your medicine, Tom." She had dropped the common Na'vi habit of calling humans by their first and last names together, which made her sound more relaxed and less formal.

Tom was able to return her smile easily and he had to envy Norm a little for his good fortune. Ni'nat was as good a hunter as the next female but she was softer than most...more gentle-natured and demure. He wasn't foolish enough to believe that made her submissive, but he noticed that she rarely argued with Norm and she generally allowed him to hold the proverbial reins. Tom himself had a weakness for tough women but he had to admit, Norm had a good thing going for him.

Watching them together made him think of both Tanhi and Trudy. He knew there was no way in hell either of the feisty women he was drawn to would compromise the way Ni'nat did. He supposed he should find that unappealing but it only made them both more attractive to him. Evidently, he and Jake shared a common interest in assertive females, though Tom dared say his brother's relationship with Neytiri was quite balanced. A lot of their "arguments" were simply affectionate jibes toward one another and it was obvious to everyone that knew them. Jake and Neytiri had fun together, frequently smiling and laughing even as they picked on each other. That was the kind of relationship Tom could go for...provided he ever managed to settle with a woman who wouldn't run from him or put up blockades to keep him out.

Thoughts of Trudy made him remember that hurt look she gave him when he had been so cold with her. No matter how much her change of heart hurt Tom, she didn't deserve that from him. She had legitimate, logical concerns and unlike him, she had been trying to think with her head instead of her heart. The first thing he intended to do when he returned to Hell's Gate was apologize to her, even if it made his heart ache just to be near her.

_~I've just got to figure out how to do it without blurting out "I love you". Goddammit all to hell.~_

Tom noticed that Norm and Ni'nat were watching him quietly and he realized that his angst must have showed in his expression. He cleared his throat self-consciously and gestured at the string of extra fish hanging from the limb of the nearby tree. "Do you always manage to bring home a catch like that, Norm?"

Norm glanced at the fish. "I'm not always this lucky. Sometimes I have a great catch and others I only catch a couple. Hey Tom, why don't you let Ni'nat give you a shooting lesson, before we head back? You might like it."

Tom smirked, guessing by the look in his friend's eyes that the suggestion was made to take his mind off of his problems. He looked at the beautiful huntress seated beside Norm. "If she's willing to let a green person like me handle her bow, I'm willing to give it a try."

A look of confusion came over Ni'nat's features and she tilted her head. "Are you feeling unwell, Tom? You don't appear green to me."

"It's an expression, love." Norm grinned at her and hugged her with one arm. "It means he has no training with the bow and arrow."

"Oh." Ni'nat smiled shyly and laughed softly. "I will learn your human slang one day, my Norm. I do not mind giving Tom a lesson. I am sure he will be careful with my bow."

She chose a dead mushroom stump for Tom to practice on and Norm looked on while she instructed him on how to hold the bow and take aim. Tom knew he was doing it poorly but Ni'nat was very patient and encouraging with him, gently correcting him until she was satisfied with his poise.

"You may find it easier if you inhale while aiming and exhale while releasing your arrow," she suggested as Tom drew the bowstring back and narrowed his eyes at the target.

He took her advice and exhaled slowly. When the breath was nearly gone from his lungs, he released the arrow. It hit the stump with a satisfying thump, though it didn't strike anywhere near where he'd aimed. Tom smiled, all the same.

"At least I hit it," he said, surprised that he'd managed to do so the first time.

Ni'nat nodded and smiled, studying the arrow that was now sunk halfway into the stump. "Very good, for a beginner! Many Na'vi would not have done so well, Tom."

"Maybe you're a natural," Norm suggested with a grin, impressed with Tom's aim.

"I think it just runs in the family," excused the biologist. "I'm not a bad shot with a gun, either. Jake leaves me in the figurative dust, though."

Tom walked to the trunk to retrieve the arrow and try again, but as he approached he heard a buzzing sound from the dead stalk. He frowned and moved more slowly, his ears swiveling to listen. "Do you two hear that?"

"I hear nothing," answered Ni'nat.

Norm shook his head. "I don't hear anything either."

"There's something buzzing in that stump." Tom felt a growing sense of dread as the buzzing grew louder.

"I hear it now," Ni'nat murmured. Her voice grew urgent. "Tom, you must step away from the stump…quickly!"

Just as she finished speaking, a swarm of hellfire wasps emerged from the holes riddling the top of the stump. Tom had inadvertently disturbed a nest of the orange, sparrow-sized insects when he pierced the dead stalk and now they were out for revenge.

"Into the lake!"

The urgency in Norm's shout left little doubt that failure to comply would result in excruciating pain or worse. Norm grabbed Ni'nat around the waist and practically threw her in the water before leaping in himself. Tom followed and he cursed when he felt one of the wasps land on his forearm and jab its stinger into his skin. It hurt like hell and he didn't want a repeat occurrence. He dove into the water without ceremony, hoping that his two companions were out of the way.

He resurfaced cautiously after a moment, gasping and coughing. On either side of him, Norm and Ni'nat also poked their heads out of the water and looked up at the hovering swarm. The insects buzzed around angrily for a few minutes before retreating back to their nest.

"Sorry Tom, but I'm going to have to agree with Trudy's assessment," Norm sputtered when the danger was gone, "you're a jinx."

* * *

"What happened to you?" Jake asked when the three of them returned to Hometree. Norm and Ni'nat were mostly dry, except for their loincloths and hair. Tom was in standard issue clothing composed of cargo pants and a crew shirt. The outfit was still wet and clinging to him.

"I gave your brother a shooting lesson," Ni'nat explained with an amused, sidelong look at Tom. "His aim is good, but it did not end so well."

"I managed to piss of a nest of wasps," Tom sighed. He tugged on the bandage he'd wrapped around his forearm, examining the angry welt where the stinger went in. "You can't say I'm paranoid when I bring first aid supplies with me everywhere I go, Jake."

Jake looked at the sting with a grimace. "You should put some heat on that to draw out the toxin. I'm not a doctor like you guys but I've learned a few things about treating stings and bites."

Tom nodded. "I will. I've got some salve in my backpack that might help, too. How did the birth go?"

"It went fine. They had a healthy baby girl and they named her Ki'lelah." Jake grinned and looked over his shoulder at the den entrance. "I think Neytiri's got an itch to give Tommy a little sister, now."

Norm raised his eyebrows. "So soon?"

"Well, as soon as nature agrees with her," Jake sighed. "I get the feeling we may end up with a big family, if Neytiri gets her way."

Tom took his attention off of his sting. "Does that scare you?"

Jake shrugged. "Nah, not really. If I can manage a whole clan then I can manage a handful of rugrats."

"What are 'rugrats'?" Ni'nat queried.

"That's just slang for children," explained Norm.

She sighed. "Humans have too many slang terms."

Norm smiled and put an arm around her.

"So other than the wasps, my brother's a decent shot with a bow?" Jake persisted to Ni'nat.

"More than 'decent', _Olo'eyktan_. He has a natural skill for it." Ni'nat gave Tom a smile and he shrugged modestly. "With time and practice, he could be equal to our best archers."

Jake gave Tom a broad grin and clapped him on the shoulder. "I knew you had it in you, Tommy...er...Tom."

"Why are you stumbling over my name all the sudden?" Tom inquired.

"Norm made a pretty good point earlier today," Jake answered. "When my son gets older it's going to cause some confusion, if I keep calling you 'Tommy'. I'm hoping you'll stick around and live with us by then, so I've got to get into the habit of calling you by your birth name, instead of the nickname I've always used."

Tom shrugged. "That makes sense. Just don't make long term plans yet, Jake. I've still got a lot of thinking to do, before I decide what kind of life I'm going to live here."

Jake sighed but he nodded in understanding. "I can't ask for more without being selfish, I guess."

* * *

Late that afternoon after eating and cleaning up, Tom sat on a small hill on the outskirts of the village and watched the sunset. He hadn't bothered asking Jake if he had spoken to his mate or mother-in-law concerning the issue with the _atokirina_. Jake seemed so excited to welcome new life into the clan that Tom didn't have it in him to distract him. He found that the more time he spent in the wilds, the more he appreciated Pandora's beauty. It was easy to find new things to admire about this world he was trying to fit into, when he wasn't surrounded by lab work and distracted by women.

As if conjured by his thoughts, a familiar scent wafted up his nostrils. Tom went absolutely still as Tanhi came up beside him and sank down onto the mossy hill. She was looking at him sidelong and her expression told him she had something to say, but she seemed to be struggling with herself. She took her eyes off him and gazed at the horizon.

"My favorite thing to eat is rim fish, from the Eastern Sea."

Tom looked at her with surprise. A slow smile spread over his lips before he realized it. "Rim fish, huh? I don't think I've ever had it before."

"You would like it," she insisted softly. "It is _sìltsan_...um...good?"

He nodded. "That's the right word for _sìltsan_. You like _Teylu_ too, don't you?" He remembered her reaction the night they mated, when he was reluctant to eat the beetle grubs offered to him.

"Yes. _Teylu_ are very good, too."

Tom studied her with interest. She was finally sharing something other than her body with him. "What is your favorite color?"

Tanhi pointed wordlessly to the paint adorning her face and Tom chuckled and nodded. "Red. I should have guessed that."

She smiled faintly in return. "Yes, you should have. Yours?"

"Ironically," Tom looked at his cyan striped arm with a smirk, "blue is my favorite color."

Tanhi favored him with a low, restrained laugh and Tom enjoyed the sound. It was a shame she didn't smile or laugh more often and he wondered about what Norm had told him about her village. Deciding it was too early to ask about it, he continued probing for the small things, careful not to dig too deeply.

"You have a beautiful name," Tom complimented. _Tanhi_ meant "star" when translated to English. "What inspired your parents to give it to you?"

She shrugged and looked up at the first twinkling stars to make their appearance in the darkening sky. "_Sa'nok_ watched the sky as she birthed me and she saw a falling star. She said it was very pretty and soothing, so she named me after it. Where did your name come from, Tomsully?"

"Just call me 'Tom'," he requested with a smile. "It's easier and less formal than my full name. As for how I got it, it's kind of a funny story. My parents found out they were having twins late in the pregnancy and they decided to name whichever one of us came out second 'Tom'. It means 'twin'."

Her brow lifted. "So they named you what you are?"

He chuckled and nodded. "Basically. It also means 'honesty' in some languages."

"Honest twin," she pondered. A smile curved her lips and she nodded. "It suites you."

Tom lowered his gaze, unsure of the honest part. Yes, he was doing his very best to be up-front and truthful with both of the women he desired but was he being honest with himself? Right now, he just felt like the Confused Twin.

"What does the _Toruk Makto's_ name mean?" Tanhi pressed, distracting him from his musing.

Tom blinked as he realized how ironic the answer was. "It's short for 'Jacob', which means 'he who replaces'. Damn, that's strange. He came here to replace me because he thought I was dead."

"An odd...coincidence," she said haltingly, "but nothing more, I am certain."

He nodded in agreement. "Still, it's pretty amazing." He decided to change the subject; still interested in getting to know her better while he had the chance. "Do you like to swim?"

She appeared a little taken off-guard by the sudden question and she chewed her lower lip before nodding. "I love to swim—in the sea, most of all. The waves and currents present a challenge and they test the body's strength."

Tom hid his grimace. Apparently, Tanhi was a thrill seeker. It shouldn't have come as a surprise to him. "Aren't you worried about drowning?"

She plucked at the moss on the ground and shook her head. "I am a strong swimmer. Perhaps I can teach you some time, Tom?" Her amber gaze settled on him and there was a hint of a playful sparkle in them.

"I know how to swim," he assured her, "but I wouldn't object to improvement."

By the time the sun had set, Tom learned that Tanhi loved the sound of a good drumbeat, occasionally liked to dance with enough nectar in her system and her favorite animal was the fan lizard. She asked him questions about himself and the tension between them faded, until they were chatting easily beneath the stars. When the hour grew late, Tom excused himself for bed and he thanked Tanhi sincerely for the conversation.

"I enjoyed learning a little more about you," he said. He impulsively reached out and took her hand in his, applying gentle pressure. "I hope we can talk more, soon."

She gave him the first uninhibited smile he'd seen on her lips since meeting her. "I...also enjoyed it. Sleep well, Tom."

He was mildly impressed that she didn't stumble over calling him by his given name without adding his surname to it. He was also curious about the way his heart skipped a beat at the sight of her smile. In having learned more about her, he was becoming more attracted to her. It also helped that she seemed genuinely interested in him as a person, rather than simply a warm body to mate with. He gave her one last smile before heading to the den to bed down for the night.

His concerns and doubts plagued him as he made his way to his little alcove.

_~There's one problem with this. If I start falling for her as hard as I fell for Trudy, I don't think I could handle rejection from her too.~_

* * *

When Tom found Jake in the den by the pit fire, he shared his discovery with him. "Jake, did you ever stop to think about the meanings of our names?"

Jake paused in the action of dangling his queue over his son's hands teasingly. "That's a weird question. I never even thought about what our names mean in the first place."

"Well, mine means 'twin'," informed Tom with a slight smirk. "It also means 'honest'."

Jake rolled his eyes. "Sure. So what does mine mean?"

"Replacement," answered Tom. "It's kind of funny, isn't it?"

Jake's expression went from mildly curious to grim in one second. "No, it's not funny. It's terrible."

"But don't you see the irony—"

"I _see_ the irony Tommy, and it sucks. I don't see a damned funny thing about it." Jake's face might have been carved from stone.

Tom realized his error, then. In his scientifically inclined mind, the coincidence was a thing of interest...nothing more than a peculiar oddity. To Jake, it was a reminder of guilt he shouldn't feel in the first place. Feeling horrible for dragging that remorse back out of the gutter, Tom laid a hand over his brother's bare shoulder and looked him in the eye.

"Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned it. I just thought it was interesting and I didn't bring it up to upset you."

Jake's expression relaxed a little and he sighed. "It's all right, Tom. I just...I've been worried about you and that hit me in the wrong way."

"Well do me a favor and quit worrying so much," insisted Tom. "I can take care of myself. I'm just going through some things that I need to sort out."

"You've hit bad patches before," Jake murmured, keeping his voice low for Tom's ears only, "but you haven't been acting like yourself. I know I'm pushing you to join the clan and live with us and maybe I shouldn't be. I just want my brother close, is all."

Tom felt his chest tighten briefly. He and Jake really hadn't had much time to re-bond, since reuniting. "I know you do, Jake. All I'm asking is for you to give me a little time, to figure out what I want. Even if I don't undergo the hunter trials and join the clan, I won't be far and I'll still be your brother."

Jake gave him a smile that was obviously strained. "I know. I guess I'm being a little selfish." He looked down at the infant in his arms and he bounced him gently.

Tom considered him for a moment before looking at his nephew. He smiled without meaning to when the baby looked back at him and reached chubby fingers out. He obliged little Tommy and presented one of his fingers to him to grip.

"Jake, I think I'd like to take some archery lessons." Tom took his attention off of Tommy and met his twin's eyes. "I enjoyed what little I did today, before I stirred up that nest of hellfire wasps."

Jake's grin was genuine, this time. "You mean that?"

Tom nodded. "Yeah, I do. Only, I'd rather have either you or Ni'nat teaching me. I'd rather not get smacked when I'm doing it wrong."

Jake laughed heartily at that and looked across the den at his mate, who was speaking with her mother and Akway. "I don't think Neytiri would smack you around the way she did me, but I understand why you're worried. I'll be happy to teach you when I've got the time and I'm sure Ni'nat would be willing to help. It really means a lot to me that you've found something here to catch your interest, Tom. Besides women, that is."

"There's only been _one_ woman here," Tom began to argue, but he saw his brother's teasing grin and he sighed. "I'm never going to escape your harem jokes, am I?"

Jake made a face at his son before grinning at Tom. "I wouldn't count on it."

* * *

Unbeknownst to Tom, his Na'vi love interest took it upon herself to guard him during the night. She told her people she would be spending the night in the den to convey her trust in the Omaticaya but in truth, she wanted to be sure that Tom Sully didn't wander away in the night. She made herself comfortable against the wall, far enough away from Tom's alcove to avoid making it obvious that she was watching over him.

She spoke politely with Omaticaya clan members when they addressed her, shared songs with them and offered snacks that she had brought in a basket. When the few people left in the den retired to their hammocks or fell asleep around the fire pit, she made herself comfortable against the wall and dozed. She was practiced at sleeping lightly while staying alert and her senses were honed on the hide covering Tom's alcove.

Some time after midnight, her instincts nudged her awake and she looked up blearily to see Tom stumbling out of his alcove. He nearly tripped over a sleeping couple and his gaze was fixed and distant, glittering in the light of the embers. Tanhi got to her feet and approached him swiftly, careful not to make any sudden moves and startle him.

"You should not be walking alone, Tom." She carefully laid a hand over his left shoulder. "Go back."

"But it's still missing," he mumbled in English.

She frowned, still curious over what he thought he was missing. "You cannot find it now. If you still want to search for it in the morning, I will help you." She took his hands and steered him back around toward the entrance to his alcove. "Come. Lie back down and rest."

"You sure it's not out there now?"

Tanhi cast a helpless look around, half amused and half endeared by his boyish insistence. "Whatever it is, I am sure you cannot find it now. Please, go back to your pallet."

Tom sighed and nodded, his eyes dazed and unfocused. "Okay."

She coaxed him back to the alcove and let go of one of his hands to push the hide covering aside for him. Once she got him inside she urged him down onto the pallet and she watched as he lay on his back and shut his eyes. She squatted next to him for a while to be sure he wouldn't get back up. When he rolled onto his side and murmured something incoherent, she stroked his arm and leaned over him.

"You stay here now, my Tom."

Tanhi froze as soon as the command left her mouth. She had referred to him as "her Tom". She had never done that with any man, save one. This was the second time she caught herself thinking of Tom as hers. She gave the sleeping dreamwalker a wary look as she pulled away and she shook her head.

"No," she whispered, even as her mouth curved into a wistful little smile. "I cannot do this again." She looked at him without meaning to and she admired his handsome, sleeping features. Evidently, she _could_ do this again, whether she wanted to or not. She had opened up to him earlier because she felt she owed him something. Now she was conflicted. Part of her insisted that it was a mistake while another part urged her to keep going.

"But I swore...never to..." She trailed off in a faint whisper and got to her feet, troubled.

She cast one last look at the slumbering male who was steadily contradicting her vows and she heaved a sigh. Now wasn't the time to contemplate such things. Tom's heart was aching and he clearly still had his human woman on his mind, most of the time. Tanhi was no fool and she wasn't about to take second place on his rank of affections, even if she _was_ beginning to waver.

Despite her inward arguments, she gazed upon him with fondness and her features softened in the dim light of the bladder lantern. "I will see you tomorrow."

* * *

-To be continued

**Translations:**

_**Olo'eyktan**_ = Chieftain; clan leader

_**Sìltsan**_good

_**Teylu**_ = Beetle grub; basically the Na'vi equivalent of shrimp

_**Sa'nok**_ = Mother


	24. Chapter 24

"Between worlds"

Chapter 24

* * *

**_Author's note: See footnotes at the end of the chapter for Na'vi/English translations. For some reason, I had "The Islander" by "Nightwish" stuck in my head while writing this chapter. An excellent, sad song.  
_**

* * *

*Disclaimer: I do not own Pandora and I make no profit from writing fanfiction based on the "Avatar" film.

* * *

Tom spent a lot of his time during the day practicing his archery. Jake tutored him most of the time but Ni'nat took over when his duties required his attention. Norm was very patient and easygoing about lending his mate, though Tom suspected that he wouldn't have been so diplomatic about it if they hadn't been friends for so long. He couldn't imagine any man not being at least a little possessive over such a stunning woman. Tanhi watched his progress now and then, from a respectful distance. He spoke with her in short intervals and Tom found himself finding excuses to touch her, even briefly.

By the end of the week, he began to realize he was indeed falling for her—which complicated things even more. He found out that he'd been sleepwalking nearly every night and E'quath informed him that Tanhi always steered him back to his alcove before he could go far. Tom didn't say anything to her about it, partially because he was embarrassed and partially because he thought she would have said something by now, if she wanted his gratitude. He decided it was time to return to the base. He had research to continue and he needed to settle things with Trudy. He approached his brother one morning and asked to be flown back to Hell's Gate.

"You sure you don't want to stick around for longer?" Jake pressed. "You're really doing good with your archery, Tom. I'd hate to see you slack off and lose your edge."

"I'll come back in a couple of weeks," promised the biologist. "I just have some things I need to take care of, and I can't let my research go stale."

Jake nodded slowly, his eyes quietly sympathetic. "Is Trudy one of the things you need to take care of?"

"Yes," Tom sighed. "I need her to know I don't blame her for her decision. No matter how much I want her, it doesn't change the facts that I was trying to avoid or ignore. She doesn't deserve the way I treated her and I owe her an apology."

"That's really big of you," Jake said sincerely. "Most guys wouldn't feel that way after being rejected. I know _I_ wouldn't."

Tom shrugged. "She didn't reject me because of a lack of desire. She did it out of common sense. I know she cares for me, Jake. I saw it in her eyes and I saw it in her face when I was being a total bastard to her." He pressed his lips together at the memory of that expression on her sweet, stubborn face.

Jake squeezed his shoulder supportively, evidently reading the pain in his eyes. "I wish I could fix it all for you...both of you. I don't know what I'd do if I were in your shoes, Tom. I think it would drive me crazy."

"It nearly has," Tom agreed with a strained chuckle. "She's in my dreams and when she's not plaguing me, Tanhi is."

"So there's something there too, eh?" Jake smirked. "I knew it."

"No, you didn't," muttered Tom.

"Sure I did. I've seen the way you two look at each other and something tells me the Ikran clan is going to stick around for a while, even after the threat is gone. Rumors are already flying that the chieftess might consider taking a mate, after all."

Tom flushed a bit and averted his gaze. "I'd _still_ like to know why she's so determined to be without a mate. Given that a mature Na'vi woman can have some pretty demanding urges, it doesn't make sense to me that she'd settle for temporary encounters instead of a sure thing."

"Maybe _you're_ her 'sure thing'," Jake teased, his eyes glinting.

"Hey, I haven't laid a hand on her the entire time I've been here," protested Tom. That little fact made him frown fiercely. Maybe he hadn't laid a hand on her but what about other men? If Tanhi was feeling restless, who could say she wasn't getting what her body needed from some other male?

"What's with the sour look?"

Tom shook himself out of his inappropriately jealous thoughts. "Nothing...I was just thinking of that ISV still orbiting out there." That wasn't a lie...the presence of the threat did loom heavily in his thoughts and when his mind wasn't on his woman problems, it was on the still-present danger.

"There's nothing we can do but wait," Jake said in a reassuring tone. "Max hasn't reported any radar glitches and the clans are going to stay here until that transport is good and gone. Trust me Tommy, if they make a move, we'll be all over them."

That did make Tom feel a little better about the invasion risk, at least. Having seen his twin in action he knew Jake meant business, regardless of how easygoing he seemed. He might crack jokes and appear relaxed but Jake could go from tranquil mode to ass-kicking mode in seconds, with little or no warning.

"I'll get my things," Tom said. "I promise I'll come back as soon as I've at least stabilized the cultures I'm working on."

Jake nodded. "That's all I can ask you to do, bro. I'll get Aungia ready."

Tom went into the den to his "bedroom" and retrieved his backpack, checking its contents to be sure he wasn't forgetting anything. When he was finished, he exited his alcove and started toward the stairs leading up the trunk. He spotted Tanhi across the den and he paused. She was carrying a basket of fruits and nuts, probably intending to share them for breakfast. Her eyes met his and she stopped, looking him over. When she noticed the backpack slung over his shoulder, something changed in her expression. It could have been his imagination but Tom thought she looked sad.

Without even realizing what he was doing, he closed the distance between them. He couldn't go without saying goodbye to her. He had finally learned something about her and there was more than sex between them.

"I've got to go back to Hell's Gate," he said un-necessarily when he came to a stop before her. "I would have looked for you but I assumed you would be busy."

"You may always interrupt me when you come to say goodbye," she insisted. She bit her lip and looked away. "I would have been...angry...if you left without speaking to me."

Tom felt a fluttery feeling in his chest that he'd previously only experienced with Trudy. "I'm sorry. I'll remember to always say goodbye when I leave, from now on. I should be back in a couple of weeks and I'll see you then...if your people are still here."

"We will be," she promised. "It will take time before we are ready to travel back to the sea. I wish to give the little ones a chance to grow stronger, before moving my people again."

He nodded, agreeing with her wisdom. "You are a good leader, Tanhi. I can see why your clan loves you."

She flushed a little with pleasure at the compliment and she seemed strangely shy when she spoke again. "You will return soon?"

Tom smiled before he could help himself, endeared to her. "I promise. I have to improve my archery, after all."

Tanhi looked up at him and she seemed to struggle inwardly for a moment. Finally, she heaved a sigh and set the basket she was carrying on the earthen floor. She wrapped her arms around his neck without warning and drew his head down. Tom almost dropped his backpack when her soft lips met his in a passionate kiss. He barely remembered to hold onto his bag as he put one arm around her impulsively and pulled her more tightly against him, heedless of the audience surrounding them.

After several heartbeats, Tanhi broke the kiss and stared into his eyes. "I will wait for you. Do not forget about me, Tom."

His knees felt weak. "I don't think that's possible, after a kiss like that."

Tanhi graced him with a proud, fierce little smile and released him. She knelt to pick up her basket and her eyes stayed on him a moment longer before she walked away, toward the fire pit. Several Omaticaya were seated around it, having breakfast. They were staring at Tanhi and the shaken male she'd just kissed, curious and amused. An older female chuckled behind her hand when Tom blushed.

Dazed and unreasonably thrilled by Tanhi's open display of affection for him, Tom walked to the stairs on shaky legs and he tried to ignore the subtle grins of the Na'vi he passed. He climbed the natural staircase and he nearly tripped several times before reaching the level he was after. Jake was waiting for him with his ikran when Tom emerged from the interior of the trunk and walked out on the huge branch.

"You okay?" Jake asked upon seeing the stupefied expression on Tom's face. "You look kind of dizzy, Tommy."

"I was just saying goodbye to Tanhi," answered Tom. Was his voice steady? He couldn't be certain.

Jake studied him and a sly grin formed on his lips. "She laid a wet one on you, didn't she?"

"No," denied Tom, but he could feel the heat in his face as he averted his gaze.

"Yeah she did," chuckled Jake. "No use hiding it, bro. I know that look on your face and you only get it when a chick kisses you silly."

"Let's just go," Tom sighed.

"We've got to wait for Neytiri and Norm," Jake insisted. "Flying alone is a big no-no."

"But you do it all the time on your toruk," Tom pointed out.

Jake grinned. "That's because Shadow can take on any other toruks that try to make a meal out of me. Since you don't want to ride him we need a group."

"I see your point," Tom conceded. "But what about little Tommy? Neytiri isn't going to fly with him, is she?"

Jake shook his head. "No. Ni'nat's offered to babysit him while we're away. Oh yeah, I spoke with Mo'at about your issue with the _atokirina_ and she wants to study you, when you come back again."

"Great," Tom sighed. Now he was a lab rat.

* * *

Trudy and Max met them at the gate when they arrived on the compound.

"Hey, you big jarhead," Trudy greeted with a smile as Jake bent over to give her a hug. She patted him on the back before receiving a hug from Norm and surprisingly, from Neytiri as well. "Glad you guys brought him back in one piece."

Tom's tension increased as the diminutive pilot's brown eyes swept over him. He wasn't about to try and hug her too, though every cell in his body wanted him to sweep her up and hold her tight.

"So how was it?" Max inquired politely as he offered his hand to Tom.

Tom shook Max's offered hand and forced a smile. "It was very relaxing, actually. I got into a little trouble during my first archery lesson, though." He shared a smile with Norm. "Dr. Spellman's mate offered to teach me how to shoot and I managed to anger a nest of hellfire wasps in the process."

"We had to dive into the lake to avoid getting stung," Norm added with a chuckle. "Ni'nat's still a little mad at me for throwing her but I didn't want any of them to get her."

Trudy chuckled and shook her head. "You know a guy loves you when he throws you into a lake." Her eyes flicked to Tom again and she gave him a wavering grin. "You're _still_ a jinx."

He returned her tentative smile. "I guess I am."

"So what's the story with the ISV?" Jake prompted. "Have there been any changes?"

"It's been really quiet," Max answered him. "I did speak with Jackson a couple of days ago and he said they were prepping the engines for the journey. He's having the Colonel watched, like you suggested. That's about the extent of what I've heard so far."

"No more radar glitches?"

Max shook his head. "No. So far, we've had nothing to worry about. With any luck, they'll have everything ready to go within the next couple of days and it'll be the last we ever hear from them."

Jake nodded. "Just keep your guard up until they're out of the solar system."

* * *

"Trudy, can I speak with you alone for a few minutes?"

She dreaded hearing those words. She considered thinking up an excuse to avoid the private talk but she took one look at Tom's handsome, regretful face and she sighed. She at least owed him a little of her time, since she was the one that backed out of it.

"Yeah, I've got some minutes I can kill." Trudy could tell he heard the anxiety she was trying to mask in her tone. His look of regret deepened.

"Come with me to my lab," Tom suggested. "Its fairly neutral territory."

Trudy snorted at the insinuation that she needed to feel safe from him. "Like you would ever do anything to me...and like I'd let you."

"I just want you to feel comfortable," Tom countered, a hint of annoyance crossing his features. "Is that so wrong?"

She grimaced. She kept managing to say the wrong things and here he was, trying to be a gentleman and an adult. "Sorry. No, there's nothing wrong with that."

Tom gestured courteously and Trudy walked alongside him into the lab building. She was glad to remove her exopack when they made it into the oxygen section and she tried to ignore the way Tom choked for a moment. She glanced at him with helpless concern on her face anyhow and he nodded silently to indicate that he was okay. People looked at them in passing and Trudy felt like she had a big sign around her neck saying: "I love this man". She couldn't remember the last time she felt so self-conscious. It was a relief to make it to his lab room and have a door between them and the other residents of the base.

"So, what do you want to talk about?" Trudy hopped onto one of the counters without ceremony. It took a bit of effort because they were tall; suited for a Na'vi researcher. At least it cut down on the height difference between them.

Tom smirked faintly at her. "And you call _me_ a cat. I think you'd do well in an avatar body."

She grinned before she could help it. "Nah, I'd wreck it in a week, with my luck."

For a moment, they just gazed at one another, sharing mutual feelings of love and regrets in their gazes. Tom finally cleared his throat and spoke up. "Trudy, I want to apologize...for everything. I never should have initiated that kiss and what's more, I shouldn't have treated you the way I did when you used your head and backed out. I'm not entitled to having you. I was willing to work around all of those barriers you rightfully brought up but you were the one thinking clearly. I'm sorry."

Trudy took a deep breath and fought the pain in her chest. She blinked up at the ceiling as her eyes began to sting warningly. "So um...you don't hate me anymore?"

Tom's hand reached out and stroked her face. "Look at me," he ordered softly. She did and he gave her a wistful little smile as he shook his head. "I could _never_ hate you, Trudy. Never."

Her heart ached so badly she could hardly stand it. She sniffled and the only thing that made her feel a little better about the way her vision was blurring with tears was the fact that Tom's eyes were likewise rimmed with moisture. Whether it was a mistake to do so or not, she couldn't resist putting her arms around his neck to draw him closer. He didn't resist and he embraced her gently as she hugged him tight. Trudy impulsively kissed him on the temple as she whispered into his ear.

"I just want you to be happy, Tomcat. Even if it's not with me."

"I know." His voice was husky and she felt a drop of moisture strike her shoulder.

He was crying. That just made everything worse for Trudy. Her tears came faster and she pulled away to look at him. "Come on, don't do that." She started kissing the moisture from his cheeks and she stroked his hair. "You're making it harder, baby."

"Sorry," he sniffed. "I know it's not very manly but...this is just goddamned unfair."

Trudy nodded in agreement and brushed away fresh tears from his eyes with the pads of her thumbs. "It sure is. I'm so sorry, Tommy. I could have saved us both a lot of grief if I'd have just kept my distance. You're too sexy for your own good, kiddo."

He gave a shaken laugh and nuzzled her cheek. "Look, this wasn't any more your fault than mine. Can't we just agree we're both sorry for the way it turned out and try to be friends?"

"I think I can try to live with that," Trudy agreed, forcing a smile. She looked him in the eye again and braced herself. "So what's the deal with Tanhi? Think there might be something there?"

He averted his eyes and frowned. "I don't feel comfortable talking about that."

"Come on," she urged. "Give a gal a break. I really want to know. I can take it."

He sighed and gave her a lost puppy look that made her want to glomp him. "I...think there might be."

Trudy tried so very hard to push away the jealousy in her heart. "Oh. Do you think you might be able to love her?"

Tom lowered his eyes and nodded. "Eventually. If things keep going the way they are."

She blew a sigh and looked up again. "Man, I hate that."

Tom gave her a somewhat startled look. "But you said—"

"I _know_ what I said," Trudy admitted with a crooked grin, interrupting him. "And I really meant it, Tomcat. I _want_ you to be happy. It's just a little hard for me right now." She steeled herself and squared her shoulders, gazing at him levelly. "You deserve the best and if you think she's the one that can give it to you, more power to you. I'm not going to be selfish and expect you to live like a priest because I'm too chickenshit to get into a relationship with you."

"You're not a chickenshit," he protested, smiling a little. "You're just being practical."

She shrugged. Sebastian and Katherine made it work. Sure, there was about two or three feet difference between Sebastian and a regular Na'vi body but it was still a stretch. Trudy looked at Tom again and every instinct she had screamed at her to change her mind and give it a shot, before it was too late. She firmly reminded herself that it wouldn't be fair to him, though. As the Na'vi said, she _saw_ Tom and she knew deep down that he would make a great father someday, even if parenthood wasn't immediately on his plate. Maybe they _could_ work around physical differences but that was one thing she could never give him.

"Tanhi's going to be a really lucky chick, if she gives you half a chance."

Tom took a step back and stared at her. "Is that what you really think?"

Trudy nodded, completely serious. "That's what I really _know_. I don't fall for guys easily, Tom Sully. If you can break down my walls and make me love you, then she doesn't stand a chance."

Tom's brows furrowed and he frowned unhappily. "You really love me?"

"I wouldn't have said it if I didn't meant it," she snorted. "What are you, deaf?" She reached up and pinched his right ear playfully.

He took a deep breath. "Trudy...that just makes it harder."

She shook her head. "It shouldn't. Come on, you had to know before. I didn't say it out loud but I'm pretty sure I gave all the signals."

Tom gazed at her with visible fondness. "I suppose I noticed it...a little."

"Then stop acting so surprised," Trudy admonished. "I think the least we can do here is be honest with each other. I love you enough to want you happy and even if it makes me green with envy, I'm willing to give you up to another woman to see that happen."

Tom cupped her face and his mouth twisted for a moment as he struggled for words. "You're really the better one, of the two of us. Trudy, I—"

"Don't do that," she demanded, placing her hands over the ones laying against her face. "I really don't think I can take it. Let's not turn this into a soap opera, okay?" She sniffled again and she cursed herself for being weak.

"I can't help it," he whispered. "I don't care how damned cheesy it sounds. I love you, okay? You ought to know that, at least."

Trudy realized something, then. There was no way the two of them were going to be able to keep their hands off of each other while living in the same compound. She came up with an idea to solve the problem faster than she expected.

"There are a few remote research trailers still around," she whispered, struggling to avoid the temptation to kiss him hard and deeply. "They're built for avatar field research, so one of them could make a pretty nifty lab for you."

Tom stopped caressing her face and he stared into her eyes. "Are you trying to get rid of me?"

"I'm trying to make your life easier," she answered, hating herself. "Mine too. Face it Sully; we're not going to be able to get over each other if we're living in the same place. Every time I see you, I'm gonna want to jump your bones. Maybe I'm presuming too much but I get the feeling you're in the same pickle."

He responded with a shaken, self-conscious laugh and he averted his eyes. "I don't think you're wrong about that. What's your idea, then?"

"It's pretty simple. We move one of those remote trailers to Hometree, so you can live with your brother and keep doing your research. It might be a fixer-upper but it's going to do you some good in the end."

Tom's eyes widened. "I never would have thought of something like that. Trudy, are you _sure_ about this? I don't want you thinking I'm avoiding you."

She gave him another forced smile. "I'm sure. I think it might be better for both of us. I don't want to be the reason you're slacking off and I can't think while I've got you on my mind."

Tom's gaze was regretful again. "I never meant for any of this to happen."

She heaved a sigh and grabbed his hands without thinking. "I know. Me either. So how about it, Tomcat? Think it would help you to live with your brother and have your own lab?"

He nodded hesitantly. "For now, I think you're onto something."

* * *

When Tom explained the plan to Jake, he wasn't surprised to see concern in his twin's eyes. "Damn, how much can you two torture yourselves?"

"A lot, apparently." Tom looked down at his boots, struggling to hide his pain. "She's right though, Jake. We can't be around each other if we're going to get over this."

"Yeah, but still..." Jake trailed off and cursed. "I hate seeing my brother and my friend hurting like this. I know I keep saying I want our kids to grow up together but I don't like seeing you or Trudy this way."

"There's no help for it," Tom insisted. "And maybe some time away from each other will do some good. Are you going to support this or not, Jake?"

Jake nodded and placed a supportive hand on Tom's shoulder. Beside him, Norm did the same. "We're with you, bro. You do whatever you need to do. Maybe Norm here can help you out with your research, too."

Norm nodded in agreement. "You know I will."

Tom felt a little better about his agreement with Trudy. "Thank you. It helps to have your support...both of you."

Norm and Jake both gave him understanding smiles, lessening the pain in his chest.

"You know we're here for you," Norm said seriously. "Anytime you need to talk, just ask. Ni'nat will be happy to keep training you and I'm always your friend, Tom."

Tom smiled at him and Jake in turn, relieved to have their support. "This means a lot to me. I can't thank you both enough."

Neytiri finally spoke up, then. "Perhaps some time away will help you find what you are looking for, Tom."

He nodded at her, again admiring her beauty and patience. "Let's hope you're right."

* * *

Jake, Neytiri and Norm stuck around until morning and they pressed Tom to let them know his decision before leaving Hell's Gate. He watched them go and he felt a sense of wistful envy. While he wasn't particularly eager to learn to ride a banshee, he had to admit to himself that it looked like fun. The freedom it offered was nothing to be denied.

He comforted himself with the knowledge that he could call for them immediately, whenever he was ready to make the permanent move. Trudy was willing to fly all of his belongings with him, as well as pick up the research trailer. Tom really didn't have cause for complaint; save for his lingering love for a woman he couldn't have. He busied himself in his research over the next few days, trying with all his heart to forget about the way Trudy's eyes made him ache for her. He thought of Tanhi and the way she had looked so vulnerable when he left. He hated himself for his conflicting desires.

Trudy stayed true to her word. She avoided him but she was friendly and affectionate when situations required them to cross paths. She frequently asked how he was doing and she sometimes brought hot drinks to him. Max was always close by, offering the sympathy that few other people could express without annoying the pilot. Tom was grateful for that, even though the affection shared between Max and Trudy pushed him to jealousy.

As the days passed, he took it all in stride and he lost himself in his research. Trudy organized for one of the trailers to be moved to Hometree and Max sanctioned the action without protest. With a little time and effort, Tom could be living at Hometree with his brother and he could continue his work without long trips between there and Hell's Gate. He couldn't decide whether the knowledge made him happy or sad.

* * *

Max peered at the screen with narrowed eyes. The radar glitches had begun some twenty minutes ago and he was torn between the desire for precaution and the desire to avoid being Chicken Little. Deciding that there was no room for error, he set his communication frequency to Jake and Norm's and he began trying to get in touch with them. As he was in the process of linking with his comrades, he noticed something else. There was a massage for him in his inbox.

Max stared at it with wide eyes before clicking on it. When it opened, Foreman Jackson's face appeared. The dark-skinned man was sweating and he looked nervous.

"Do you copy? Myers has taken over! You need to get your people ready, Sully! I...Oh shit...I've got to go!"

The transmission ended abruptly as Jackson looked over his shoulder. Max was left staring at it, before he switched his attention back to the radar. He immediately ran out of the transmission room and grabbed the first tech support man he saw, by the lapels of his jacket.

"_When_ was that message sent?"

"What message?" asked the lab tech, utterly confused.

"The one from Jackson, about the ISV!" Max shook him without meaning to. "When was it sent?"

"I'm not sure," the poor tech answered, "Isn't there a date listed under it?"

Max let him go, realizing his error. He charged back into the admissions room and searched for the message. It was no longer there. It was as if it had been erased. He felt the blood drain from his face as he straightened up.

"Not good. Not good at all."

* * *

Things were going along nicely for Katherine and Sebastian. They were making an effort not to move too fast, despite having waited for so long to get together. Unfortunately, thoughts of his girlfriend tended to distract Sebastian and that was a dangerous thing, considering what he was trying to do. He paused in his work as the memory of the last heated kiss they had shared rose unbidden in his mind. Sebastian squirmed in his seat and took off his useless glasses—which were rapidly fogging up.

"Damn."

Sebastian stopped scanning the computer system and sat back in his chair with a sigh. He was never going to get this finished, if he couldn't pull his head out of the clouds. The door leading into the mainframe room slid open and he turned to see the object of his desire walking in. An impulsive smile lit his features as Katherine softly greeted him and approached.

"You've been in here all day," she complained as she dropped her hands over his shoulders and began to knead them. "And I thought _I_ was a workaholic. You should take a break.."

"As soon as I've finished going over this data," he insisted, reaching up to stroke one of her hands. "I've almost got it figured out."

"What exactly do you almost have figured out?" Katherine peered at the screen curiously.

"A way to rig the satellite system so that its only accessible with the correct password," he answered as he turned his attention back to the computer. "If I can get this program worked out, any incoming motherships will have to contact us here to request access. It would be a great advantage."

Katherine smiled and leaned over to place a soft kiss at his temple. "You're brilliant."

He chuckled, leaning into the kiss eagerly. "With a reward system like this, let's hope I stay that way." He sought out her lips with his own and kissed her deeply. Forgetting about his task entirely, Sebastian drew her into his lap. Katherine's soft, feminine curves proved an even greater distraction once they settled against his body and he deepened the kiss.

"I'll never get anything finished," he complained against her lips, even as he kissed and nibbled them eagerly.

"I could go," she offered with a grin, attempting to get off of him.

His arms tightened around her and he shook his head rapidly. "Over my dead body."

Her fingers threaded into his hair and she murmured senselessly with pleasure as his hands cupped her bottom to pull her tighter against him. Katherine always dressed professionally, though effeminately. Today, she was wearing a pantsuit beneath her lab coat that complimented her slender frame. The button-up blouse was cream colored like the pants and Sebastian started to deftly flick the buttons open without thinking. Katherine sighed softly and arched her back as one of his hands grazed her breast. Excited by the reaction, he worked faster. Being a gentleman was becoming a harder task to manage as their relationship progressed. He had his doubts that he could wait much longer to take the final step with her.

"Kath," Sebastian groaned as he opened her blouse and nuzzled her cleavage. He held her tightly and bumped his straining arousal against her. "I'm sorry...I don't know how much longer I can wait."

"Then why wait?" She prompted, her eyes gazing into his seriously.

He knew then that this was his Moment...his crowning chance. He was about to seize it when he noticed something odd out the corner of his eye. He stopped kissing her to peer at the computer and he ignored her soft protest as he stared at the screen.

"Katherine, I'd love to carry this on but I think we're being hacked."

* * *

Trudy was absently flipping the tassels on the bookmark she had gotten from Tom when the lights suddenly went out. At first, she figured it was a typical power outage. Max's voice came over the com system and she learned differently.

"This is a Red Alert. All teams be ready to..." His voice was lost in static and the backup power abruptly failed, leaving the base in silence and darkness.

Trudy heard the hiss of the atmospheric filters stop and she quickly reached for her emergency exopack. As she fit it over her face, she felt the ground tremble. She looked up at the ceiling and cursed as she heard the un-mistakable sound of a Valkyrie shuttle coming in.

"Oh, fuck."

* * *

-To be continued


	25. Chapter 25

"Between worlds"

Chapter 25

* * *

_**Author's note: See footnotes at the end of the chapter for Na'vi/English translations. Why do people always end up in air ducts in this story? Warning: lots of violence in this chapter. **_

* * *

*Disclaimer: I do not own Pandora and I make no profit from writing fanfiction based on the "Avatar" film.

* * *

"My Jake?"

Jake ignored his mate, frowning fiercely as he pressed the earpiece of his transmitter and listened. He'd barely gotten a snatch of frequency from Max before it was abruptly cut off. "Max? Do you copy?"

Nothing. Not even static. Jake looked at Neytiri grimly. "Something's wrong."

"Then we should not wait," she reasoned. She looked around until she spotted her mother and she carried their son over to her, speaking urgently. Mo'at took the infant without hesitation.

Jake didn't waste any time. Perhaps it was a false alarm but judging by the anxiety in Max's voice during the brief contact, it wasn't likely. He ran to the raised area within the den and shouted for his people's attention.

"I've just gotten a message from our friends at Hell's Gate," he announced. "It was cut off before I could get any details but I have reason to believe the Sky People are attacking the base. All of you, spread the word to our visiting brethren and ride out!"

E'quath shouted a warrior's call and raised his fist, prompting the hunters around him into action. The den became a flurry of activity as the hunters made arrangements for the care of children and prepared their weapons. Neytiri returned to Jake's side and he gave her a swift kiss before running outside. His toruk was always nearby but he didn't stay in the ikran nests with the other mounts. Jake spotted Tanhi as he exited the den and he gave her a grim nod when she looked at him questioningly.

She needed no further prompting. "_Kämakto!_" She shouted to her clan.

The Ikran hunters immediately called for their mounts. Akway heard the commotion and he likewise ordered his brethren to prepare. Soon, the skies were filled with Na'vi warriors, flying behind Jake on his great toruk. A mass of horseback riders followed below as the native army set course for Hell's Gate. Neytiri, Norm and Ni'nat flanked the Omaticaya chieftain and called out to their people, inspiring them for what was to come.

* * *

"Crud. How do I always wind up in situations like this?"

Trudy squirmed along the narrow passage of the air duct system, having no idea where she was heading. The enemy troops came before her people could put up a decent defense and they were already swarming the base. They did something to the entire computer system, successfully disrupting all power, communications and tracking systems.

"Gotta give them credit," she grunted, "they moved in fast."

She had a transmitter with her but she dared not try to use it, yet. Any attempts to contact Jake for help could only result in the enemy picking up the transmission, if she could even get a signal out. The best she could hope for now was to avoid discovery and strike covertly, when she had the opportunity. She could hear alarmed shouts and gunfire as the invaders began to take over and she prayed to ever deity she'd ever heard of that Max and Tom would be all right.

* * *

Ramona hunkered down inside the "dog house" with her pet viper wolf and watched as the enemy forces swarmed the compound.

"No, Fang! Be quiet!"

She urgently clamped her hand over the wolf's muzzle as one of the soldiers passed too close and Fang growled. The booted feet paused and she swore softly, fully expecting to be discovered. After a moment, the solider continued walking and she breathed a sigh of relief.

"You have to be quiet, baby," she whispered to her animal companion. "These guys will shoot us both dead."

She frantically considered the situation and mentally reviewed what she had on her. Technically, she was unarmed. She did have a tranquilizer gun but a fat lot of good that would do for her, against people armed with automatic weapons. The invaders were moving fast and she saw a muscular avatar shouting orders in the middle of the compound. Guessing that he must be Colonel Myers, she watched as the enemy avatars killed or subdued any base soldiers who crossed their paths.

Lee was out on assignment and for a moment, she was glad for that. Then she remembered that he was due back soon and all that the enemy had to do was find the link room and disrupt the bond between him and his avatar. Terror filled her at the thought. Interrupting a link in progress could put a driver into a catatonic state. It wasn't a common occurrence but it did happen, now and then.

"We've got to get to that link room and guard it, boy. If we don't these goons could hurt Daddy."

Fang growled low in his throat as if in agreement. Ramona was convinced that viper wolves were even more intelligent than first assumed. Fang seemed to understand simple sentences on a level beyond the average Earth canine and he knew exactly whom she meant when she said "Daddy". As far as the wolf was concerned, she and her boyfriend were his parents.

Ramona waited until the invading troops were out of sight or busy, before crawling out of the doghouse and motioning her companion to follow. "Remember, you have to be quiet," she reminded the wolf. "Hurry!"

Together, the human and the viper wolf ran for the back of the first building in range. They made it without getting spotted and Ramona took a moment to calm herself. Her hands were shaking with fear and Fang nuzzled one of them and whined softly.

"I'm okay, boy. Mommy just needs to pull it together for a minute and figure out how we're going to get inside without being caught, okay?"

Fang made a soft cackling sound, not unlike that of a hyena or a coyote. Ramona patted him on the head and looked around, biting her lower lip. She saw an air vent up above that she could possibly climb into, if she could manage to reach it. The problem was, she couldn't jump that high. She looked around for something to aid her climb and her eyes settled on some empty fuel tanks at the other end of the building. It would be a chore but she was confident that she had enough strength to tip them over and roll them beneath one of the vents.

"I think we can get inside," she whispered to her pet, nodding at the tanks. Fang looked at the objects and immediately bounded over to them, understanding her needs. Ramona spared a smile at the creature, amazed by his wit.

* * *

Trudy tried to get her bearings as she crawled along through the air ducts. She passed over the reception area and upon peering through the ventilation cover; she saw several scientists and soldiers being held at gunpoint. There was nothing she could do for them on her own so she kept going, hoping to find some place where she could climb out and form some sort of strategy. Just as she was moving over the main hallway between the avatar and lab sections, she heard a clatter behind her. Alarmed, she drew her gun and rolled onto her back, aiming at the direction it came from. A pair of yellow, slit-pupiled eyes glared at her in the darkness and she nearly fired a shot, before she recognized the creature.

"Fang?"

"Heeww," answered the viper wolf.

Trudy could swear he was deliberately keeping his voice low. Before she could even begin to question how the hell he got into the ventilation system, she saw a shadowed human form struggling in behind him. She recognized the curly mass of hair surrounding the dark face and Trudy relaxed.

"Looks like I'm not the only one to take to the air con system. Glad to see you, Mona."

"Lt. Chacón? Man, am I glad to see you!"

"Shh," Trudy advised, putting a finger to her lips. "Keep it down, will ya?"

Ramona winced and crawled cautiously forward, with her viper wolf slinking beside her. "This is bad."

"Tell me about it," agreed the pilot. She looked around and sighed. "Do you think you know your way around in here?"

Ramona thought for a second and nodded. "If my guess isn't wrong, the next right turn should take us to the radar room. I'm trying to get to the linking room before those bastards do. Lee and a couple of the other drivers are linked right now and I don't want them disrupting it."

Trudy knew how bad that could be and she understood the zoologist's reason for haste. "Let's get going then. Are you carrying any weapons?"

Ramona shook her head. "Only a tranquilizer gun, but Fang here should make up for that."

Trudy nodded. The viper wolf was indeed a weapon in his own right. She put her weapon away and started moving again, with Ramona and her pet taking up the rear. After a little while, she reached the intersection mentioned by the scientist and she took a right. Within a few meters, she approached another vent opening—this time on the floor of the tunnel. She paused over it and her heart climbed in her throat when she saw Tom and Max being held at gunpoint with some of the other scientists in the radar room.

Their captors were demanding that they open the door to the control room nearby and Max—bless his stout little heart, was adamantly refusing to comply. The backup power had kicked in and his glasses reflected the dimmed lights.

"I'm sorry, but I don't have the code," Max said in a polite, dismissive tone.

"Don't play dumb," ordered the solider closest to the scientist. "If you don't cooperate—"

"You'll shoot me, I'm sure," answered Max before he could finish the sentence. He shrugged his shoulders, keeping his fingers laced behind his head. "And then you'll have no chance of opening that door without blasting it. We're at a stalemate."

Trudy ogled her friend, impressed.

_~You've got some balls, Maxi. I never would have guessed.~_

* * *

"Colonel, we aren't getting any cooperation from Dr. Patel and we're sure there's someone in that control room right now. What do you want us to do?"

Tom watched the soldier's features turn grim and he guessed the response wasn't good for Max's health. He tensed as the soldier abruptly approached Max and tore his exopack mask off of his face. Tom lurched forward to help as Max fell to the floor, grasping at his throat and struggling for breath. One of the other soldiers restrained him and Tom froze as he felt the keen edge of a knife pressing against the base of his queue.

"Let him breathe!" Tom hollered.

"We will, as soon as he gives us the code to open that door," answered the lead operative coldly. "Your choice, Dr. Patel. You can suffocate or you can unlock it!"

Max couldn't answer if he wanted to. He was too busy struggling for breath.

"Put his goddamned mask back on!" Tom shouted, renewing his struggles as his colleague's eyes bugged out. "He can't answer you if he can't breathe!"

Dr. Jacobs began to struggle as well, adding his shouts and pleas to Tom's. One of the soldiers struck the older doctor in the back of the head with his weapon, stunning him. Tom's efforts increased until he felt the knife start to cut. He stilled, grimacing against the pain of having his queue yanked taut.

"Do you know what happens to a Na'vi when their hair plug is cut off?" Growled the solider holding Tom captive.

The air vent overhead suddenly popped open and a small human form dropped down, directly onto the man threatening Tom. He had enough time to recognize Trudy before she grasped his captor's braid and held a knife against it.

"Let's find out," Trudy snarled.

She sliced the hapless soldier's queue cleanly and abruptly, cutting all the way through. Blood sprayed and the disconnected queue dropped to the floor. The soldier _screamed_ and let go of Tom abruptly, clasping his hands over the back of his head. He fell to the floor beside his severed braid and he continued screaming. The rest of the soldiers were too shocked to react immediately and before they could gather their wits, a viper wolf dropped down from the vent and pounced on one of them. A dark-skinned human woman followed, landing gracelessly on top of another soldier.

It was utter chaos. Trudy drew her gun and fired at one of the enemy soldiers before he could point his weapon at the attacking animal. Ramona was screeching like a banshee and pummeling her target's head with small fists. Fang tore his opponent's face off. Trudy quickly grabbed Max's discarded exopack and fit it over his head, cradling him as he regained his breath. Tom regained his wits and punched one of the other soldiers in his gaping face.

"Aw man...I can't watch this," Trudy said after making sure that Max's exopack was intact. The man whose queue she had chopped off still lay there, screaming on the floor and clutching his bloody head. She took aim with her gun and fired, ending his suffering abruptly with a bullet to the brain.

When he lay still, she holstered her gun and looked around at the others with a disgusted expression. "Everybody okay?"

"I think so," answered Tom. He had knocked his opponent out and his knuckles were smarting from the blow. He knelt beside the unconscious male and took his gun. "Where did you two come from? You just showed up out of nowhere!"

Trudy shared a grin with Ramona, who had liberated the weapon from the soldier she was attacking and now held him at gunpoint. "When the shit hit the fan, us smart gals took to the ventilation system."

She offered a hand to Max, who had just recovered from his near suffocation. He took it and allowed her to help him up. He stared at her with an openly admiring expression. "Trudy, you are..._awesome_."

She shrugged, her eyes meeting Tom's for a moment as he nodded in agreement with Max. "All in a day's work. We don't have time for praise though. What's going on in the control room, Maxi?"

"I think Sebastian may be in there," answered the scientist. "If he is, he may be able to un-scramble our system."

"Then we'd better get in there and barricade the door," Trudy suggested.

* * *

"Someone's opening the door!"

Katherine looked around helplessly for a weapon. Sebastian searched for something to use as well, but he immediately relaxed when he recognized the scientists, Trudy and Fang. He reached out and grasped his lover's arm, shaking his head.

"It's okay," he advised, feeling her tremble.

Katherine took a deep breath as their comrades entered the control room and locked the door behind them. "You scared me half to death."

With Roy's help, Tom dragged the surviving soldiers into the room and got started on binding them. "There wasn't any time to announce ourselves. Sebastian, what do you have?"

"I'm trying to counter the virus they uploaded to us," answered Sebastian. "And while I'm at it, I think I'll give them a return gift."

Max stumbled over to the computer, looking over Sebastian's shoulder at the screen. "You think you can _do_ that?"

Sebastian shrugged. "We'll see. Logic dictates that if they can do it to us, we can do it to _them_. First, I have to finish bringing us online. I just need the time to do it." Fang came up beside Sebastian's chair and he sniffed at the hacker's arm. Sebastian spared a moment to scratch the animal on the head before he continued typing.

"We'll make sure you've got as much time as we can give you," Trudy promised. She kept her gun drawn as the others began to pile heavy objects against the door. "I hope to hell Jake and the others are on their way."

"If they aren't, this could be a very short endeavor," Sebastian stated grimly.

"What about Lee and the other avatar operators?" demanded Ramona. "They're still linked and these goons will probably disrupt it, if we don't stop them!"

In truth, they'd be lucky if the linking room managed to make use of the backup power when the enemy cut them off. Without the oxygen filters on, Lee and the other drivers might have suffocated, by now.

The others exchanged looks. "I'll go with you," offered Tom after a moment. "I'm not sure what we can do but you're right; we can't just leave them."

"I've got to stay here and guard the door," Trudy muttered. Her eyes met Tom's and concern shone in them. "You watch your ass, Tomcat."

He nodded. "I will. Just keep them from getting through."

* * *

Surprisingly, the enemy hadn't reached the linking room yet...or else, they didn't think it was important enough to take over right away. With communications down, they wouldn't be concerned about any of the avatars going to the Omaticaya for help. The system thankfully worked despite the virus and the backup power hadn't failed to keep the room oxygenated and powered up. Tom stood guard with Fang while Ramona conductd a gradual power-down, easing the drivers out of their link safely. Lee and Joyce emerged from their capsules dazed and confused. When Ramona explained what was going on, Joyce immediately asked about Allen.

"I can't say for sure but my guess is he's been taken hostage with the rest of the base," Ramona explained. "We've got the control room blockaded and we need to get back there. With any luck, the Omaticaya will be here soon to help us out."

"My avatar is in mid-flight," Lee said. "I told the pilot that something was going wrong when I felt the link dropping. I hope he figured it out and stays away."

"Sorry babe," Ramona apologized. "I just didn't want those assholes coming in here and cutting it off abruptly."

He gave her a little smile and shook his head. "I'm glad you thought of that. Let's get going." He patted Fang when the viper wolf whined in concern and tried to jump on him. "I'm okay, boy."

They had to use the ventilation system again to make it back to the control room without getting caught. By the time they made it there, the situation was worse. Trudy informed them that the invaders were setting up a bomb outside the door.

"We've got minutes, at best." Her expression was hard and determined. "I'll open fire on the shitheads the minute they blast the door open but I won't be able to hold them off for long."

Tom's stomach clenched and he reached out to her, laying a hand over her shoulder. "You're not holding them off alone. I'll fight with you."

"Nuh-uh," she argued, shaking her head. "If they get through, you surrender. I'm not letting you cop it."

"I don't think we'll have to worry about that," Max announced. He was pressing his earpiece and a huge grin split his face. "The Calvary is on its way."

Trudy rushed over to him and leaned close to hear. Jake's voice was coming through the transmission now, thanks to Sebastian's efforts to bring them back online.

"...copy? We're on our way. Hang tight, guys. If something's going down, we'll take care of it."

Trudy sighed and smiled. "Well, that takes a load off. Tell him what's going on, Maxi."

Max readily agreed and he responded to Jake's transmission quickly, explaining what was happening. "I don't mean to be pushy but you might want to get here fast, Jake. Otherwise this base is going to be overrun."

"Got it," answered Jake. "ETA is about twenty minutes. Just hang on as best you can until we get there, okay?"

"We'll do our best," Max assured.

* * *

Tanhi's mind was completely on Tom Sully as she flew behind the _Toruk Makto_ with her people. She couldn't get the image of Tom Sully's golden eyes out of her mind. She couldn't stop thinking of what it would be like to see those eyes blank in death. When they reached Hell's Gate, she followed Jake into battle with savage vigor. The enemy had control of the base's gunships and unfortunately, they had detected the approaching Na'vi forces on radar and were somewhat prepared for them.

Gunfire took down several of Tanhi's people, along with the warriors of other clans. Tanhi urged her mount to the attack and screamed in fury as she launched her first arrow at one of the gunships. It pierced the glass and struck the pilot in the chest. The vehicle went down, spinning as it fell to the courtyard below. It exploded when it crashed into the cemented ground and Tanhi wheeled in the sky, avoiding the flying shrapnel. She focused her attention on the guards manning the turrets next, shouting for her people to help her clear them so that the ground forces could make it through the gates.

Jake's attack was more direct. He used his toruk's sheer size and strength to overpower another gunship, while his mate and friends fired arrows in his wake. Akway led his horseriders through the gate, once the Arial fighters cleared the guards. Beneath Tanhi, a battle raged in the courtyard as the Horse clan closed in on the enemy. The Ikran chieftess focused her attention on the air threat and she swerved her mount hastily as twin rockets launched her way from one of the gunships. She barely managed to avoid the hit and she breathed easier when several of her clan mates crowded the culprit, bringing the aircraft down with their combined weight.

She fired several more arrows, taking down infantry in the courtyard before they could inflict heavy casualties on Akway's clan. Out the corner of her eye, she saw Norm Spellman's Ikran take a fatal hit and she heard him yell as he began plummeting to the ground. His mate wasn't close enough to save him but Tanhi was. She shouted a command to her mount and dove after the falling male, catching him roughly in her arms.

"Are you injured?" Tanhi shouted over the wind as Norm situated himself on her ikran.

He shook his head and looked down at his own mount, who lay dying on the ground. "Lrrtok."

Tanhi could relate to his pain. Losing a bond mount could be as devastating as losing a family member. She patted him on the shoulder consolingly—it was all she had time to do. "She fought well. Be proud of her."

Norm took a shuddering breath and nodded, reaching awkwardly for his quiver as Tanhi steered her ikran towards another firefight. It wasn't as easy taking aim with another archer aboard but they both managed to fire down on the enemy, regardless. Ni'nat flew her ikran close and hollered out to her mate anxiously. Norm waved at her and assured that he was unharmed.

The battle intensified and Jake took out two more gunships before shouting an order at his warriors to follow him. Now that the skies were clear of enemies, the Na'vi forces swooped down to help fight against the ground opposition.

* * *

"I've got it!"

Sebastian announced it like Dr. Frankenstein declaring: "_It's alive_!" The lights came fully back on and with them, the radar system powered back up. He began focusing on sending a nasty package back to the ISV. Max stopped him, placing a hand over his wrist whilst he was in the middle of typing.

"I don't think we need to do that."

Sebastian stared up at him and beside him; Katherine also ogled the lead scientist. "Why the bloody hell _not_? It would ensure that they couldn't do this again, Dr. Patel."

"This wasn't the crew's fault," insisted Max with a grim look at the screen. "If we disable their computer systems, they can't leave."

"He's got a pretty good point," Trudy announced. Her eyes flicked between the computer and the door. Shouting could be heard on the other side of the barrier. "If we want these jerks out of our star system, we can't fudge up their equipment."

"But we're still under attack," Katherine reminded them, "Sebastian can undo his meddling after we've gotten through this."

Any further arguments were interrupted when an explosion blasted the door open. Tom dove on top of Trudy, shielding her with his body. Dr. Jacobs planted himself on the floor with the other scientists and Sebastian yanked Katherine to him before rolling under the desk with Max. Trudy muttered curses and took aim from beneath Tom as several enemy operatives entered the room.

"Drop it!" Yelled the leader, pointing his automatic weapon at Trudy and Tom.

"Oh, crud," grumbled the pilot. She let go of her revolver and looked up at the man on top of her. "You just had to be the hero, didn't you?"

Tom shrugged and forced a smile. "Sorry."

"Put your hands up and stand up _slowly_," ordered the enemy soldier. His companions filed into the room and aimed their guns at the others.

Fang snarled at the encroachers and Ramona reached out for him. "Fang, don't!"

The viper wolf didn't comply with his mistress. Seeing the threat to her and Lee, he leaped at the lead soldier without hesitation. Ramona screamed as the soldier shot at the viper wolf and Fang landed in a heap at his booted feet. Ignoring the shouted demands for surrender, the zoologist crawled over the floor to her fallen pet and gathered him into her arms, sobbing. Lee joined her and the viper wolf's tail thumped against the floor. Fang whined softly in pain and licked the exopack mask covering Ramona's face.

Katherine shouted an angry protest and before Sebastian could react, she charged across the room and tackled the nearest soldier. A professional rugby player couldn't have done much better and everyone was stunned by her outburst. Trudy was the first to claim her wits back and she pounced on the soldier nearest to her, creating more havoc. Tom and Max both yelled her name when the lead soldier turned his gun on her. Both men started to jump between the pilot and the line of fire, ready to give their lives up for Trudy.

Dr. Jacobs hollered incoherently and in a rare moment of courage, he jumped on the soldier closest to him, foiling his aim as he sought to help his leader with gunfire. It was practically a certainty that Trudy would be shot, but just as the lead operative started to pull the trigger, there was a wet thud. He looked down at his chest, staring at the bloody point of an arrow protruding from it. He sank to his knees, clutching at the arrowhead.

"Tommy? Tom, are you in there?"

Jake's desperate shout echoed from the corridor outside. Tom stopped in his tracks and stared with wide eyes as his brother charged through the door with Tanhi, Neytiri, Norm and Ni'nat flanking him. Tanhi immediately grabbed the queue of the soldier struggling with Dr. Jacobs and she drew her hunting knife. She yanked his head back and sliced his throat open without pause and her eyes immediately settled on Tom as the soldier sank to the floor, drowning in his own blood. Trudy dispatched another soldier with her retrieved gun and Max tazered the last one into submission.

"H-hi," Tom said stupidly, for lack of anything better to say.

Jake came to his side swiftly and his eyes scanned over him before examining the others. "Is everyone okay?"

"We're cool," Trudy said breathlessly, "How did you know where we were, Sully?"

"The people in the hallway told us someone was in here after we rescued them," answered Jake. His eyes fell on the wounded viper wolf and he frowned. "Oh, no. Is it fatal?"

"I d-don't know," Ramona answered through sniffles. "We need to get him into surgery right away."

Jake nodded. "You go ahead and do that. We've rounded up most of them and the way should be clear."

Ramona nodded and she tried to lift her pet. Fang whined in protest and she shook her head. "I can't pick him up."

Sebastian came to her side and carefully lifted the wounded animal into his arms. "I've got him. Let's go."

"Ni'nat and I will escort you," offered Norm. His mate nodded in agreement.

"I've got to go outside and take care of the Colonel," said Jake with a stony expression. "If you run into any more trouble, contact me."

* * *

Tom wasn't sure what to expect as he joined his brother and the horde of Na'vi outside in the courtyard. He knew it wasn't their way to execute prisoners but he couldn't avoid the shiver that passed through his spine as he saw the cold anger in their features. Watching Tanhi kill that man without any hesitation reminded him of how fierce her people could be. Lined up with his soldiers, Colonel Myers stood with disciplined pride. His hands were bound behind his back and he regarded Jake with grudging admiration as the chieftain approached him. His features were rugged and cool, giving away no trace of fear.

"Let's make this simple," Jake said as he came to a stop before the Colonel, "You send word to your people on the ISV to let Jackson and the other hostages go. We'll let you fly back up there as long as you agree to be taken into custody as soon as you set foot on the transport. I don't know what the hell you were thinking and I really don't _care_."

"I was following orders," answered Myers smoothly.

"Maybe you didn't hear me," countered Jake. "I said I don't care what your reasons were. We're willing to negotiate the terms of your team leaving Pandora forever but that's as far as it gets."

Neytiri stood beside Jake and she glared at the ranks of captives. "My mate is being too kind. I would rather kill you all now."

Jake glanced at her and he smirked. "You heard the lady. You people are on a tightrope right now. Don't push your luck. You can tell the RDA and the military to stop sending people here on suicide missions. You'll never take Pandora."

"Have you stopped to think about what you're doing to your own people?" argued Myers with a scowl.

Jake put his arm around Neytiri and glanced with pride at the gathered Na'vi. "These are 'my people' now, and I'm defending them from invaders. It's kind of ironic that you traded your human body for a Na'vi one and you're lecturing me about loyalty to Earth."

"I did what I needed to do, to get my job done," answered Myers without apology. "And if you really think these are 'your people', Sully, maybe you ought to think about what's best for the kids. You think it ends with Quaritch and me? Think again. If you want those kids safe, you'd best start thinking of cooperating with Earth again."

Jake's pupils dilated and Tom feared that he would shoot the prisoner point-blank, right then and there. Instead, the clan leader murmured an order and one of the Omaticaya swiftly moved to the Colonel's side. The soldier's bonds were cut and he stared at Jake with puzzlement as the chieftain drew his hunting knife.

"Neytiri, I need your knife."

She handed it over to Jake without question and he tossed it to Meyers. The Colonel caught it and frowned at him. "What's this all about?"

"I'm going to kill you," Jake informed him. "But I'll do it fairly. I'm not into murder so unlike those children you threatened to gas, you'll have a fighting chance. You'd better move your ass."

Tom's jaw dropped and so did the jaws of several of the prisoners and watching Na'vi. Neytiri stood stoic and proud as her mate closed in on the enemy. Jake crouched into a defensive posture and beaconed to the Colonel.

"Come on, hotshot. Show me what you've got."

"He's nuts," Trudy muttered out the corner of her mouth.

Tom was inclined to agree with her. The Colonel was a solidly built man, heavier in frame than most Na'vi and clearly honed for battle. While Jake's physique wasn't as lean as the typical Na'vi, it was obvious that he'd lose a contest of brute strength against his opponent. However, Jake had both marine and hunter combat skills. He demonstrated this as Myers lunged at him and he nimbly dodged aside, avoiding the point of the knife.

Akway hooted and several of his clan members echoed him as Jake rolled and came up behind the Colonel. Myers wasn't such an easy target, though. He didn't fall for the ruse and he quickly turned to deflect the attempted strike against him. Neytiri visibly tensed as the Colonel returned the blow and slashed a bloody gash across Jake's thigh. Jake grunted and narrowly escaped the follow-up thrust aimed at his belly.

"Come on, Jake," Tom whispered, his eyes intent on the battle.

Neytiri cried out when Myers socked Jake in the jaw, hard enough to make him reel and spit blood. Several of the Na'vi started to draw their bows but Jake gestured for them to stand down before wiping the blood from his lips.

"Is that the best you've got, bitch?"

"I've got plenty for you, precious," answered Myers with a smug grin. He shifted his gaze to Neytiri and gave her a leer. "Maybe when I'm through with you, I'll go to work on that nice piece of tail you've got there."

Tom winced and shook his head. "Oh, he should _not_ have said that."

Indeed. Jake's expression twisted with animal fury and he hissed at his opponent. Perhaps the Colonel thought that by playing on his emotions, he would gain the upper hand. He clearly didn't understand the nature of Jake Sully, though. Jake leaped into the air and Myers prepared to strike, but rather than land in front of him for the attack, Jake touched down behind him. Before the Colonel could turn around, Jake's knife stabbed hard into his back and pierced his heart. Snarling through bloody lips, Jake eased his dying opponent onto the ground while onlookers stared in shock.

When Myers gasped his last breath, Jake pulled the weapon free and retrieved Neytiri's knife from the slack fingers. She shook her head as he offered it back to her and Jake shrugged in understanding, letting the weapon clatter to the ground. He stood up straight and he displayed the bloodstained knife before the line of prisoners.

"Who else wants a piece?"

Unsurprisingly, nobody stepped forward to volunteer. Jake's maddened gaze swept over each of them before he nodded. "I didn't think so."

He knelt beside his vanquished foe and dug through his clothes until he found the communication device. Keeping his eyes warningly on the prisoners, he activated it and waited for a response.

"Colonel?"

"No, your Colonel is dead," answered Jake coldly. "It's Jake Sully speaking. We've taken your men prisoner and we'll release them to your custody after you free Foreman Jackson and the others."

"I...see," answered the voice in a startled tone. "Colonel Myers is _dead_?"

"That's right. If you don't meet our demands, the rest of your men will be joining him. I expect to hear from Jackson in five minutes."

"I need some proof," demanded the voice.

Jake looked at Lt. Phelps and grinned nastily. He brought the communication device to him and held it out. "Go ahead. Give them proof."

"This is Lt. Phelps. He's not lying; I'm standing here looking at the Colonel's body now. Do as he says."

"Roger," answered the other man, sounding somewhat shaken.

* * *

"I can't apologize enough for this," Jackson told Jake a few moments later. "I knew he was up to something but I had nothing solid to accuse him of. He was under orders to take back the base by any means necessary and I should have known he wouldn't let it go."

Jake shrugged and glanced at the corpse of the deceased Colonel. "It's too late to do anything about that now. Look, I know this wasn't really your fault but you've got to promise me you'll get the hell out of the solar system as soon as we send your people back to you."

"Ask him if Jill's okay," Tom demanded.

Jake sighed. "My brother wants to know if his fellow scientists are all right...especially the woman named Jill."

"We're all fine," assured Jackson. "Nobody was hurt or killed when Myers took over. He had everyone who wasn't on his side rounded up at gunpoint and locked up. I'm sorry to say, none of us were brave enough to fight back."

"You're not fighters," Jake excused, though inwardly he thought they were cowardly. Max and the others weren't fighters either but they sure as hell didn't give in without resistance. "None of that matters, now. We're sending your people back on the Valkyrie and it better be the last we see of them."

"Understood," agreed Jackson. "I swear to you, we'll leave as soon as we place the antagonists under custody. I...hate to ask this, but could you send Myers' body back with the shuttle? I'll need proof of his death, when we make it back to earth."

"Sure. What else are we going to do with him, roast him?" Jake smirked with macabre humor. Most of the people from Earth probably would expect the Na'vi to make a meal out of their enemies.

"Uh, thank you."

"You're welcome. Good luck, Jackson." Jake ended the transmission and looked at the lines of prisoners. "Let's get you people out of here. I can't stand looking at you."

"Wait," Tanhi objected suddenly, stepping out of the crowd.

Jake tilted his head as he regarded her. "I've made an agreement, Sister."

"Yes, I know." She approached Lt. Phelps, whose nose was disfigured due to Jake breaking it during the rescue of her people. She studied him with narrowed eyes and spoke to Jake without taking her gaze off of him. "I have the right to face my attacker."

Jake nodded and crossed his arms over his chest, grinning. "Yes, you do."

Tanhi stepped closer to the lieutenant, who returned her gaze warily. Without a word, she kneed him violently in the groin. He crumpled to the ground with a groan and Tanhi nodded in satisfaction. "Now, they may go."

* * *

"I expected you to cut it off," Tom informed the chieftess out the side of his mouth. He stood beside her and watched the enemy avatars shuffle into the Valkyrie.

"I wanted to," she admitted, favoring him with a sidelong grin. "There was no time for the maiming he deserved, though."

Tom's eyes narrowed angrily on the retreating sergeant's back. "He would have earned it."

Tanhi smiled hesitantly. "You are protective of me?"

Tom felt a moment of uncertainty as he felt Trudy's eyes on them both. "Does that bother you?"

Tanhi shook her head. "No. It is...what is the word? Flattering."

Tom hid a smile. Despite the awkwardness of having both the women he desired present, it was nice to know that his protective urges were appreciated...even if Tanhi could do more damage in five seconds than he could do in as many minutes. He glanced uncomfortably at Trudy, who pointedly looked away. A sigh escaped his lips and he shut his eyes, helpless against the tangle of conflicting emotions he felt.

"She is your human, yes?"

Tom opened his eyes again to see Tanhi give a nod in Trudy's direction. There was no point in fibbing, so he nodded. "Yes. Please don't start a fight with her, though. I don't think I could handle more stress, today."

"I am not so insulted now," Tanhi informed him with a smirk. "I expected a weakling. She showed courage in the fight."

He was sure he would catch flies soon. His mouth was hanging open. "Um...yes, well...Trudy could never be accused of being 'weak'."

She nodded. "I see that, now. Will you continue your courtship with her?"

Tom could think of about a hundred other things he'd rather discuss, but he couldn't see any way out of this conversation. "No, Trudy and I are finished. She...doesn't want to be with me."

Tanhi's expression darkened and she looked at the human with faint annoyance. "Is she stupid?"

Frustration rose within him. "No more than _you_ are."

She pursed her lips. "You do not understand my reasons."

"But you understand _hers_?" Tom gestured at Trudy. "Tanhi, I'm getting very tired of women's excuses for dumping me. Either I'm worth it or I'm not. Which is it?"

Tanhi stared at him and her brows furrowed. The engine of the Valkyrie shuttle started up and she jumped nervously as it lifted off the ground. Tom instinctively put an arm around her to soothe her and he flushed when he noticed Jake smirking at him. The noise from the shuttle's engine drowned out anything Tanhi would have said and they watched as the Valkyrie lifted off and flew away.

"Come," Tanhi demanded, once the shuttle was out of sight. She took one of Tom's hands and tugged insistently on it. "I will not speak of this in front of others."

Tom nearly resisted but it occurred to him that she was probably about to answer his questions concerning why she refused to take a mate. He followed her without further protest and once they reached the cultivated garden of native vegetation, she stopped and faced him. She took a deep breath and she seemed to brace herself before speaking.

"I once had a mate," she informed him. "And a son."

Tom was taken aback by the admission. "What...happened to them?"

"A sickness came upon our village," Tanhi explained, gazing at the horizon with a frown. "Many people died. My mate and child were among them. It also claimed my parents."

He felt horrible and he regretted pressing for an explanation. Now he knew what the tragedy was that Norm had hinted about. Tom took her hands in his. "Tanhi, I had no idea. I'm sorry."

She sighed and looked at him with a melancholy expression. "I was eighteen years of age, when I mated with Ulrath. Our son was born almost a year after that. The sickness that struck our people began with blood in our excrement and ended with vomiting. It struck the young and elderly first, killing the weakest of us swiftly. My son Sanje was one of the first to go. My parents soon joined him and then my mate. It almost took me, too."

Tom stroked her hair. The symptoms she described sounded like a common bacterial infection, possibly caused by a corrupted water or food source. "You moved your tribe when you recovered?"

Tanhi nodded. "Yes. We moved to the sea, away from the bad spirits that harmed us. I became _Olo'eyktan_, in my mother's place."

Tom wanted to say that it wasn't "bad spirits" that caused the illness, but it wouldn't do any good now. He sensed that any contradictions would only damage the fragile moment of sharing, so he just listened attentively and offered silent support.

Tanhi's gaze settled on him and she drew a deep breath again. "Ever since then, I have refused to take a new mate and create another child. I say that a family will only interfere with my duties but I am sure you know other chieftains have no such problems, Tom."

"Yes, I noticed that," he admitted. "You're afraid of loss?"

She bit her lip and looked up at the sky. "I...cannot endure that again. It is easier to see to my body's needs, without bonding with a male and creating a child again." She looked at him challengingly and anger crossed her features. "Tell me I am a coward."

Tom shook his head. "I'm not going to tell you that."

"Why not?" Her eyes flashed and her lip curled. "It has been more than three years. My people say I should move on."

"I don't think that way," Tom explained gently. "You can't stop grieving just because it's inconvenient to someone else."

Her lower lip trembled and her eyes sparkled with unshed tears. She swiftly turned away from him and rubbed her eyes. "I am _Olo'eyktan_," she murmured, "I am not expected to grieve as others do."

Tom placed a consoling hand on her slender shoulder. "Whether you're expected to or not, you're going to grieve like any other Na'vi. Being a clan leader doesn't make you immune to pain, Tanhi."

"But I have a duty to rise above it," she argued. Her voice was growing husky and Tom sensed that she was desperately fighting the urge to cry. "My people cannot see me weak."

"Crying doesn't make you weak," he insisted, squeezing both of her shoulders supportively. He carefully turned her around to face him and he looked into her pain-filled eyes. "I'm not one of your clan, Tanhi. We're all alone here. If you need to cry, go ahead."

Her eyes filled with tears and she tried to pull away from him. Tom didn't allow it. He held her close and refused to let go of her. "You don't have to hide it from me."

Her hands grasped fistfuls of his shirt and she buried her face against his chest. Her shoulders began to shake silently and he felt moisture seeping through the material. Tom stroked her back and brushed his lips against the crown of her head, rocking her gently. When she began to sob, he held her more tightly and murmured encouragement. He didn't need a degree in psychiatry to guess that her hidden grief was like a festering wound inside of her. His throat tightened in sympathy as he tried to soothe Tanhi.

"It's okay," he murmured into her ear when she tried to stifle her sobs. "Just let it out."

* * *

Some time later, Tom returned to the lab building. Tanhi wanted to be alone for a while after her crying spell and he complied with her request, guessing she wanted to pull herself together and wash her face before facing her clan mates and the other leaders again. Jake was outside, speaking with the other chieftains and Neytiri. A bruise was forming on his jaw from the blow he'd taken but he hardly seemed to notice it.

Tom's decision was solid, now. All he had left to do was to gather his belongings and arrange transport. It would be hard to leave Trudy but he knew that staying would only make things worse. On top of that, he wanted to help Tanhi if he could. Knowing why she felt the way she did made him understand her a little better. Though her pain couldn't be fixed with medication, he couldn't turn away from her suffering.

"Jake, can I talk to you for a minute?" Tom asked politely when there was a break in the conversation.

"Sure." Jake walked away with him and he studied him curiously. "Is everything okay?"

"It's fine," Tom assured him. "I've made up my mind. I want to try living at Hometree."

Jake grinned impulsively and he immediately winced, rubbing his sore jaw. "Are you sure about that?"

Tom nodded. "Yes. I'm not saying I'm ready to sport a loincloth, but I'm willing to start learning a different way of life."

Jake chuckled and patted him on the back. "The loincloths aren't as bad as you think. After a while you get used to it and regular clothes start feeling restrictive."

"I'm _not_ wearing a loincloth," Tom insisted. "People have enough trouble telling the two of us apart anyhow. If I'm wearing butt-floss too they'll be hopelessly confused."

Jake blurted a hearty laugh. "All right, no loincloth...for now. You've got to admit it would be funny if the clan can't tell us apart from each other, though."

"I don't think it would be funny," Tom said with a smirk. "I think it would be a disaster. Imagine me trying to lead a hunt."

Jake shrugged. "You'll get the hang of it. You always were a fast learner."

* * *

The Na'vi clans stayed until Max confirmed that the ISV was out of the solar system. Now that the threat was gone, they were free to return to their respective villages and resume their lives as before...at least, until the next transport arrived in Alpha Centauri. True to her word, Trudy offered her piloting services to Tom when he told her he had decided to try living with the Omaticaya. With the aid of some of the clan members, she transported one of the unused research trailers to the outskirts of Hometree and she brought Tom's personal belongings with.

Once he was more or less set up for life with the Omaticaya, Tom had to say goodbye to Trudy. It was hard on both of them and the clan respectfully left them alone when Jake hinted that they needed privacy. Tom and Trudy stood together by the Samson and they stared at one another quietly for a few moments.

"I'm going to miss you," Tom began.

At the same time, Trudy said: "Watch out for yourself, jinx."

They both stopped and Tom laughed softly, shaking his head. "I think we could both use a four-leaf clover to carry around."

"With our luck, it would just wither," Trudy sighed, grinning up at him. She bit her lip and took hold of his hands. "You'll keep in touch, right?"

"Absolutely." He swallowed past the lump in his throat. "Give Fang a treat for me, whenever he's up and about again."

"That mutt's going to be so damned spoiled," Trudy predicted with a laugh. "Half the base is showering him with toys and treats, man."

"As it should be." Tom smiled. "He's earned it."

They both sobered and Trudy cleared her throat. "So when can I expect to see you wearing one of those eye-candy loincloths?"

"Try never," he insisted.

She clucked her tongue. "Now, now...don't knock it 'till you've tried it."

"You can say that when you put one on," he grumbled.

"Ugh...no thanks. I've got a thing about wedgies."

"That makes two of us." Tom smirked at her. He stared down at her for a moment and then he bent over to place a kiss on the crown of her head. "I really will miss you."

Trudy's mouth quivered and she sniffed. "Back at you, Tomcat."

* * *

"We'll celebrate until the next turn of the planet," Jake announced to his clan with a grin. "Each and every one of you has earned this. Eat, drink and make babies."

People laughed in appreciation and the leaf trays began to circulate around the fire pit. Norm stood beside Jake and Tom. Neytiri was a few feet away, speaking with her mother while she tried to coax her son to eat the mushy food she had prepared for him.

"You really know how to inspire loyalty, Jake." Tom complimented as passing clan members patted his brother on the shoulder.

Jake smirked at him. "Now I've just got to convince you to start dressing like a Na'vi. My charismatic powers won't be complete until you're wearing 'butt-floss' like the rest of us."

"Keep dreaming," Tom snorted.

"Hey, if I can convince this guy to wear it—" Jake gestured at Norm—"I can convince you, too."

"Uh, I started wearing it because my mate hand-made one for me," Norm reminded. "Sorry Jake...Ni'nat's a lot more persuasive than you are."

Tom laughed at that, until Jake raised his eyebrows and glanced at Tanhi across the distance. "So all I've got to do is convince a certain lady to stitch one up for my brother. No big deal."

"I'm not that easy," Tom insisted.

"You say that now," Norm warned him, "but you'd be surprised how agreeable you might be with the right kind of—" He was interrupted by his mate, who came to his side and whispered something in his ear. Norm stared at her and he seemed to completely lose his train of thought. "Really? Now?"

Ni'nat nodded and smiled. She greeted Tom and Jake politely before turning away and she gave Norm a very suggestive look over her shoulder as she walked away, swaying her hips.

Jake cleared his throat. "What were we talking about?"

"Women, I think," Tom mumbled, trying hard not to look at Norm's retreating mate. Other nearby males watched her from the corner of their eyes, likewise afflicted with helpless appreciation for her suggestive body language and beauty.

"Right. Women. No, wait...we were talking about getting you into some tribal wear." Jake gave Norm an accusing look. "What was _that_ all about, anyway?"

Norm was staring after his mate as she exited the den. "What?"

"The whisper and the 'come jump me' look," insisted Jake. "I think your lady just gave every guy in here a happy, Norm."

"Yeah," agreed Norm absently, his eyes glued on the den exit. "Happy."

"I think it's fairly obvious, what that was about," Tom pointed out, fighting laughter. "Look at him, Jake. He's practically ready for a bib."

Norm appeared startled and he blinked at them both. "Oh...what? Who's ready for a bib?"

Jake rolled his eyes. "Go get her, Norm."

Norm flushed visibly. "I wasn't trying to be rude..."

"Go on. Making babies is part of the celebration, man." Jake grinned at him. "Eywa knows, you two have been patient enough."

Norm hesitated for a moment longer before giving into his natural urges and wishing them both goodnight. He retreated from the den hastily and people smiled with amusement, obviously guessing why he was in a hurry.

"I'm kind of glad that happened," admitted Jake in a low voice. "Norm could use a mood boost, after losing his ikran in that last fight. I've caught him brooding alone a lot, since then."

"The bond is that strong, is it?" Tom looked in the direction that their friend had disappeared to and he frowned.

"It's more than a standard master/pet bond," explained Jake. "The ikran you choose becomes like a brother or sister. I've never lost one yet but Neytiri was inconsolable over the loss of her Seze and I'm sure it hit Norm just as hard when Lrrtok went down."

"I never realized it went so deep."

Jake shrugged. "You'll understand better if you ever decide to go through your hunter's trials. Let's not worry about that tonight, though."

Tom nodded and his eyes went to Tanhi. She was eating quietly by the pit seeming to be deep in thought. He wondered if he'd managed to get through to her at all, or if her walls would remain intact. He also wondered why he kept going for these women that seemed to have a pathological fear of getting into a relationship with him.

"I'll never understand women," Tom decided after silently contemplating Tanhi for several moments.

He didn't realize he'd said it out loud until Jake patted him on the shoulder. "You've just spoken for every man alive, brother."

* * *

-To be continued

**Translations:**

_**Kämakto**_ = Ride out


	26. Chapter 26

"Between worlds"

Chapter 26

* * *

_**Author's note: See footnotes at the end of the chapter for Na'vi/English translations. Lemon warning.  
**_

* * *

*Disclaimer: I do not own Pandora and I make no profit from writing fanfiction based on the "Avatar" film.

* * *

It took a bit of searching for Norm to find Ni'nat. He asked people in passing if they had seen her and they obligingly pointed him in the direction of the large mushroom grove on the eastern edge of the village outskirts. He went there quickly, his blood quickening with desire. He saw Ni'nat walking into the grove and he called out to her. She looked over her shoulder at him, smiled, and sprinted into the luminescent forest.

Norm was puzzled at first, until he heard her soft laugh and teasing call. Evidently, she was in a playful mood. He would have preferred her to come straight into his arms but if she wanted to play a game of hide and seek, he was happy to oblige her. Actually, it was more like a game of "Marco Polo", without the water. As he entered the grove, he called out to her and she answered, poking her head out from behind one of the stalks. Ni'nat giggled like a wood nymph and dashed away as he circled around the mushroom to reach her.

Norm was patient with her, smiling and laughing with her as he tried to catch her. She was a very nimble woman; quick on her feet and evasive. At one point he managed to grab the trailing end of her tail before she eluded him but he didn't want to tug on it, so he was forced to let go.

"Hold still," Norm complained when he caught up with her again near the biggest mushroom and she leaped away just as his fingers brushed against her.

"You must catch me, if you want me." Ni'nat stuck her tongue out at him like a child and pranced away again.

Norm sighed, but it was impossible for him to be annoyed with her. The sweet laughter in her voice and the smile on her lips was magical to him. There was a promise in her golden eyes that once he _did_ catch her, it would be well worth the effort. He detected the change in her scent and his heart pounded with excitement and a little fear. He was so stunned when she whispered that she was ready to make a child with him that he hadn't picked it up right away. He spotted his mate again and he grinned, deciding it was time to practice a little misdirection. He made as if to move around the right side of the mushroom stalk she hid behind and when she started to dash to the left, he switched his direction and caught her around the waist with a triumphant cry.

"Ha! I've got you!"

Ni'nat tossed her head back and laughed, embracing him around the neck as he held her tight and lifted her feet off the ground. "You tricked me." She rubbed her nose against his affectionately as she made the accusation.

"Well I wasn't going to catch you if I played fair," he argued. "You're too fast for me."

"My clever one," she murmured softly, smiling lovingly at him.

Norm couldn't resist her charms a moment longer. That scent was intoxicating, though it wasn't yet very strong. She wore a piece of Na'vi jewelry around her waist that he found quite flattering on her. It was basically just a leather cord strung with beads and semi-precious stones but the way it draped around her slim waist was very erotic to him. No matter how badly he wanted her though, Norm refused to get rough. He closed the distance between their mouths and kissed her with slow, coaxing tenderness. He lowered her to the ground and his hands slid over her back, stroking and caressing. Her lips parted for him and he eased his tongue in with gentle insistence. Ni'nat returned his touch, tracing the planes of his body with her fingertips and sliding her palms over his skin.

Ni'nat began to rub against him restlessly, which made Norm smile inwardly. It wasn't uncommon for the Ni'nat's natural sensuality to take over when she felt he wasn't moving fast enough. It generally took longer than this for her to lose patience, however. Her hands stroked his bottom, the fingertips gliding over the cheeks before she cupped them and urged his pelvis tighter against her own. She sighed his name against his lips when his arousal pushed against her and her hands squeezed his bottom more tightly.

Norm sank to the ground, directing her to come with him. He eased her onto her back and his lips traveled from her lips to her throat, prompting her to arch her neck invitingly. He established the queue bond with her before taking it to the next level and her lust and need made him temporarily breathless. When he recovered his wits, he removed her necklace and his old ID tags from around her throat, exposing her chest. He fondled her breasts with care, admiring their shape and silkiness. He teased her nipples to hardness and his kisses became more arduous. Ni'nat's hands glided up his back to his shoulders and she combed her fingers through his bound hair, loosening a few strands from his braid. She stroked his ears between her thumbs and forefingers, creating a uniquely pleasurable sensation. When she arched her back restlessly, he knew what her body was craving and he eagerly obliged her.

Ni'nat purred his name with pleasure as Norm suckled and licked at her taut nipples, one at a time. His fingers stroked one while his mouth pleasured the other and he switched back and forth between them. Ni'nat started rubbing against the thigh he had wedged between her legs and her body began to tense up beneath him. Norm loved that she enjoyed stimulation to her breasts so much...particularly since he enjoyed lavishing attention on them. He pressed his thigh more firmly against her heat and he kept going until she tossed her head and moaned, shuddering beneath him in the throes of an orgasm. Norm groaned softly in response to sharing the climax with her and he brought his mouth to hers again for a deep kiss.

Her breath was hot against his lips as Norm pulled away to gaze down at her. "You didn't put up much of a fight," he murmured teasingly.

She shrugged, breathing a little heavily from pleasure. "Who is to say I did not want to be caught?" She slid her hands over his chest and down, tracing his navel with her fingertips before sliding them under the strings of his loincloth.

Norm lifted his hips a little to allow her to tug his garment down over them. He wriggled out of it and Ni'nat made a sound of distressed need in her throat when his stiffened, naked shaft rested against her thigh. He whispered a promise that she wouldn't have to wait for long before working at removing her loincloth. His hands felt inordinately clumsy as he tugged at the clothing article and his brain reminded him that this time, the act of mating with her might create a baby. He felt a brief throb of panic, but one look at Ni'nat's stunning, aroused features quickly killed his faint uncertainty. Even if he wasn't sure about his own parenting abilities, he had no doubt she would make a wonderful mother and he knew she would help him be a good father.

With greater confidence, he eased her garment down and helped her remove it. He felt between her thighs with his fingers, testing her body's readiness. Satisfied that she was prepared to receive him, he lined himself up and pressed into her. She gasped but he could sense through the link that the sound was provoked from pleasure, rather than discomfort. Norm braced himself on his elbows and placed soft, loving kisses over her throat and collarbone as he gently slid his rigid length into her. He withdrew and did it again, a little deeper. Ni'nat's hands clutched at his shoulders and she moaned his name, parting her thighs further to welcome more.

Norm gasped an incoherent endearment to her as he sank in as deeply as he could go and held it there for a moment. She fit him like a glove; snug without being uncomfortably tight. He began to move and Ni'nat shifted beneath him, matching his slow, steady rhythm. The night breeze caressed their bare skin, cool with the approach of the closest thing to a winter season their part of Pandora ever had. Norm might have found the breeze a little chilly, if his body wasn't so heated up with passion.

Ni'nat crossed her ankles together over the small of his back and she nipped at his throat with playful enthusiasm, never applying enough pressure with her teeth to do more than tickle the flesh. She followed up with sensual swipes of her tongue and her cries of pleasure grew louder and more demanding. Norm applied more force to his thrusts, his breath quickening into sharp bursts as his urgency grew. He lowered his head over her chest and he started pleasuring her breasts again, sensing her growing tension. Ni'nat's fingers slid into his hair again, urging him to keep going.

"Aah, my Norm," Ni'nat whimpered as it happened.

Her passage began to spasm around his thrusting sex and her climax triggered his. Norm grunted and kissed her gasping mouth as he joined her bliss. He panted and echoed her moans as he bucked inside of her and gave his seed. His arms trembled as he struggled not to collapse on her. Despite the chill in the air, sweat beaded her face and chest and Norm could feel the perspiration on his own skin. She licked her shapely lips and opened her eyes to gaze up at him as their orgasms tapered off. She smiled and rubbed his back, sighing with relief and contentment.

"Rest, for a moment," Ni'nat offered breathlessly, drawing his head down to lie against her bosom. She kept her thighs locked around his waist, preventing him from withdrawing from her body even if he wanted to.

"Only for a moment?" Norm repeated, dazed from the experience. He enjoyed the feel of her breasts cushioning his face and he nuzzled them, relaxing on top of her a little.

"I cannot expect you to mate continuously," Ni'nat informed him softly, stroking his hair.

When she began to play with the base of his tail, he realized the true purpose of the erotic spot for the first time. He had been assuming that it was just a random, sensitive zone on the male body, with no practical use beyond heightened pleasure. Now he realized there was actually a reason for its existence. Norm could only assume by the way Jake had warned him about it that it was the same for other men. The area on the underside of the male Na'vi tail existed to help them keep up with their women when they were receptive to fertilization. Stimulation of the spot combined with the female's needs feeding through the _tsahaylu_ bond ensured that the male wouldn't require much recovery time between mating sessions.

"That's diabolically clever," Norm murmured, even as Ni'nat's fingers began to stroke the underside of his tail. His breath caught as the tingling pleasure raced through his pelvis.

"What does that word mean?" Ni'nat murmured, kissing his forehead.

"Fiendish," Norm tried to explain with a groan. "Um...cruel, I guess."

"What is cruel?" Ni'nat queried, the motions of her fingers slowing. "Pleasuring your tail?"

Norm lifted his head and shifted on top of her, kissing her softly. "No. You're never cruel. Some women could be, though."

She smiled up at him and resumed her touching, sighing as he began to swell inside of her again. "I will stop this, if you want me to."

He shook his head. "Don't stop. It feels good."

He realized he might regret the invitation later but he trusted his mate to use moderation. Norm doubted that Ni'nat would literally drive him into exhaustion. He began to rock on top of her again, kissing her more urgently as his excitement grew. She stopped playing with his tail gasped a request to him after a few moments. He obligingly rolled over, taking her with him so that she could be on top. He stroked her belly and thighs as she undulated on top of him, purring and moaning with delight. Norm admired the way the bioluminescent glow from the mushrooms bathed her naked body in fey light. The pattern of spots on her skin brightened as her passion grew and Norm traced them with his fingertips.

This time he lasted longer before he was spent again, even managing to hold back when she climaxed and keep going for several minutes afterwards. Ni'nat collapsed on top of him and he combed his fingers through her loose hair, letting her set the pace. When her desire pulsed through the link again, he sat up and let her straddle his lap, giving her access to his tail again.

Norm lost count of how many times they mated before they lay down together to sleep on the mossy ground. Ni'nat's limbs were entwined with his and her cheek rested against his chest. Her hand stroked his arm and she whispered to him sleepily.

"Do you want a boy or a girl?"

Norm's eyes fluttered open. He hadn't really thought of gender. "I would be happy with either, as long as you're both healthy."

He felt Ni'nat's mouth smile against his chest and he knew he'd given the best answer to her question.

* * *

Jake greeted Norm the next morning when the anthropologist came into the den with a breakfast of fruit he had gathered. He smirked at him, noting the way he sat down a bit gingerly and avoided causing any friction to his tail.

"Having any trouble walking?"

Norm glanced up at him and his lips twitched before he took a bite out of a piece of fruit. He shook his head wordlessly.

Jake sat down beside him. "So is my hunch right? Is there a chance we could see a little Norm sometime in the future?"

"Or a little Ni'nat," Norm agreed with a sidelong smile after swallowing his food.

Jake's grin was enthusiastic on him. "That's great, Norm. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you two. I was thinking we could go up into the mountains today to get a new ikran for you, if you want."

Norm's smile faltered and he studied the fruit in his hand. "I don't think I'm ready, Jake. I need a little more time before I replace Lrrtok."

Jake winced. "Right. Sorry Norm, I guess I wasn't thinking."

"It's okay. You're just trying to help me move on." Norm was in a good mood, despite the pang of loss inspired by mention of his dead bond mount. Jake might not have the most tact but Norm knew he didn't mean any harm. "Where's Tom at, this morning?"

"He's working on that trailer of his," answered Jake. "It looks really out of place sitting out there but if it makes it easier for him to live here, I don't care."

"You could always try moving it a little further away from Hometree," Norm suggested before taking another bite of his fruit.

"I thought about that, but I don't want him doing his research too far from the village. Eyesore or not, at least if his trailer is in the boundaries there's less chance of an animal attack and he'll be close enough to get help if something does come sniffing around."

"That makes sense," agreed Norm. "I'll help him fix it up to be functional again."

"When you're not busy with Ni'nat," suggested Jake with a grin.

"Well, yeah. That goes without saying."

"Where is she, by the way?" Jake looked around. "I didn't see her come in with you."

"She's out hunting," answered Norm. "I...think she's craving meat."

Jake's eyebrows shot up. "You just started trying last night and she's already having food cravings? Way to go, Norm!"

Norm chuckled and shook his head. "It's _way_ to soon for that to be the reason. Didn't Neytiri have a change of eating habits when you were trying?"

Jake scratched his chin. "Now that you mention it, yeah. She liked her meat cooked rare."

"It's probably a natural result of her body preparing," Norm theorized. "Extra protein to give the unborn a good start, when it's conceived."

"I'll leave the science stuff to you and my brother," Jake said, grunting as he got back to his feet. "Speaking of mates, I'd better go find mine. Tommy had a stomach ache last night and she stayed up with him. If I don't take over so she can get some sleep, I'll have a really cranky woman on my hands."

* * *

As he said he would, Norm helped Tom with the trailer whenever his attention wasn't occupied with trying to conceive with Ni'nat. Jake also lent a hand, though his efforts were better spent on the structure repairs than setting up the lab inside. In fact, Tom wouldn't let him go near any of the delicate equipment he had stocked the trailer with—which suited Jake just fine. They got the power generator up and running within a few days and the computer system was on line shortly after that. Determined to coax his brother into clan life, Jake took every opportunity he could to give him archery lessons and teach him some survival techniques. Still aching over Trudy, Tom welcomed the distraction of the lessons and Jake was patient with him when his attention drifted.

Tanhi spoke to Tom often and Jake could have sworn something had changed between the two of them. The chieftess didn't appear to be as aloof around Tom, for one thing. She also seemed to find excuses to touch him quite often.

Mo'at and Neytiri both started to observe Tom, particularly when the _atokirina_ drifted around him. They both agreed that there was some connection between the seeds' attraction to Tom and the Ikran chieftess, but it was difficult to tell exactly what the connection was. As Tom said to Norm, he had already helped Tanhi and her clan.

"Could Eywa want them to become a mated pair?" Neytiri pondered when she and her mother spoke about it.

"I have never known the _atokirina_ to behave that way just to see a couple mated," Mo'at replied doubtfully. "Eywa lets us make our own choices, with or without her approval. Our Great Mother gives signs like this whenever there is a gift to be shared for her children."

"Then there is something else he must do for the Ikran people," reasoned Neytiri.

"That is what I believe," agreed Mo'at. "We will continue to observe him, daughter. Like his brother, Tomsully could have an important task to fulfill."

* * *

Tom's research trailer was fully operational by the end of the week and he began sleeping in the bunk at night. At first, Jake was a little offended that his brother didn't want to sleep amongst his clan. Tom reminded him of his increasingly frequent episodes of walking and talking in his sleep and Jake really couldn't blame him for wanting to avoid making a spectacle of himself. The poor guy was trying to get over Trudy and sort out his growing feelings for Tanhi but he was a confused mess, right now.

Jake decided not to press him. Tom's sleep disorders might stop again, once he sorted out his tangled emotions and got his life back on track. To his credit, Tom was learning hunter's skills fast and other than his reluctance to wear tribal garb or sleep in Hometree, he was adjusting well. Jake's concern for his brother began to fade until Tom approached him one morning with a very odd question.

"Jake, do you have any idea why your mother-in-law and mate keep staring at me?"

The chieftain looked sideways at his twin and frowned. Tom had fallen into step with him as he returned to the village with his latest kill and the younger sibling seemed a little on edge. "What do you mean, staring at you?"

"Well, this might sound paranoid and a little crazy, but I almost feel like they've been stalking me."

Jake choked on a laugh and stopped walking his direhorse. "Tom, I know you've had some bad luck with women lately but not all of them are out to get you. Unless you've been pretending to be me and acting funky, I can't think of any reason Neytiri and Mo'at would be following you around."

"They don't always do it," corrected Tom. "Just when the _atokirina_ are hanging around pestering me."

Jake remembered speaking to them about the phenomenon and asking them if they could interpret what it meant. "Oh yeah...I forgot about that. Remember me telling you I'd ask about the seeds?"

Tom nodded.

"That's probably why they've been keeping an eye on you. They're trying to decide what Eywa wants from you, is all." Jake patted him on the shoulder. "Don't let it spook you. Who knows, maybe one of them will have an answer for you soon."

Tom relaxed a little. "That clears a lot up. I just wish they would have _said_ something to me. It's been really eerie, turning around to see one or both of them watching me like a hawk when those seeds come around."

"I'll tell the ladies to quit scaring you, all right?" Jake hid a smirk behind his hand.

"I didn't say they were _scaring_ me," protested Tom.

"Okay, bro. Whatever you say."

"Look, I just want to know why I'm a seed magnet," Tom grumbled. "If I can figure out why they keep coming to me then maybe I can put a stop to it."

Jake gazed at him levelly. "You really don't believe in Eywa, do you?"

"No offense Jake, but a couple of years ago you wouldn't have, either."

Jake shrugged. "I guess that's fair." He considered his brother thoughtfully and an idea came to him, lighting up his eyes. "I've got it. Tom, pack some food and get ready for a trip. I'm taking you somewhere as soon as I get this kill on the cleaning wrack."

Tom frowned at him. "And just where do you want to take me?"

"If you want to find out what the _atokirina_ want, maybe you should go to the source," Jake answered slyly. "I'm taking you to the Tree of Souls."

Tom stared at him. "Isn't that sacred ground? I thought you had to be initiated into clan to be allowed there."

"You're my direct blood," Jake assured him, "and this could be important. But hey, if Eywa doesn't exist then maybe it's just something in your clothes attracting the seeds."

"I suppose you want me to link with this tree?"

"That's right," Jake nodded. "If you're right about Eywa, you'll just get a head rush and you won't sense a thing. Then you'll have your confirmation that it's just a weird coincidence."

Tom looked uncertain.

"What's the matter?" Jake challenged. "Afraid you might be wrong?"

Tom took the bait. "All right, I'll do it. I'm interested in seeing this Tree of Souls anyhow. I just hope you're right about it being permissible for me to go there."

"I'll clear it with Mo'at first," Jake promised, "but I don't think it's going to be an issue."

* * *

"You wish to take your brother to visit _Ayvitrayä Ramunong_?" Mo'at looked a bit taken aback, but not offended by the request. Beside her, Neytiri also expressed surprise.

"With your permission. He wants to find out why the _atokirina_ follow him around," Jake explained, "and I want to give him something to believe in. I'm worried about him and if Eywa chose him for something, I think she might speak to him. Short of waiting for him to be ready for his _Uniltaron_, I think this is the best way to give him some clarity."

Mo'at exchanged a look with her daughter. "Tomsully's spirit truly is restless. All that my daughter and I can conclude is that his path is somehow entwined with the Ikran _olo'eyktan_. This may even mean that _he_ is the one who needs help, Son."

Jake tensed. "I didn't even think of that. You think it's possible that Eywa wants Tanhi to help _him_, instead of the other way around?"

"I cannot say for certain," answered Mo'at. "Perhaps you are right and this can only be resolved by asking Eywa herself. I will allow this...on one condition."

"Name it."

"I wish to come along too. I am very curious about this and I would like to see what happens. I believe Neytiri should come as well, as she will take my place as _Tsahik_ some day soon."

"I will arrange for someone to care for Tommy while we are away," Neytiri said.

Jake nodded, trusting Neytiri to find a trustworthy sitter. Ni'nat would ordinarily be happy to offer, but for the time being the singer was absorbed in trying to get pregnant with her own child and since Norm was directly involved in that, he was off the list as well.

* * *

Tom was a little disconcerted to find out that Neytiri and Mo'at would be traveling with them. Not that he had a problem with either of them; they were both amazing women. He just felt like he was going to be talking to a tree in front of an audience. It was going to be difficult enough to take this seriously, despite his respect for the Na'vi belief system. He also worried that he would do something wrong, somehow. Given the interest the _Tsahik_ and her daughter had in him lately, he felt like his every move would be carefully monitored like a rat in a maze.

Tom rode with Jake and Mo'at rode with Neytiri. Tom wondered silently why the _Tsahik_ didn't have her own ikran but he imagined she no longer had a need for one, seeing as she no longer hunted, as far as he knew. He couldn't imagine Neytiri giving up the hunt, when it was her turn to become the clan's spiritual leader. They soared over jungles, streams and hills as they flew away from the _keltural_ and Tom enjoyed the sights and sounds.

They glided alongside a flock of vivid tetrapteron birds at one point, so close that Tom could have reached out and touched one of them. The flock banked away nervously from the riders after a moment, their wings flashing blue, purple and aqua hues. At one point, Tom looked down at the forest below and he saw movement in the trees. He recognized Pandora's native, tree-dwelling primates when he spotted an opening in the canopy and he watched the prolemuris pack frolicking in the branches.

He was enjoying the flight, enjoying the sense of freedom. The last time he rode with Jake, his heart had been too heavy for him to concentrate on more than hanging onto his brother to avoid falling off. Now he was starting to get used to riding on the back of a flying mount. Maybe it wasn't such a far stretch for him to eventually pass through the trials and learn to fly on his own.

Tom was further awed when they came into range of the stone arches. He'd seen photos taken from a distance before, but they didn't compare to witnessing the sight in person. To him, they looked like giant, fossilized tree branches arching over the valley in the mountains. Waterfalls cascaded over the rocks and as the party flew beneath one of the stone spans, Tom caught his first glimpse of the Tree of Souls.

"It looks a little like a giant willow tree," he said aloud, staring down at it. The strands of vegetation hanging from the graceful limbs were unlike any leaf or plant once found on Earth, though. They almost resembled glowing tentacles or straws. Alien in its beauty, the tree fascinated Tom.

"You're about to get a closer look," Jake informed him with a grin over his shoulder.

He directed his mount to descend and Neytiri's followed in its wake. The two ikrans touched down in the clearing, several meters away from the enormous tree. Jake dismounted and he went to Neytiri's ikran to offer Mo'at a respectful hand down. Tom dismounted too, his eyes sweeping over the ethereal strands of the Tree of Souls. He was aware of Jake and the two women watching him as he began to walk toward the tree, drawn by something he couldn't explain. He hesitated when his boots touched the partially exposed root system on the ground and the tendrils lit up, like moss.

"Go ahead, Tom." Jake's voice was encouraging and insistent behind him. "It's just a tree, remember?"

Tom studied the webbed pattern of the root system on the ground and he disagreed with his twin. Yes, it was a tree but it wasn't "just" a tree. He could tell that it was an exceptionally interesting form of flora and he remembered the neural connections between the root system on Pandora. Maybe he wouldn't contact "Eywa" if he connected his queue to those streaming, luminescent strands but it wouldn't surprise him if he caught flashes of images and thoughts stored there from other Na'vi.

"What am I supposed to do," Tom asked uncertainly. "Just...talk to it?"

"You do not have to speak out loud," Neytiri advised, "unless it helps you to concentrate. Eywa will hear your thoughts and desires. If she chooses to, she may answer you."

Beside her, Mo'at nodded with agreement.

Tom took a deep breath and looked up into the branches of the tree. He could see _atokirina _floating around up there and he sighed, guessing they would drift down and cover his body as soon as he came close.

"Here goes nothing," he mumbled under his breath.

As he drew closer to the tree, something compelled him to remove the baseball cap he was wearing on his head. It felt disrespectful to leave it on—like he was stepping into a queen's home or something. He knelt before the thick, gnarled roots at the base of the trunk and slowly reached for the white-pink strands nearest to him. As he suspected, the seeds floating amongst the branches began to drift down and soon, he was covered in them from head to toe. By now his scientific mind was far too curious to be irritated with them and he dropped his hat to the ground to reach for his queue.

He hesitated again when he raised the end of the braid up and held it before the botanical strands he held in his other hand. The tendrils of his queue were already reaching for them as if eager and it was a bit unsettling.

"Do not fear," Mo'at said quietly from somewhere behind him.

Tom pressed his lips together and brought his queue closer; bracing himself for whatever strange experience he might get out of this. The tendrils of his queue wrapped lovingly around the semi-transparent strands and he felt a rush of foreign emotions, almost immediately. His pupils dilated wide and he gasped as voices flooded his mind. He heard songs, he heard laughter, he heard weeping. The weeping drew his attention the most and he frowned.

"What are you trying to tell me?" Tom whispered, unsure of whether he was addressing Eywa or the Na'vi voices.

The world around him suddenly faded in a rush and the disorientation frightened him. His ears lay flat against his head and he shut his eyes, trying to regain his bearings. When he opened them again, the mountains were gone. Jake and the others were gone. The Tree of Souls was still there and just a few feet away was a _keltural_, smaller than the one the Omaticaya called home. There were some Na'vi moving around the base of it and Tom didn't recognize any of them.

"What is this?" Tom murmured. "Where are we?"

Suddenly, the foreign Hometree came closer—or rather, Tom and the tree he was connected to seemed to zoom in without actually touching the ground. He couldn't explain how the Tree of Souls managed to fit into the den opening but the next thing he knew, he was looking around at the dim interior. There were woven pallets everywhere on the earthen floor, with Na'vi of varying ages lying on them. They were obviously very ill. Tom realized that the people who were still up and moving around didn't even make up half the village.

The people lying on the pallets were in health conditions ranging from mild to severe. The worst ones were quite pale, as if anemic. Their lips were colorless and the able-bodied Na'vi worked over them, trying to comfort them and treat their illness. As Tom watched, two lifeless bodies were carried out of the den for burial rites. The den stank of sickness, feces and vomit. People were trying to keep the sick ones clean but there weren't enough caregivers to go around. A young woman was retching nearby and Tom turned to see blood dribble from her mouth. A young man who looked around her age wiped the blood away diligently and stroked her hair. None of the foreign villagers seemed to see Tom or sense his presence.

Tom remembered the symptoms that Tanhi had described when she told him about what happened to her village and he had a sinking feeling that the same sickness was sweeping through this one. With that theory, he wondered if he was actually witnessing the events that drove the Ikran people to the sea. His heart lurched and he looked around for any sign of the chieftess, sure that he would recognize her if he saw her. The tragedy only happened three years ago and Tanhi's appearance couldn't have changed much in that time.

"You will not find me here," a voice said from behind him.

Tom turned with wide eyes to see Tanhi standing before him. She was in full chieftain garb, wearing the symbolic headdress that resembled a crest. Her face was painted and her eyes swept over the dying villagers before settling on him.

"This is not the past, Tom. This is the present. Another village suffers now, as mine did."

Tom's heart was thudding in his chest. There was a supernatural gleam in her eyes and the pattern of spots on her body glowed with the same pinkish light as the strands from the Tree of Souls. "You aren't really Tanhi, are you?"

"I am a reflection of her," explained the woman. "You see me with your heart and spirit."

It made a certain kind of weird sense to Tom. His mind had gone immediately to Tanhi and his pity for her, so whomever this being was speaking to him now took on her form. "Are you...Eywa?"

A subtle smile graced her lips. "I am a part of Eywa, as are all the children of this world." Her gaze fell on the sick villagers again. "Some of those children are dying, now. You have a gift that could save them, Tom Sully. You see this place in your mind and you know where it is."

"I thought Eywa protected the balance of life," Tom murmured, testing her. "Wouldn't an epidemic like this simply be nature, weeding out the weak from the strong?"

"This is no natural sickness," answered the woman wearing Tanhi's face. "These children are dying untimely and the Na'vi do not have the kind of medicine that you do. The choice must be yours."

Tom wasn't about to turn his back on such suffering and he sensed that she knew that. He was only probing out of curiosity. "You couldn't send this information directly to me in a dream?"

She smiled sadly. "You are not so easy to reach. It has been tried, but you feared the unknown."

"The sleepwalking," Tom whispered.

He could never remember his dreams and nightmares, except when he dreamt of Trudy. Tanhi told him that he kept insisting he lost something when she caught him walking in his sleep. Trudy said he'd been babbling about research and specimens, that night in the tree.

"You've been sending me messages all along," he guessed. "They just haven't come through clearly."

"Your brother is easier to communicate with."

Tom smirked. "That doesn't surprise me."

Her fathomless gaze studied him silently for a moment before she spoke again.

"You cannot know what you are," she began, and then her form changed before his eyes and Trudy's beloved, small face was looking back at him, "—until you know what you want."

A rush of emotions stunned Tom. The statement was profoundly true. He couldn't have Trudy and his heart was dwelling on that. His growing feelings for Tanhi were tempered by wariness over being rejected again.

"So what do I do?" He asked after a moment, "I can't just stop loving her. I can't make Tanhi trust me."

"Knowing what you want doesn't always mean getting it."

He sighed. "I was afraid you'd say something like that."

She gave a very Trudy-like shrug. "We're not _all_ you want, though. Maybe you should work on what you _can_ get for now, instead of what you're hoping for."

Tom puzzled over the response and a child's hoarse cry of pain caught his attention. He watched as a little boy covered his abdomen with his hand and curled into a fetal position, while his father stroked his back. Tom thought he understood.

"What I want right now is to help these people."

She nodded and gave him a dimpled smile. "Good answer. Maybe if you pull that off, your head will be on straighter."

Tom stared at her with amazement. If it weren't for that ancient wisdom in her eyes, he would have sworn he was really talking to Trudy. He nearly reached out to impulsively stroke her cheek but he was passing through a tunnel of light all the sudden, as if linking to an avatar. Trudy vanished and so did the suffering Na'vi clan.

* * *

"Tom? Tommy, talk to me!"

Jake shook his brother, terrified by his stillness, his blank expression and his staring eyes. He looked at his mate and mother-in-law desperately. "What's happening to him?"

Mo'at went to Tom's side swiftly and studied him, while Neytiri approached Jake and rubbed his shoulders. "He is in a Dream world," answered Mo'at after a moment of consideration. "The contact with _Ayvitrayä Ramunong_ has sent him on an _Uniltaron._"

Jake ogled her. "That can happen?"

"It is very rare," Neytiri murmured. "Usually, a _Tsahik_ can enter a brief _Uniltaron _when consulting Eywa for guidance."

Mo'at nodded. "Eywa's message to your brother must have been very important, Son. You were right to bring him here. Most Na'vi must submit to the toxins of the arachnoid and the glow worm to induce this state. Our Great Mother has chosen to gift him with Sight without the trial."

"Is he going to be okay?" Though Jake knew his brother would have to go through a Dream Hunt to complete _Iknimaya_, he hadn't been prepared for contact with the tree to induce this state of mind.

Tom gasped and collapsed so suddenly that Jake blurted a startled curse. The biologist's queue disconnected from the tree and he lay on the ground, blinking in confusion. Jake supported him in his arms and looked at him anxiously.

"Tom? Are you all right?"

"There's a village," Tom gasped, his dilated eyes flicking to his brother. "A Hometree to the east, about fifty miles west of the compound we freed the Ikran clan from."

Jake's brows furrowed in confusion. "Are you sure about that? If they'd take the Ikran people captive, they would have done the same thing with any other nearby clans."

Tom swallowed and shook his head. "This is a small community...remote. Either the RDA didn't consider them a big enough threat to bother with right away, they didn't know they were there or they did something else to get them out of the way."

"What do you mean?" Neytiri asked.

"They're dying," Tom said. "I...had a vision when I linked with the tree. There's an epidemic happening in that village and it's killing them." He sat up and looked at them all urgently.

"You think the RDA used biological warfare on them?" Jake's expression darkened.

"Maybe not openly," Tom answered. "I didn't see any signs of violence or invasion. I think if the people I came here with did something, they did it subtly. Maybe someone came into contact with one of these Na'vi and passed on an Earth virus to them, I don't know."

Jake thought of similar events in Earth history, when entire tribes of indigenous people got wiped out through exposure to foreign diseases that their bodies couldn't fight off. "So someone might have given them the flu," he reasoned.

"I doubt it's something air-born," Tom said. "An infected person would have to cough directly in someone's face to transfer an air-born Earth bacterial disease to a new host before the atmosphere here killed it. Most common viruses wouldn't fair much better. The concentration of gases would start killing it as soon as it left an infected host."

Jake understood the gist of what he was saying. "Okay, so body fluids."

"It's possible," Tom said. "I've got to get to that village to find out for sure though. Jake, I need you to take me there as soon as you can. I don't think it's a Pandora strain but I won't know until I can get samples and start researching."

Tom paused and winced, rubbing his temples. "God, my head hurts."

"Okay, calm down," Jake soothed. "It's too late in the day to start traveling that far now and you could probably use a good night's rest anyway, if you want your brain to be in top shape."

Tom nodded. "I've also got to pack some equipment. We'll need to wear protective gear when we go to this place, until I know how contagious this illness is."

"So what does all of this have to do with Tanhi?" Jake pressed with a frown. "I thought for sure there was some kind of connection between the seeds and her."

"There is," Tom said, "but it's complicated. I think the disease that's sweeping through the village I saw might be the same one that..." He trailed off uncomfortably.

"That what?" Neytiri prompted.

"How much do you know about the Ikran clan?" Tom asked warily.

Jake shrugged in ignorance but Mo'at spoke up. "They once lived in the forests not far from the eastern sea. They changed location when Tanhi became _olo'eyktan._"

"Do you know why?" Tom persisted.

She shook her head.

"I've got a feeling _you_ do," Jake surmised. "What's with all the mystery, Tommy? Spill it."

"She told me in confidence," Tom replied softly.

"If it's important then I think we need to know," Jake insisted. "At least the basics. It will stay between us four, unless you want Norm's input too."

Tom sighed and gave in. "It was a disease. It killed a lot of Ikran people and Tanhi ordered the migration to get her people away from the contaminated village. The symptoms Tanhi described to me are very similar to what I saw in that vision. I think part of the reason the seeds were drawn to me when she was around is because she's seen this kind of thing before. She might have more information I can use to help this other clan."

"I did not know any of this," Neytiri said in surprise, her features softening with sympathy. "You believe this illness was caused by Sky People?"

"I can't rule it out," Tom grunted as he got to his feet. "We may need help from the lab team at Hell's Gate. I want to investigate before I rush to conclusions."

"I guess that's a sound plan," Jake agreed. He stood up beside him and cocked his head a little. "Do you believe in Eywa now?"

Tom hesitated for a moment and looked at the Tree of Souls. The _atokirina_ had floated back up amongst the branches, apparently satisfied with Tom's reaction to the experience. "I'm starting to."

* * *

Tanhi watched Tom Sully walk through her encampment, taking note of his purposeful stride. His golden eyes held hers as he approached and her instincts were conflicted between wariness and excitement. She didn't know where the _toktor _went with his brother earlier but his expression said that he had his mind made up about _something_. She had seen him emerge from the human structure brought to the village and she wondered what inspired that look of determination on his handsome features.

"May I speak with you alone?" Tom asked her when he finished closing the distance between them.

Her pulse quickened traitorously. "What do you wish to speak about?"

He glanced around and leaned a little closer to her. "I don't want to say it where other people can hear."

More intrigued now, she nodded and walked into the thicker vegetation with him. Deciding she would let _him_ initiate an encounter for a change, she waited to see what he would do, once they were alone together.

Tom placed his hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes. "Have you heard of the Kilvan clan?"

The question shook her right out of her arduous mood. She blinked at him and nodded. "Yes. The River people don't live far from where our old village was. We traded with them sometimes, before we left." She looked at him suspiciously. "Why do you ask me this?"

"Eywa sent me a vision," he explained, "and now I know what she's been trying to tell me. I saw the River clan in the vision and most of them are sick. You said that it started in your people's bowels. When the vomiting began, was there blood in it?"

Tanhi felt coldness steal over her and she was sure the color was draining from her face. "Yes. Some people bled in their urine, too."

He rubbed her shoulders supportively. "Tanhi, I think these people have the same illness that struck your clan. Did you share the same water source with them? The same hunting territory?"

"The river that flows between their _Keltural_ and our old one provided water for both clans. Sometimes we hunted in the same territory." She didn't completely understand his line of questioning but she assumed that as a healer, he knew something she didn't.

"Did you fish from the river?" His eyes were intense on her.

"Yes. Tom, what does the river have to do with this?"

"What about the fish?" He pressed without answering her question. "Did you find a lot of dead ones in the river when your people started to sicken?"

She shook her head. "No."

"Did the taste of the water change at all? What about the game in the surrounding forests...did any of the animal population start to die out or sicken?"

She was getting confused and upset. "That is why we left. The bad spirits were tainting our hunting grounds. I told you that!"

Tom stroked her hair and softened his voice. "I'm sorry to upset you. I know I'm asking a lot of questions about a painful subject but it's very important that I have as much information as I can get. The more I know, the more prepared I can be when I travel there tomorrow."

That last sentence took her mind off of her confusion and Tanhi was unprepared for the fear that took its place. "No, don't go there, Tomsully."

"What?" It was his turn to look confused.

Tanhi struggled to bring her emotions back under control. "Stay here. Do not go." Her voice trembled despite her efforts to remain calm.

"I'm trained for this sort of thing," Tom tried to assure her. "I know what I'm doing."

"You do _not_ know!" She argued in a raw, passionate voice. "The illness cannot be fought like an enemy and our healers could do nothing! Do not go."

Tom drew her into his arms, just as he had when she first told him what her clan had been through. His voice was low and gentle, a contrast to her fierce protests. "I'll be okay. I have ways to protect myself from the sickness. These people need help and if I turn my back on them, I'm a failure."

She shook her head and he cupped her chin to urge her to meet his eyes. "Tanhi, what if someone could have helped your people but was too cowardly to do it? I have to at least try."

She parted her mouth to argue but she could think of no retort for that. Bravery and honor were important qualities to her people. That was what drew her to him in the first place. Maybe he wasn't a fierce warrior but he was certainly no coward and he had proven already that he was willing to take risks.

Her throat hurt and she stepped away from him, nodding curtly. She didn't trust herself to speak further. The memory of watching her strong, virile mate lying there with sunken eyes, gasping his last breath replayed in her mind. The memory of holding her small son and saying goodbye to him as Eywa took him felt like a fist around her heart. Now Tom was going to risk the same fate.

She gave him a brief gesture of respect before turning on her heel and walking away, avoiding him as he tried to reach for her again.

"Tanhi," he called in a pacifying, tired voice.

She kept walking, not daring to give him the chance to reduce her to tears again. She heard him utter a Human swear word and guilt mingled with her other emotions. She couldn't make him understand, not when she couldn't get the words out.

* * *

-To be continued

**Translations:**

_**Ayvitrayä Ramunong**_= Tree of Souls

_**Tsahik**_= Spiritual leader

_**Olo'eyktan **_= Chieftain

_**Atokirina **_= Seeds of the great tree

_**Keltural **_= Hometree

_**Uniltaron**_= Dream Hunt

_**Kilvan **_= River


	27. Chapter 27

"Between worlds"

Chapter 27

* * *

_**Author's note: See footnotes at the end of the chapter for Na'vi/English translations. I'm assuming that Tom and Norm could set up the research trailer to communicate directly with Hell's Gate, based on their ability to speak with Max through video communications near the end of the film. My theory is that the trailers are equipped with satellite networking capabilities, but I've found no official information to confirm this. Lemon warning in this chapter. Thank you again for the feedback, everyone! **_

* * *

*Disclaimer: I do not own Pandora and I make no profit from writing fanfiction based on the "Avatar" film.

* * *

Tom was in his research trailer with Norm, communicating with Max through the computer's link to Hell's Gate. It had taken a bit of work to get the signal properly set up and there was occasional interference from natural magnetic fields between Hometree and the base.

"I've got four containment suits and masks here, Max. You don't have to worry about that. Norm and I have already examined them to be sure there aren't any tears. The masks are functioning."

"Are you sure four will be enough?" Max's face looked worried on the monitor. The image became fuzzy briefly as the signal wavered, but it cleared up quickly.

Tom nodded. "For now, yes. It's just going to be Jake and I. When I've narrowed down the source of the disease and gotten an idea of how contagious it is I'll contact you again. If I have to, I'll send word to Norm through the transmitter and he can reach you from the research trailer."

"Now wait a minute, Tom," Norm protested, shifting on the stool behind Tom, "I should go with you."

Tom looked over his shoulder at the other scientist and shook his head. "I don't want you going until I know how bad this epidemic is, Norm. I'm sorry. As soon as I'm sure it can be contained, I'll send for you. We'll probably have to move what's left of the clan out of the area, either to a new location or back to Hell's Gate for continued treatment until they're strong enough to migrate on their own."

"Slow down," Norm demanded. "You're going to need a hand there."

"And I'll have it," Tom assured him. "When I know it's safe. Don't forget, you and Ni'nat are trying to start a family."

"Yeah, and I'm not the one that's going to be pregnant."

"But you'll be exposing her to anything you might pick up," Max cut in, siding with Tom.

Norm's eyes shot to the image of their colleague on the flat screen and his mouth twisted. "I...didn't think of it that way."

"Even if your body can resist the worst of it," Tom added, "some diseases can cause sterility in men."

Norm looked crestfallen, but contrite. "Ni'nat would kill me."

Tom chuckled. "She's too sweet for that, but I'm sure the last thing you want to do is ruin her chance to have a baby or risk getting her sick. Just trust me to take care of this first part, Norm. Jake is going help me. I know where to look and what to test for the most likely causes, so all he has to do is guard me while I investigate the territory."

"It still sounds like a lot to tackle on your own," Norm muttered. "Don't get me wrong, I can't think of anyone better to watch your back but Jake doesn't have much finesse when it comes to handling samples and lab equipment."

"That's why he won't be touching any of it, except things he'd have to throw to break."

Max smiled. "It sounds like you've got it all planned out. We'll be on standby to come to your aid as soon as you need it, Dr. Sully."

Tom responded in the same respectful manner. "Thank you, Dr. Patel. I'm sure your help is going to be needed. You'll get word as soon as I've got information to share."

Max nodded. "Take care of yourself."

When the communication ended, Tom shut down the computer and he noticed Norm giving him a thoughtful look. "Is something wrong?"

"It's just a little strange that you two are still so formal with each other by now. Most of the scientists are on a first-name basis with each other these days."

Tom thought of the way Max had jumped between Trudy and the operative during the base invasion. He had been just as willing as Tom to take a bullet for her. "I think he and I have a silent agreement. He hasn't said anything but I suspect his feelings for Trudy run a little deeper than friendship. Another guy would probably resent me for catching her interest, even if nothing came of it."

Norm sighed. "Max is too logical and patient to do that, I agree. I have to admit; I've wondered how he really feels about her. He's never made a move on her as far as I know but sometimes I notice a look in his eye. All I can say is wow, Tom. You two are being really dignified about this. I wouldn't have known there was a rivalry, if you hadn't said something."

Tom shrugged and wiped imaginary dust off the monitor with a cloth. "We don't have a rivalry. We're just both interested in the same woman. There's no point in holding a grudge."

"Would you feel that way if Max and Trudy started dating?"

Tom tensed up and struggled to answer that. The thought was like a giant hand wrapping around his chest and squeezing tight.

"Never mind," Norm answered with a sympathetic look on his face. "I can see the answer in your expression."

Tom sighed and lowered his gaze. "Trudy can make her own decisions. If she's going to be with another man, I'd rather it be Max than anyone else. I know he loves her for who she is and he won't try to box her in or change her."

Norm frowned. "You're a better man than I am, Tom. I don't think I'd be so gracious if Ni'nat ended up with another man."

"I can't expect Trudy to stay single for my sake," Tom said. "If she can be an adult about it, then so can I. Besides, I have another woman to worry about."

"You mean Tanhi."

Tom nodded and he felt like it was time to come clean and say how he felt out loud. "I'm in love with two women, Norm."

The anthropologist's yellow eyes blinked in surprise. "Y-you're in _love_ with Tanhi? When did this happen?"

"I figured it out earlier today, when I told her about the contaminated village and my plans to try and help them." Tom's eyes were distant as he recalled the moment. "She didn't want me to go. She was...afraid for me. She might not act like it most of the time but I know she cares for me now."

"So you realized you love her because she showed you she cares?" Norm looked doubtful.

Tom shook his head. "No. I realized it when I was about to call her back and offer to bring her with us. I thought if she saw me treating these people, she'd understand that the illness isn't an unstoppable force. But then it came to me; I might not succeed in stopping the disease or saving anyone. It made me think of the risk of Tanhi getting infected and that scared the living hell out of me, so I changed my mind about bringing her."

Norm nodded in understanding. "If the thought of her getting sick or dying scares you, then you're probably right. How do you keep getting into these situations, Tom? You're the only scientist I know that draws women like bees on honey."

Tom snorted. "More like flies on shit. I may attract female attention but I repel them just as quickly. They're the honey, not me. I'm just a tiny ant crawling on it."

Norm covered his mouth on a chuckle and coughed. "Let's skip the insect metaphors. Maybe you should be a little more aggressive, Tom. I think I would have lost my chance with Ni'nat if she didn't like me as much as she did, because I kept holding back on showing her how I really felt."

"As far as Trudy goes, I'd be a stalker if I were any more vocal about my feelings," Tom said dryly. "With Tanhi, you may have a point. I _have_ been conservative with her. I've been trying to sort out my feelings and I didn't want to push her. Maybe a nudge wouldn't hurt."

Norm looked out the window and judged the time by the bioluminescence of the plant life and the darkness of the sky. "Well, it's getting late and you should get as much rest as you can until morning. Just think about what we talked about, Tom. You might have a better chance of building something with Tanhi than you suspect. I'd better get going now...Ni'nat's probably waiting for me."

Tom managed a smile for his friend. "You're a lucky man, Norm. Other women would probably be banging on my door by now, demanding your release."

Norm smiled broadly. "Ni'nat's being really patient. I just hope I can give her what she wants."

* * *

Neytiri informed Norm that his mate was waiting for him at the lake, just outside the boundaries of the village. He thanked her and went to find Ni'nat. When he found her, he was reminded of the very first time they consummated their love and became a mated pair. Her personal attire lay in a neat pile on the mossy bank and she stood emerged to the waist in the water, gloriously nude. Her dark hair fell wet down her back; freed from the braids she typically wore it in except for the queue. She heard him approach and she splashed away the plant extract she had used as a natural soap. She smiled up at him, her eyes caressing him invitingly.

"Do you remember our first time, my Norm?"

He chuckled, delighted that she was thinking of the same memory he was. "How could I forget? That was the night when everything I wanted was finally mine."

He flushed a little and he wondered if he was going a little overboard with his heartfelt response. Her pleased, fond smile assured him that she didn't think his comment was cheesy. She held her arms out to him and droplets of water rolled over her skin, sparkling in the glow from the plant life both in and out of the water.

"Come to me? I will help you bathe."

Norm couldn't imagine any straight male alive turning down the offer and he nodded eagerly. He took his weapons harness off and set it down next to her belongings, before pulling his loincloth down and stepping out of it. He waded into the pond and took her into his arms, kissing her softly as she began to pour water over his chest with her cupped hands.

"You are making this difficult, my gentle one," Ni'nat lectured with a teasing smile, even as she tilted her head to give his lips more access to her throat. "I cannot bathe you properly when you hold me so close."

"Then we can bathe afterwards," Norm suggested a little breathlessly.

He had to admire her restraint. She had confessed to him how consuming the need to mate was when she became receptive. He was aching with desire for her, driven by her beauty, her scent and the feel of her naked curves against his body. The pheromones were strong now and she was at maximum fertility. He sensed that if they were going to succeed, now was the time. Despite his urges, he kept his touch gentle and patient as he caressed, fondled and kissed her. Ni'nat didn't argue with his suggestion that he bathe afterwards and her breath quickened as she returned his touches.

Norm groaned heavily when she reached beneath the water to fondle his erect shaft. Her hand stroked with gentle skill and he held her more tightly as her playing threatened to drive him over the edge. He sucked in a few shallow breaths and disciplined himself, letting her touch as she wished without complaint. Her tension rose and she reacted with greater passion in response to his soft moans and gasps.

"Norm," Ni'nat murmured urgently.

He understood the quiet persuasion in her tone and he complied with it readily. He pulled away from her with a somewhat painful smile on his lips and he took her hands, wading backwards toward the bank. She followed him and her eyes devoured him as they stepped out of the water. They came together again, their lips meeting in a heated kiss as they sank to the soft, damp floor of the bank. Soon, their cries joined the nocturnal sounds of the rainforest as they answered nature's demands and strove to create new life.

* * *

"With any luck, Dr. Sully can get the details for us quickly and safely," Max explained to Roy as the two of them walked down the corridor of the bunker area. He was carrying a load of clean sheets and pillowcases with him and Roy glanced at them askew.

"Are you sure he isn't going to want to just sleep in the Avatar cabin with his brother?"

Max glanced down at the linen in his arms and he shrugged. "I've come to know Tom as a private man. He might feel more comfortable sleeping in his old quarters. It's no big deal if he chooses otherwise."

Max stopped outside Sully's door and he took out his keys to unlock it. To his surprise, the door was already unlocked. He could have sworn he'd locked it up after Tom dropped off his keys and left but evidently, he'd been mistaken. Max frowned when he noticed that the lock appeared to have been tampered with by someone. Who would want to break into Tom's old sleeping quarters? He hadn't left anything of value behind; just a few changes of clothing and some books he no longer needed.

"We may need to call security," Max muttered cautiously to his companion. "I think someone's broken in here."

After everything they had recently been through, Roy wasn't about to take chances. He reached for the tazer he kept on his person, ready to zap an intruder if they found one. He nodded at Max and the shorter man opened the door and peered cautiously inside. Max squinted when he made out a shadowed form on the bunk and after his eyes adjusted to the dimness of the room, he relaxed.

"It's Trudy," he whispered. "I'll just check on her."

Roy looked puzzled but he didn't argue. Max walked softly to the bunk and looked down at his friend. Apparently, Trudy had the same idea as him, because the bunk was already made up with fresh sheets. For a moment, he didn't understand why she jimmied the lock instead of just coming to him for a key. He also wondered why she'd chosen to sleep in Tom's bunk, instead of going to her own quarters for the night. Comprehension dawned on him when he noted the way she was hugging the extra pillow. It became even clearer when he saw that one of the paperback books Tom had left behind lay near her sleeping head.

She didn't come to Max for a key because she didn't want anyone to know she was coming in here. She was sleeping in the bunk of the man she had rejected so that she could be close to the lingering sense of _Tom_. She hugged the pillow as if she were hugging the biologist whose once used it.

"You really do love him, don't you?" Max whispered under his breath, careful to speak softly enough not to disturb her sleep. A swell of pity rose in his chest and he didn't have the heart to feel jealous. The petty emotion didn't belong, when his friend was so miserable. Trudy looked small and unusually vulnerable in the Na'vi-sized bunk.

"If I could give him to you, I would." Max smiled sadly at her and he impulsively drew the sheet up over her, tucking her in. He briefly stroked her hair. "Goodnight, Trudy."

He walked out of the room and shut the door carefully. Roy raised his eyebrows questioningly and Max shrugged. "She probably wore herself out on her mission today and decided to have a quick nap. Let's not bother her."

* * *

Tom changed into his boxers and tried to calm his busy thoughts as he lay down in his bunk. He and Jake had already agreed that they would ride Shadow to the plagued village. It wasn't going to be easy to convince the strangers to let them help, therefore it was necessary for Jake to impress them by showing up as _Toruk Makto_. Tom only hoped the villagers wouldn't panic when they saw them in the containment gear.

"I'll worry about that when we get there," he murmured with a sigh.

He shut his eyes and his thoughts bounced between Trudy and Tanhi. He knew when he was falling asleep, because his mind began to drift and random thoughts popped into his head. He was just starting to lose consciousness when an unbidden image flashed in his head. He was lying between the two women he desired, exchanging kisses and caresses between both of them.

Tom's eyes popped open and he stared up at the metal ceiling of the trailer. "Oh, don't even go there, Tom."

It was no use though: his mind had already gone there and it simply wouldn't leave. Tom tried to think of something—anything else but the insidious fantasy kept bumping all other thoughts aside. Never mind that he could never be _in_ the situation he was imagining. For one, the ladies would have to get along and agree to it. For another, one of them would have to wear an exopack. Logic was weak against desire, though.

Someone started rapping at his door and Tom gave a guilty start, flushing as if he'd been walked in on whilst masturbating. He sat up and looked down the length of the trailer suspiciously, wondering who would need to speak with him at this hour. Assuming Jake must have something else to discuss with him before bedtime, Tom pulled the thin cover aside and got out of the bunk. He stubbed his toe on the corner of one of the counters as he walked past the research and kitchenette area and he cursed, hopping a little to catch his balance. Wincing with pain, he limped the rest of the way to the door.

He wasn't expecting to find one of the women from his unbidden fantasy waiting when he opened the door.

"Tanhi," Tom almost sputtered. Remembering his manners, he cultured his voice to hide his surprise and discomfort. "Is there something I can do for you?" His face heated up all over again and he was sure he had "guilt" written all over it.

"I came to bring you this," she offered, holding out a hide bag to him. "There are food wraps and salted meat inside. It should last for three days, at least."

Tom took the gift and he stared at her, feeling a throb of warmth when he saw the masked anxiety in her gaze. "Thank you."

"Do _not_ drink the water there," Tanhi went on softly, frowning. "Don't eat the flesh of the animals, or the bounty of the plants. If you must replenish your stores, go far away to do it. Do you understand, Tomsully?"

He nearly winced inwardly at the way she reverted to speaking his full name like that. It sounded so impersonal. But then, the look in her eyes told him she was struggling to control her fear. As much as she tried to hide it, she cared for him. He was certain of that.

"I promise, if we need food or water, we will gather it far from the territory," he assured her softly. "Tanhi, it's going to be—"

"The land is cursed," she interrupted him. She reached up and cupped his face in both hands, peering fiercely into his eyes. "You saw it in a vision sent by our Great Mother, but I lived it. You must be alert!"

"Shh, calm down," Tom soothed, using his most gentle voice. He set the bag on the floor beside the doorway and he caressed her face. He'd seen her angrily vulnerable before but not frightened like this. His heart ached for her.

"I have ways of protecting myself." He smiled faintly at her and traced her tense jaw. "I know you don't believe it right now, but this thing _can_ be beaten."

"All I know is what I have seen," Tanhi responded in a dull voice. "You do a brave thing, but foolish. Good night, Tomsully."

She started to turn away and Tom impulsively caught hold of her arm, stalling her. "Wait, Tanhi don't run off again. Please."

Tanhi tensed and for a moment, Tom feared she would pull away from him. She turned to look at him with guarded eyes and he eased his hold on her arm.

"Will you come inside?" He prompted spontaneously, "I would like to speak with you."

Her gaze slid over him warily before she gave a curt nod. Tom moved aside to give her room as she stepped through the narrow doorway into the trailer. He moved the satchel of food goods out of the way before shutting the door again and he looked at her blankly for a moment, having no idea what to say. What _could_ he say to her that would make any difference?

"Please, come and sit down with me," Tom offered.

He was surprised by how even his voice sounded. He was a tense as a bowstring inside as he gestured toward the bunk at the back of the trailer. He could have suggested that they sit on the stools by the computer station at the front but the bunk was much more comfortable. He could only hope she didn't get the wrong impression.

Tanhi glanced at the shadowed bunk and then looked into Tom's eyes again. She pressed her lips together and nodded in consent, before padding over to the bedding with the grace of a huntress. Tom blinked and shook his head, forcing himself to stop admiring the natural, feminine sway of her hips as she moved. He joined her as she sat down uneasily on the thin mattress and he hesitantly took one of her hands in his own.

"I want to make a pact with you." The words tumbled out before he could stop them and with a little shock of surprise, he realized he meant them.

Her brow crinkled in confusion. "A blood pact?"

Tom shook his head. "Nothing like that. What I mean is, I want to propose a compromise."

She looked faintly worried. "What kind of compromise?"

Tom gave her a reassuring smile. "It's nothing horrible...at least, I don't think so. I'm going to help those people if I can and if I succeed, I want you to give me a chance. If I prove to you that this illness can be beaten, will you agree to let something more than mating grow between us?"

He could hardly believe he was suggesting it, but Tom was frankly sick and tired of pining for women he couldn't have. His initial plans didn't include romantic relationships but there was no getting past the events that had happened in his life. If he was going to feel this way for a woman, he wanted it to mean something.

"You want to become a mated pair?" She sounded uncertain and wary.

"I want to find out if we could do that, yes," he explained. "Tanhi, you're more than a pleasant distraction to me and I hope I'm not imagining that I could be more to you. I'm not insisting that we have to bond as soon as I return. I know I have to prove myself worthy and I know you could never take an outsider for a mate. All I'm asking for is a little commitment, to see if you and I can compliment one another as mates. Will you agree to that?"

"I...suppose I can," she answered hesitantly. "But you must return to me alive."

Tom smirked. "It would be hard to court you if I'm dead."

Tanhi gave him a brief, faltering smile of amusement. "Yes, that would be hard."

Encouraged by her agreeable response, Tom cupped one side of her face and urged her to turn it towards him. He closed the distance between their mouths and gave her a soft, gentle kiss on the lips. She responded and her fingers combed into his hair. Tanhi parted her lips and traced his mouth with the tip of her tongue. He returned the caress with his own and the kiss deepened, drawing them both in.

His intention was to show a little affection and comfort her, but as soon as her tongue stroked against his, Tom was lost. His passion grew and the intensity of the kiss increased. Tanhi's fingers pulled out of his hair and her hands stroked his bare chest. The simple touch ignited fires within him. She caressed him with greater urgency and murmured his name against his lips.

Tom knew he should stop before they got carried away. It was easier said than done, though. He kept thinking of that one night they shared and his libido was rapidly overtaking his common sense. That one experience didn't seem like enough now. He kissed her more insistently, rapidly losing his composure. One of her hands settled on his thigh and began to move up, pausing at the hem of his boxers. Tom thought about stopping her from going any further but his body demanded that he let her continue. He stroked her arms before caressing her shoulders. His hands moved of their own accord and he seemed powerless to stop them from slipping beneath her necklace.

Tanhi sighed with pleasure as he cupped the firm, silken mounds of her breasts and fondled them beneath the necklace. She broke the kiss to nibble his lips and a low purr hummed in her throat. The sound turned him on even more and he forgot that he was supposed to be putting a stop to this. When she cupped his groin and messaged it through the shorts, he groaned low in his throat and urged her to lie down. She allowed him to guide her onto her back and Tom pulled her necklace off with hasty desperation. Tanhi resumed her touching, gripping his stiffened length through the material and stroking it until his breath became ragged and uneven.

His mind yelled at him that he was making a mistake; that he should wait to do this again. He was supposed to be showing her that he wanted more than sex, not jumping her bones. His body refused to agree with his mind and when she slipped her hand into his boxers to fondle him, his common went out the window again. What remained of rational thought deserted him and he lifted his hips to help her pull his boxers off. She was kissing and nibbling his throat and jaw while she fondled between his thighs with one hand and caressed his chest with the other.

Tom supported himself on one elbow while he caressed her breasts, one at a time. Their lips met again and the kiss they shared bordered on being desperate. Part of him knew that Tanhi was so urgent because she thought this would be the last night she would ever share with him. Even as Tom levered himself up to relieve her of her loincloth, he was berating himself in the back of his mind. He felt like he was taking advantage of her vulnerable state of mind and he stopped when he got the garment halfway down her legs. He rested his forehead against her shoulder and groaned softly, frustrated but determined to do the right thing.

"Tanhi, I'm sorry," he murmured huskily. "I didn't mean to let it go this far. We should probably—"

"If you stop now," she promised with heavy-lidded eyes, "I will never speak to you again, Tom."

He failed to hide the smile that came to his lips. "I wouldn't want that. Is that a serious threat?"

She nodded, her expression deadly serious. "You cannot excite me this way and then leave me unfulfilled. I will not forgive you."

He chuckled helplessly, biting his lip as she continued to fondle him. Her hand slid further down and she palmed his balls, rubbing and gently squeezing. "I can't have you thinking I'm a tease," he sighed. Her touch felt too good to resist and he lowered his mouth to hers again, kissing her in defeat.

He held the kiss for a while before moving his lips over her throat. He trailed kisses down her neck before going lower to her chest. He gently eased her hand away from his groin, ignoring her frustrated protest. "Trust me," he whispered between kisses.

His lips moved steadily lower, brushing sensually against smooth skin and raising goosebumps on it. His hands stroked her ribs, sides and hips as he eased his body down. He felt her anticipation and tension when he got below the navel and he caressed her inner thighs with his fingertips, silently encouraging her to part them further. He fought a smile when she failed to hold back a soft whimper. Tom wasn't by nature an arrogant man but this was one thing he knew he was good at doing. He got further confirmation when she allowed him access to her loins and he began to pleasure her with lips and tongue. Tanhi moaned breathlessly and stroked his hair, lifting her hips eagerly to encourage his actions. His tongue swirled, stroked and thrust with patient deliberation and he adjusted his techniques according to the way she responded to each action.

He knew he was on the track to success when she began to undulate restlessly and call out the slang version of his first name. "Tom-ee...oh!"

He became more determined and he gently eased two fingers inside of her, pumping slowly. He licked at the most sensitive spot, stroking the swollen little nub rhythmically. She began to tense around his fingers and her hands grabbed at the sheets. Her moans increased in volume and frequency and she arched her back. He kept the motions of his mouth steady and persistent, knowing he'd found the best technique. She clenched tightly around his thrusting fingers in a broken rhythm as her peak hit and her body shuddered in reaction. He kept going, not slowing or stopping until the spasms eased up and she lay panting and dazed on the bunk.

Tom stretched out on top of her and placed light, soft kisses on her gasping lips. She put her arms around him and reciprocated enthusiastically. Her legs wrapped around his waist, urging him to join with her in the final act. He held back, though he ached to be inside of her. He took his time kissing her, caressing her body and fondling her breasts.

He half expected her to flip him onto his back and ride him cross-eyed, but she was strangely docile beneath him, allowing him to dominate the encounter. At first, he thought she was just recovering from her climax but when her fingers began to trace his jaw, cheeks and nose, he thought he understood. Tanhi was gazing up at him with an uncommonly soft look in her eyes, staring at him as if memorizing every one of his features.

"I'm coming back," he whispered, trying to reassure her. "I promise. Even if I can't save those people, I'll make it back alive."

She didn't say anything. Instead, she cupped the back of his head and drew him down for another kiss. It was fiercely passionate, conveying emotions to him that she had never verbalized before. He returned the kiss and bumped against her entrance carefully, lining himself up for penetration. Tanhi's breath caught and she held him tighter as he entered her with a slow, smooth thrust.

Tom took it slow as he began to pump his hips. His tongue fenced with hers and he groaned heavily at the feeling of being inside of her again. She was moving her hips in synch with his, following her primal instincts without hesitation or doubt. Her hands kneaded the muscles on his back before she traced his spine down to his bottom and fondled it. Tom pulled his mouth away from hers and looked down at her, watching the expressions of pleasure flit over her face. Her breath hitched a little with each thrust and she began to moan and purr again.

Tom increased the pace of his thrusts, edging in with greater force. Tanhi encouraged him breathlessly, clutching at his bottom and biting her lower lip. He groaned her name and kissed her throat, his tail arching of its own accord as she began to fondle it. He squirmed a little, breaking his rhythm for a moment as the shocks of pleasure distracted him. She eased up on the intensity and he sighed in relief, pressing his mouth to hers for another kiss. The sensitivity of his tail was one of many differences he had discovered about his Na'vi body, over time. Tanhi had introduced him to pleasures he had never experienced before, that first night they had sex. Now she was putting her knowledge of the male body into practice, tracing his ears until they tingled, caressing the nape of his neck until shivers went down his spine and of course, fondling that place on the underside of his tail.

He tried to remain in control of his motions but the more her hands caressed him, the more restraint he lost. She gasped his name as his rhythm changed to quick, shallow thrusts. He pumped harder, driven to the edge of control by the sound of her cries and the pleasure of mating with her. She stopped fondling him and she dug her nails into his skin as she clutched at his back, panting heavily. Her body was tensing beneath him in a telling way and he guessed he could give her another climax before he was spent. He kept going, hardly aware of anything except the bliss and her verbal expressions of pleasure as he strove for release.

Her short, gasping cries came louder as his vigor increased and he thrust harder. The sting of her nails digging into his back only served to excite him more and he bit his lip to hold back a cry of ecstasy.

"Tanhi," he gasped when her gripping heat quivered around his pumping sex. He kept his motions as even as possible and struggled against his own approaching climax, determined to make it last long enough for her to reach total fulfillment. When her tension faded and her strength seemed to leave her, he let himself go and he joined her in the final explosion of pleasure.

Grunting softly as he spent himself within her, he kissed her and trembled over her. He collapsed on top of her in satisfied exhaustion when it tapered off and he caught his breath, shutting his eyes as she caressed his back. Tanhi made a purring sound in her throat, obviously content with his performance. When he had the strength to move again, Tom raised his head and looked down at her passion-flushed face.

"Do we still have an agreement?" He felt uncertain, since he had broken his own promise never to mate with her again until he knew it could be more than sex.

She reached up and traced his mouth with her fingertips, appearing to consider the question. After a moment, she nodded and she lowered her eyes. "I will agree to your terms, if you come back to me safely."

He grinned in triumph and gave her a lingering kiss. "That's all I can ask for."

* * *

Tom awoke to the sound of someone knocking on the door of the trailer. He blinked groggily and looked around, frowning. The night before came back to him in a flash when he felt Tanhi's weight and curves lying on top of him. This time, he didn't experience the dread and guilt that he'd felt the first time he woke up entangled with her. He looked down at her upturned face and he watched her frown in her sleep, disturbed by the knocking on the door.

"Hold on a minute," Tom called, loathe to wake his companion up but aware that he and Jake needed to get going soon. If the light slanting in through the blinds was any indication, the sun had just come up moments ago.

"Mmm, Tom?" Tanhi mumbled sleepily.

He stroked her hair and kissed her gently. "That's probably Jake," he whispered. "You can go back to sleep if you want to. Stay as long as you like."

She scooted aside to allow him room to get up and she watched him as he reached for his boxers and pulled them on. "You will be leaving soon?"

Tom glanced at her and he found himself staring as she sat up without a care for her nudity. He cleared his throat and forcibly reminded himself that he didn't have time to fool around. "We want to get there while there's still plenty of daylight to see by," he explained. "The sooner we leave, the better."

She bit her lip and averted her gaze. Tom noticed the masked expression of anxiety and he closed the distance between them again leaning over her and cupping her face in his hands. "I'm not going to be in direct contact with any infected people. Please, just trust me."

She nodded silently and he kissed her, knowing that his reassurances weren't really making her feel any better. He meant for it to be brief but like last night, the moment she started to reciprocate his blood quickened with desire. He deepened the kiss and completely forgot that someone was at his door outside, until the knocking started again and he heard his twin's voice calling out to him.

"Tom, are you awake? We've got to start getting ready. The day isn't going to wait for us."

Tom reluctantly pulled away from Tanhi and sighed. "I'll be out in a little while," he hollered. He smirked ruefully at Tanhi. "I'd better not keep him waiting. When Jake's ready to move he doesn't have a lot of patience."

"How will you protect yourself from the sickness, Tom?" asked the chieftess.

He walked midway across the trailer and opened up one of the supply closets. "With these," he said, pulling out one of the containment suits to show her. He gulped when she got out of bed and walked up to him, completely at ease with her nudity.

Tanhi studied the suit with furrowed brows. "This will keep the bad spirits from reaching you?" She sounded dubious.

"The sickness isn't caused by bad spirits," he corrected gently. "It's either a viral infection or a bacterial one. Tiny creatures too small to be seen with the naked eye have invaded these people and made them sick."

"Like a...parasite?" she hedged curiously, tilting her head.

"Something like that, yes. If I can find out what sort of creatures are living inside of those villagers, I may be able to kill them and make the people well again. I won't know until I get there and take samples."

She looked at him suspiciously. "How can you look at them, if they are too small to be seen?"

"With the right lab equipment." He nodded at the microscope on the counter, a few feet away. "That object enhances the vision. It lets me see bacteria and other tiny creatures." He wasn't going to try and explain cellular growth to her right now; there wasn't time for such a lengthy talk.

"And once you see them, you can kill them?"

"I can try," he answered. "It depends on if I'm familiar with what's causing the infection or if it's something new to me. If I've never encountered it before, I'll have to try and invent a treatment for it. The other doctors at Hell's Gate can help me with that."

"Then I will wait for your safe return," she murmured.

* * *

Jake was leaning against the side of the trailer when Tom stepped out. He saw the burden his brother was trying to carry and he went to his side to take some of it from him. Shaking his head at the weight of the containment suits, Jake smirked.

"Shadow's going to love me for weighing him down so much. It's probably a good thing we're flying there on him. I don't think my ikran could carry this much extra weight without needing to stop every twenty minutes for rest."

"Sorry Jake. I packed as lightly as I could but the medical equipment is too important to leave behind."

"Don't worry about it." Jake shrugged. "Shadow can take it. Have you had any breakfast or are you going to eat on the way there?"

Tom lifted the sack of food that Tanhi had given him. "I can snack on the way. I'm not very hungry, anyway." He looked over his shoulder at the trailer.

Jake saw a feminine hand draw aside the blind behind the window and his eyebrows went up. "And what did _you_ do last night, Tommy?"

Tom sighed and looked at him, his expression stiff. "I slept with Tanhi again."

"Uh-huh. I thought you said you weren't going to do that again, unless she took it seriously."

Tom shrugged and scuffed the ground with the toe of his hiking boot. "I didn't really mean for it to happen. She brought me some food for the trip and she was so afraid and worried, I just wanted to comfort her. One thing led to another."

"What was she afraid of?" Jake frowned and Tom could empathize with his difficulty in imagining the fierce huntress afraid of anything.

"This epidemic we're going to be flying into," he answered. "After what happened to her tribe, I think she's afraid I'm going to catch the disease and die."

Jake smiled crookedly. "So you _are_ more than a lay to her. See? I told you so."

Tom chuckled under his breath. "It took her long enough to let me know. I've made a deal with her that if I prove this illness can be fought, she has to give me a chance."

"All right, Casanova. Let's get this stuff loaded onto Shadow and see what we can do about making sure that happens for you." Jake was grinning at him, thoroughly amused by his brother's determination to "tame" the wild chieftess and a little relieved that he might have a Na'vi mate of his own, soon. Maybe little Tommy would have that cousin to play with sooner than Jake thought.

* * *

Jake said his goodbyes to Neytiri and his son before he and Tom left Hometree. They flew all through the day, stopping now and then for refreshment and rest. At one point, Shadow spotted a hexapede in a vulnerable position on the ground and Jake let him swoop in for the kill. Poor Tom was taken off-guard by the abrupt dive and he nearly tumbled off of the toruk's back. Cursing in terror, the biologist held onto his brother for dear life and squeezed the breath out of him. Jake took it in stride, more amused by Tom's reaction than annoyed. After Shadow made the kill and ate his meal, they took off again. Tom directed Jake's flight path, guiding their trajectory with the knowledge imparted to him by his vision.

Tom knew when they reached the desired territory. He recognized the winding river below and he told Jake to bank on an easterly course. A few minutes later, he spotted the distant _Keltural _that was their destination.

"We should land outside of the borders and put on the containment gear, before going further," Tom suggested over the wind.

Jake nodded and guided his toruk to the earth, landing on the other side of the river. The twins unpacked the special bio gear and put it on. Jake grimaced at the constrictive feel of being covered from head to toe, having grown used to wearing practically nothing. He didn't voice his complaint out loud though, knowing that his brother would lecture him about the importance of safety measures if he did.

"Now the masks," Tom insisted, handing one of them to Jake.

They were more like helmets than masks and Tom saw the look of distaste on the older twin's face as Jake slipped his over his head. "I know it's uncomfortable, but until we know how contagious these people are, we'll just have to cope."

"I'm a little more worried about how they're going to react to seeing us walking into their village with these getups on," Jake sighed. "_Toruk Makto_ or not, I doubt these people are going to get a warm, fuzzy feeling when they see me wearing this weird suit."

Tom nodded in understanding and activated the air filter on his suit. "We'll just have to find a way to get past their fear and make them trust us. I'm confident you can do that; you have a way with the Na'vi."

"Let's hope you're right," Jake said grimly. He mounted up again and offered a hand to help his brother. Tom climbed up behind him and they lifted off again.

It came as no surprise to Jake to find himself looking down at raised bows as he started to land near the strangers' Hometree. The few hunters that were still able to handle weapons stared up at the landing toruk with understandable fear and superstition. Jake touched down and he held his hands out to show that he was unarmed. He called out to the strangers in Na'vi, assuring him that he and his brother came in peace.

"Eywa has sent a message to us that the River people need help," Jake explained, stepping away from his toruk to approach the male whom he guessed most likely to be in charge. "My brother is a healer. He may be able to cure your people."

"We have heard of you, _Toruk Makto_," said the lead hunter, still keeping his arrow trained warily on Jake. "But you wear strange clothing. You resemble a Sky Person, not one of the People."

"The clothing is for our protection," Jake told him. "We can't help you if we sicken ourselves."

The hunter looked between Jake and Tom and his confusion was evident in his expression. "Two men with the same face," he muttered. "Twins?"

Jake nodded. "Yes. Where are your _Olo'eyktan _and your _Tsahik_?"

"I am now _Olo'eyktan_ of the clan," answered the hunter. "I am Kiwah. Our old chieftain died weeks ago. Our _Tsahik_ is dying, too."

"Will you take us to her?" Tom asked.

Kiwah looked at them both mistrustfully. "We respect the great _Toruk Makto_, but you are both strangers to us."

Tom was about to open his mouth to argue, but hundreds of _atokirina _suddenly drifted over from the branches of the _Kelutral_ and settled on both he and Jake. "Not again," Tom groaned.

Jake had a different reaction. "Relax," he muttered in English, "this is going to help us out."

Indeed, the Kilvan clan seemed impressed and a little awed by the number of sacred seeds attracted to the two strangers. Kiwah lowered his bow and stared at the twins before glancing around at his fellow hunters.

"We will take you to the _Tsahik_," he decided at length. "She is aware enough to tell whether Eywa really sent you, or if it is a trick. You will not enjoy your fate if you are fooling us, strangers."

Jake nodded and gave Tom a warning look before following behind the young chieftain. Knowing that his brother understood tribal politics better than he did, Tom kept his mouth shut and joined them, trusting Shadow to intimidate the strangers enough to keep his equipment safe. They entered the den of the River clan's Hometree and Tom was stricken by the familiar sight of sick and dying bodies lying everywhere. He recognized the _Tsahik_ immediately, by the pattern of beads and feathers she wore around her neck. She looked roughly around Mo'at's age and a younger woman was tending to her.

_"Tsahik,_" Kiwah murmured respectfully, kneeling before the woman, "these strangers have come claiming they were sent by Eywa. This one is the _Toruk Makto_ and the other is his brother, who claims to be a _toktor_. We witnessed the _atokirina_ blessing them."

The woman looked up at Jake and Tom with feverish, yet sharp eyes. "Come closer, _Toruk Makto_. My eyes are not as strong as they once were."

Jake somehow doubted that but he dutifully knelt before her. The woman caring for her helped the _Tsahik_ to sit up and she peered at Jake's face through the clear cover of his mask. "What is that you are wearing?"

"It's for protection," Jake answered. "It will keep us from getting sick while we help your people, _Tsahik._"

"You are certain of this?" She studied him, gazing at him with quiet wisdom and experience.

Jake nodded, having no reason to doubt his brother's word. "I'm certain. If you'll allow it, my brother and I would like to try and save your clan."

She was silent for a few heartbeats and she looked around at her people, her eyes lingering on the children most of all. "Eywa came to me in a dream," she announced in a tired voice. "She said two strangers would come to save us. It could have been the illness, or it could have been the truth. Either way, we have no strength left to fight this alone."

She looked at Jake, then at Tom. When she spoke, she addressed Kiwah. "You will assist these strangers, _Olo'eyktan_. Perhaps they will succeed where I have failed."

The chieftain nodded respectfully. "As you wish, _Tsahik_."

* * *

The first thing Tom did was get samples of body fluids from the infected people. Jake grimaced as his brother even collected traces of vomit and feces, but he supposed that whatever was killing them was probably in the unsavory samples, too. He followed Tom's instructions and carefully placed each sealed case into the collection box as he followed him from one pallet to the next.

Tom was good at his job. He spoke in a calm, reassuring voice to his patients and he worked quickly and efficiently. He asked a little girl her name as he swabbed the inside of her mouth for saliva.

"Sha'tira," she answered in a raw little voice.

Tom smiled at her. "That's pretty. What is your favorite game to play, Sha'tira?"

"Chase," she answered. "My brother used to play it with me always, but now I am too sick."

Tom nodded at her. "We'll see if we can get you healthy again. Will you open your mouth for me? This won't hurt a bit and it will only take a moment."

She looked at her father questioningly and he gave her a nod. The little girl dutifully opened her mouth wide and Tom gently got the saliva sample with the cotton swab. He handed the swab to Jake when he was finished and he patted the girl on the shoulder.

"Very good. We're finished now, Sha'tira. You can lay back down."

Tom wisely chose to get his blood samples from one of the adults, guessing the clan would react badly to him approaching one of their little ones with a needle. The man he took the blood from was warily cooperative and it only took moments for Tom to fill the vial.

"Okay, I've got everything I need from the infected people," Tom said to Jake. "I need to get started analyzing it, but I also need some samples from the local water source and plants. Do you think you can handle that for me, Jake?"

"Sure," agreed the older twin. "I'll do whatever you need me to."

Tom nodded and relaxed a bit. "Just be careful with what you collect," he reminded him. "Don't expose yourself to it and make sure the containers are sealed tight."

Jake nodded, un-offended by his faintly lecturing tone. "I'll watch what I'm doing."

While Tom carried the samples taken from the Na'vi into the alcove he had set up to test in private, Jake went outside. It was hard to ignore all of the suffering around him as he passed by the stricken villagers but Jake knew that if he stopped to think about it for very long, his emotions would become a distraction and he'd make mistakes. Seeing one of the villagers vomiting blood reminded Jake that all of Tom's precautions were very much prudent. This disease wasn't something he wanted either of them to contract. Jake intended to make sure Tom tested both of them before returning home, too. He'd rather die than expose his beautiful mate or tiny son to this illness.

Jake patted Shadow as he walked past, hiding a smile as the villagers continued to regard the great Leonopteryx with awe. "Steady, boy," Jake soothed. "Don't eat the people we're trying to help."

He took a moment to prudently form _tsahaylu_ with his mount so that he could convey his feelings to him. He silently warned Shadow not to hunt or drink in the territory, instructing the animal to fly a few miles away to see to his needs. When he was certain the beast understood, Jake continued on to the river. He squatted down and collected some of the water in a durable plastic container and then he pulled up some of the freshwater kelp and placed it in another one. He looked around as he wiped his gloved hands on his pants, wondering which of the many plants he should take further samples from.

"If I were Tommy, what would I go for?" Jake muttered to himself.

He tried to think like his brother and he reasoned that Tom would probably want samples of the plant life commonly eaten by animals and Na'vi. He noticed that there seemed to be plenty of fish in the river, so whatever was killing the tribe didn't seem to be in the water or else the fish were immune to it. With that thought in mind, Jake decided he should try to catch one to bring back to his brother. He wasn't sure it could provide any answers if the fish weren't infected but he didn't think he should rule it out.

* * *

Tom jumped a little when Jake came into the alcove behind him and said his name. The biologist had his microscope set up on a tree stump he was using as a table and he was bent over the device in concentration.

"Easy," Jake cautioned with a little smile. "It's just me. Wow, you're really dug in, aren't you?"

Tom nodded and turned his attention back to the microscope. "I want to figure this out fast."

Jake nodded and put the box of fresh samples on the floor beside his brother. "So have you got anything yet?"

Tom pulled his head away from the microscope and frowned. "It's a bacterial infection, all right. I've found traces in the saliva, stool and vomit taken from the victims. The blood drawn directly from the veins is clear, so this isn't a blood disease. It's in the intestines."

Jake grimaced. "Is that good or bad?"

"It could be either," answered Tom. "The bacteria I've found looks vaguely like a common Pandora bacteria similar to an Earth strain of malignant E coli. There's something odd about it though. I need to look at the water sample you've brought and see if it's in there. I don't suppose you found any animal droppings I could look at?"

"Uh, I didn't think of looking for poop," Jake answered, "but I did bring back a fish for you to look at. It seemed pretty healthy to me when I caught it, though."

"Some infections that hurt mammals aren't dangerous to fish and other cold-blooded creatures," Tom said with a nod. "You did the right thing, catching one for me. I'll have a look at it when I finish checking the water."

Jake nodded and watched as Tom put away the Na'vi samples and began going through the other ones. Tom took a water dropper and collected a tiny bit of water from the container. He put a single drop on a slide and placed it under the microscope. He clicked his tongue as he looked through the device.

"This is what I was afraid of," Tom announced softly. "Their water source is contaminated. That means every plant and animal for miles is probably infected too." He took the fish out of the box and he began to dissect it, taking samples from its stomach, blood and scales for examination.

Jake sat down beside him and waited silently while Tom thoroughly examined each sample. A wail of grief arose in the den and Tom shared a grim, pained look with Jake.

"Another one died," Tom whispered, shutting his eyes. They could hear a woman's sobs and a child's frantic calls for his father, begging his spirit to return to his body.

"Try not to think about it," Jake insisted, squeezing the other twin's shoulder supportively, "You need to concentrate on the living, Tom. Otherwise we're not going to keep them that way."

Tom sighed and nodded, forcing his attention away from the heartbreaking sounds of grief and back onto his task.

* * *

It took two full days for Tom to reach a solid conclusion. He shared it with Jake when he was sure. "We're dealing with a mutated form of Pandora bacteria," he said. "It's inside the fish but it looks like it can't hurt them. I've also found traces of chemicals in the water."

"Chemicals?" Jake frowned in confusion. "From what?"

"That's what we need to find out," answered Tom. "The Na'vi don't use harmful chemicals so the water pollution has to come from a human-made source somewhere nearby. The bacteria adapted and evolved thanks to those chemicals. We need to scout the territory and see if the RDA built any plants or other structures in this area of the world."

"I think I can get the answer to that faster than scouting," Jake murmured. "The base should have a record somewhere of all RDA manufactured structures on Pandora. I'll try to get in touch with Max and see what he can come up with. If it's on the map, he'll be able to give us direct coordinates."

Tom nodded. "Good thinking, Jake. It will save us time if we know exactly where to look. I suspect it has to be near the river somewhere, or near a body of water that feeds into the river."

"I'll mention that to Max when I speak to him," assured Jake.

"Good. In the meantime, I'm going to start collecting specimens of other bacteria and testing how they react to this mutated strain. I'm going to start by testing the treatment commonly used to deal with the original form of these bacteria. If I get favorable reactions, I may be able to distribute antibiotics to these people right away."

"But you don't think it's going to work," Jake guessed, reading his brother's doubtful expression.

Tom shook his head. "It's not likely. These bacteria are more resilient than their predecessors. In order to fight off a mutated version of them, I may have to create a mutated version of the treatment. That's why we need to find out where the pollution came from. I need to know what exactly got into that water to change the organisms."

"We'll get right on it," Jake promised.

* * *

-To be continued

**Translations: **

_**Kelutral **_Hometree


	28. Chapter 28

"Between worlds"

Chapter 28

* * *

_**Author's note: See footnotes at the end of the chapter for Na'vi/English translations. **_

* * *

*Disclaimer: I do not own Pandora and I make no profit from writing fanfiction based on the "Avatar" film.

* * *

"As a matter of fact, there _was_ an unobtanium processing plant built not far from that area, around seven years ago," Max confirmed over the transmission the next morning. "It was abandoned when the RDA found a richer location to build in. My guess is your brother is right; sometime between when it was abandoned and now, the corrosion of the building allowed a chemical leak that's been poisoning the nearest water sources. The soil near the structure is probably contaminated too, Jake."

Jake sighed and looked over his shoulder at the village. "Can you give me coordinates, Max? I need to go there and get some samples for Tom."

"Of course," answered the scientist readily. "I'll have those for you in a minute. Jake, do you need us to send people in to help?"

"Not yet," answered Jake. "Tom's still analyzing how dangerous this outbreak is. I'll let you know when he's ready for your people to come in and help. I've also got to prepare the villagers so they don't panic when a bunch of Sky People come."

"I see." There was a crackle of static and part of Max's response was lost. "...over time. Those villagers may have not been exposed all at once."

"Sorry, I missed some of that," Jake said, "Could you repeat it?"

"I said that depending on how long these chemicals have been leaking into the water supply, the River clan might have been exposed over a period of months or years, rather than suddenly. That could be good or bad for us. There's a chance that it takes prolonged exposure to start killing a person, but there's an equal chance that the villagers have built up a stronger resistance to it through gradual introduction."

"And what does that mean?" Jake was getting frustrated with his inability to clearly understand his brother and friends.

"It means that short term exposure to the disease could be safe for us, or it could be excessively deadly," obliged Max. "Dr. Sully is right to be so cautious."

Jake imagined what it would be like to wake up vomiting and shitting blood in one day and he shuddered in spite of himself. "Yeah, I'd better get moving on finding that processing plant. Give me the coordinates."

* * *

Later that afternoon, Jake returned to the village with samples of chemicals he had collected from the ruined plant.

"Okay, we've got green slime, brown slime and coffee colored slime." Jake set the sample jars on the floor beside his brother's makeshift table and huffed a sigh. "This all came from busted tanks at the abandoned processing plant. The tanks were leaking into the plumbing and the plumbing feeds into the river. It looks like they had a filter system but it's all decayed now and nothing's stopping this shit from leaking into the river. There's no telling how long it's been poisoning the water."

Tom took his attention away from the antibiotic solution he was working on and he picked up one of the jars, examining it with narrowed eyes. "I'll have to run an analysis on this. The problem is, I don't know if the equipment I have here is going to be sufficient for it."

"What if I took some samples to Hell's Gate while you keep working here?" Jake suggested.

Tom grimaced. "I'd say that's a good idea, but I don't want either of us leaving this place until I know we won't be carrying anything back to our associates or loved ones."

Jake frowned at him. "What about these containment suits we've been wearing? I thought they'd protect us from exposure."

"They will, to a point," Tom answered. "There's very little chance we can get infected, as long as the suits aren't compromised. Even so, I think we should play it safe. The treatment I'm testing now seems to be fighting the hostile bacteria, Jake. It just needs the right boost and maybe these samples can provide that. We just have to be patient."

Jake forced himself to relax. "I guess I can't expect you to have it all done in a few days. We're running out of food and water though. I think I'll go and hunt while there's still enough daylight."

"You do that," Tom agreed, "it's best to keep yourself occupied anyhow. Just make sure you don't do it within a thirty-mile radius of this territory."

"Got it," Jake answered. "I'm going to try and reach Neytiri or Norm over the transmitter, while I'm at it. They've got to be wondering what's going on here and I'm sure Tanhi would like to know you're still alive and kicking, too."

A ghost of a smile flitted over Tom's lips at the mention of the Ikran chieftess. The smile vanished a moment later when thoughts of Trudy inadvertently crept into his mind. He wondered how she was doing. He shook his head and narrowed his focus back on his work. He couldn't keep obsessively pining over Trudy. She made her choice and now, he had the opportunity to make something work with the other woman in his life.

* * *

Jake returned that night with a fresh kill and as much untainted fruit, berries and fish as he could collect and carry on Shadow. He offered the food to the clan, though many of them were too ill to keep anything more than broth down. He realized he was going to have to hunt every day to feed all of these people, himself and his brother. The direhorse herd and ikrans once used by the River people were all dead, killed by the same disease that was steadily dropping their numbers. Because they were limited to travel by foot, the hunters weren't able to travel far away from the territory to gather food.

Jake did manage to find a lake not too far from the Hometree and he had the presence of mind to bring back a sample of the water for his brother to test. So far, it looked like most of the contamination came from the river that served as the major water source.

"I figure if you don't find anything nasty in the water I brought back, the clan can at least have a clean water source to gather from," Jake said to him as the two of them went into the forest away from the village to eat their dinner. While Tom hadn't found any evidence of air-born bacteria, they were still cautious about removing their masks around the infected people so they ate their meals away from the clan.

Tom took a bite of the roasted hexapede meat and nodded in agreement. "That's good thinking, Jake. I've told the leaders that they need to avoid feeding people plant or animal life near their village and I'm glad you were able to bring extra back. It looks like you're going to be busy, until we're ready to move these people."

Jake shrugged. "I don't mind. I've got nothing better to do around here until you need me for something. It'll keep me occupied. I've got some good news, though." He grinned broadly.

"Yeah? What's that? I could use some good news," prompted Tom.

"Norm found out this morning that he's going to be a dad. Ni'nat told him at breakfast and he nearly choked to death on his food."

Tom laughed softly, easily picturing Norm with his eyes bugging out in shock and his mouth full of food. "I take it he's okay now?"

"Yeah, he's fine. He's really excited about it. I think he was worried he wouldn't be able to pull it off and finding out that his work paid off took a big load off his shoulders." Jake smirked. "I can relate to that."

"I wouldn't define making love to a beautiful woman again and again as 'work', but I understand your point," Tom said dryly. He took another bite of food and swallowed before speaking again. "How are Neytiri and Tommy?"

"Good," answered Jake. "Tommy's eating solids better now."

Tom smiled, glad to hear that his nephew and sister-in-law were okay. He wanted to ask if Jake heard anything about Tanhi but he didn't want to come off as lovesick. The sly glint in Jake's eyes told him that his brother sensed the unspoken question and he sighed, giving up.

"Do you have any news about Tanhi?"

"I was wondering when you were going to swallow your pride and ask that." Jake looked somewhat smug. "Yeah, I asked Neytiri about her. She says she seems a little restless but she's been keeping herself busy."

Tom nodded. "That's...good." His thoughts went to the night before he and Jake left and he shifted self-consciously, hoping his expression wasn't revealing too much to his brother.

Jake watched him quietly for a moment and Tom knew he was measuring him. "What?"

"Do you think you're over Trudy yet?" The question was asked casually and Jake pretended to examine the rib meat he held in his hand.

Tom opened his mouth to say that yes, of course he was over Trudy. The lie got stuck in his throat and he shut his eyes and sighed. "To be honest with you, I'm not sure I'll ever be _completely_ over her, Jake. What Tanhi and I have is complex and it's steadily growing, but what was between Trudy and I hit me like a ton of bricks. I can't remember the last time I fell that hard, that fast."

Jake nodded and gave him a serious look. "Getting blown off just when things got interesting couldn't have helped, either. I feel for you man, but I think you should know that if you and Tanhi get serious and bond with each other, she's going to know how you feel about Trudy. You can't lie in _tsahaylu_. You can try to keep it from her but believe me, it's not easy."

"What have you tried to keep from Neytiri?" Tom asked with interest. He couldn't imagine Jake harboring lustful feelings for another woman, the way he openly adored his mate.

Jake looked away and frowned. "Just some fears and insecurities I was having when we were expecting the next ISV to come in. She was pregnant and I didn't want to put any more stress on her shoulders."

"I can understand that," Tom murmured. "I'm just going to be honest with Tanhi. She already knows about Trudy and I and I think she understands. She even called her 'my human' when she saw her."

"Yeah, but that was when you were just a boy toy to her," Jake pointed out, "when you two are a mated pair she might not be so understanding. Most women don't like knowing you're thinking of someone else and Tanhi's going to sense that every time you link with her."

Tom stopped chewing the bite of food he'd taken and if his mouth weren't full, he would have cursed. Jake was absolutely right. It was perfectly logical that Tanhi wouldn't feel so liberal about his love for Trudy if the two of them became committed. Na'vi women were generally territorial over their men and vice-versa. He thought of the way Tanhi had hinted she would fight Trudy and his food felt like a lump in his stomach. He didn't want to see either of the women getting hurt over him...especially by each other.

"I can see by the look on your face you're taking my warning seriously," Jake commented. "You need to. I don't know Tanhi that well. Maybe she'd still be cool with it, but I'm just trying to prepare you. This is something you need to think about, if you're going to take _iknimaya_ and join the clan. You'll be fit to be her mate then and it's hard to keep barriers up when you're linked to your woman and getting it on."

"You've got such a charming way of describing it," Tom grumbled.

"I'm just being honest," Jake defended. "There's no point in beating around the bush. So, _are_ you going to finish your trials when we're done here? You've already had a Dream Hunt and your horseback riding skills are good enough. All that's really left is for you to make your first kill and bond with an ikran to be initiated."

Tom nodded. "That's what I plan to do, when we've finished this. I'm still not keen on the loincloth part, though."

Jake grinned. "Nobody's going to try and force you to, but if you want to show that you're embracing the Omaticaya ways, you should at least try wearing tribal gear. Just think of it like a pair of swimming trunks."

"More like a thong," Tom grumbled.

Jake laughed under his breath and Tom joined him. It was good to have something to lighten their mood, even temporarily. The short break from the grim situation of the River clan gave a much-needed boost to moral.

* * *

"This is day eight of the cure effort. I'm finding favorable results using a combination of antibiotics that have worked on other Pandoran bacterial diseases but so far, I haven't found one that's able to wipe out the malignant organisms. I've begun treatment of the infected anyway, to slow down the deterioration process and allow more time for a cure."

Tom paused and sighed, staring at the voice-recording device in his hand. "My twin brother Jake has been providing un-tainted food and water for the clan. It seems to have done some good at restoring their strength. Some of the infected have shown signs of improvement, now that they aren't introducing more of the harmful bacteria and chemicals into their systems."

Tom leaned over to check on the newest test sample under his microscope. "I think that most of these villagers can make a full recovery, if I can...only..."

He trailed off and his brows drew together. Tom slowly brought the recording device close to his mouth again, keeping his eye on the activity under the magnified observation lens. "I'll be damned...I'm finally seeing some moderate results. The newest strain of probiotics I've enhanced appears to be winning the fight against the mutated strain of pathogenic bacterium."

Tom stared intensely into the microscope and watched as the "good guys" steadily ate the "bad guys". Best of all, they didn't seem to be going after the Na'vi cells.

"I may have found a safe treatment," Tom said cautiously into the recorder, "but I have to test it. I have no way of knowing what side effects this could produce, since it's essentially a supercharged version of an older probiotic solution."

He paused the recording again and straightened up, narrowing his eyes in thought. He would need an infected Na'vi subject to test the treatment on; there was no way around that. Unfortunately, he couldn't expect any of the stricken villagers to give him informed consent. Even the brightest of them couldn't possibly gain full comprehension of what he wanted to do in the time he had to explain it.

Tom glanced at the microscope once more before reaching up to unlock the seal of his protective headgear. There was a hiss of air as the filter deactivated. He set his recording device on the stump next to the microscope, absently staring at the flashing, digital word: "PAUSED" on the tiny screen. With both hands, he pulled his filtering helmet off and set it on the earthen floor. He inhaled a steadying breath and released it before reaching for his kit. Inside were various samples taken from the water supply, plants and animals.

Tom started to reach for the jar containing the water sample but he stopped and shook his head. He picked up the recording device and un-paused it. "I've concluded that my best choice is to be my own test subject, but simply ingesting a cupful of contaminated water won't duplicate the advanced condition quickly enough. I'll need a concentrated dose."

He reached for his supply pack and searched for the small centrifuge machine he had brought with him. It wouldn't hold more than a half a dozen samples and the battery pack was limited, but he shouldn't have to do this more than once. To get the concentrated exposure he needed, he would have to separate the pathogenic from the infected samples and put it all into one dose.

* * *

Jake was utterly exhausted by the time he relinquished the day's kill and assortment of collected plant foodstuffs to the clan. Even with Shadow's help, he had to hunt and gather from dawn to dusk to keep them all fed. They rationed the food as best they could and the sick ones couldn't eat much anyhow, but without mounts to carry them the long distance to safe hunting grounds, they couldn't aid him. Their chieftain took several of the able-bodied hunters into the forest with him each day to fish and refill water supplies from the untainted source Jake had found, but the rest was up to him for now.

Jake practically stumbled back to his toruk, who was waiting on the outskirts for him. He gave Shadow a wan, apologetic smile as he dragged his share of the kill to him.

"I know you can hunt your own, but the least I can do is give you a snack," Jake explained to the beast. He dropped the haunch of hexapede before Shadow and patted him as the animal eagerly devoured it. "Sorry boy. With any luck, we won't have to do this for much longer."

Jake looked over his shoulder at the village and he silently hoped that Tom was finally satisfied enough to call for backup. Jake was expecting his brother to determine the threat level and then let the science team come in to help. Tom wasn't convinced that was enough though. He didn't want anyone else involved until he was sure they wouldn't be at risk.

"Guess I can't fault him for that," Jake sighed. Trudy would probably be involved in transporting doctors and patients, after all. "I don't want Neytiri anywhere near here myself, so I can't blame Tommy."

Shadow finished the meager portion of wild game and he looked around with an offended air when he realized there was no more to be had. Jake smiled apologetically at him and patted him once more.

"Yeah, there wasn't enough to bring you more. When this is over, we'll get a whole Sturmbeest for you. I promise."

Shadow snorted and gave him a reproachful look, but the great toruk gave him a forgiving nudge with his snout that nearly sent Jake backpedaling to the ground. The young chieftain grinned at his powerful mount and righted himself before giving him a last pat on the neck.

"See you in the morning, boy."

Jake left his toruk and he heard the beast take to the air with a great sweep of wings as he walked back to the village. Kiwah came to greet him as he approached the den and he offered Jake a leaf basket of cooked food for him and his brother.

"You have our thanks, _Toruk Makto_," the River chieftain said with polite dignity.

Jake gave him a respectful nod and took the offered food. They had developed a pattern since Jake took up the task of bringing in meat and forest produce for the clan. Kiwah and the others cleaned his kills and prepared whatever other foods he brought back with him, in exchange for his providing the nourishment. They always selected the most choice meat cuts and juiciest morsels for the twins, bound not only by hospitality but also by gratitude for what they were trying to do. Tom had slowed the death rate so far with his treatments, but the question of whether he could stop it altogether remained unanswered.

At least now, they could eat closer to the village. Tom confirmed that the disease couldn't easily be spread through airborne contact, but he still insisted that they keep their headgear on when in the den and eat away from the infected population. Jake set the food basket down where he could easily find it again and he secured his head gear before entering the den to retrieve his brother. He knew he would either be doing rounds treating the sick, or he would be in his alcove doing research.

Jake guessed it was the latter when he didn't spot Tom amongst the dozens of sick patients lying around the den. He moved carefully so that he wouldn't inadvertently step on anyone as he made his way to the back, where the individual niches were located. He glanced at the clan's _Tsahik_ in passing and he frowned when he noticed the way her breath was shuddering. She didn't have much longer to live. Jake forced his attention away from the suffering matriarch and came to a stop before Tom's makeshift "lab room".

When he pushed aside the hide covering and ducked in, he came up short and stared at the scene before him with utter confusion. Tom's containment suit lay abandoned in a heap against the wall. The biologist was in the cargo pants and button-up shirt he wore beneath the protective gear and his legs were folded beneath him. He was drawing a putrid colored liquid out of a vial with a syringe. Sitting before him was a miniature version of a device that Jake was vaguely able to identify as one of the spinning things doctors sometimes used to separate blood from plasma.

"Tom? What's going on?" Jake demanded. "Why are you out of your gear?"

Tom glanced at him sideways but he didn't pause. "I'm close to a breakthrough, Jake. Keep your containment suit on." He finished drawing the solution from the vial and replaced the normal-sized needle with a much longer one. Tom lifted his shirt and he sterilized a spot on his abdomen, between his belly button and ribcage. Tom spread the first two fingers of his left hand over the sterilized area and he began to close in on it with that intimidating needle.

"What are you doing?"

"What I've got to do," answered the other twin. He pushed the needle in without hesitation and he grimaced in pain.

Jake was so stunned that all he could do was stand there and stare with wide eyes. Tom pushed the trigger on the syringe and the plunger sank down, injecting the mystery fluid into his body. When the dose was fully distributed, Tom eased the needle back out and put the syringe into a biohazard containment case, shutting it securely. He looked up at Jake with a calm, resolute expression on his face even as his hands visibly trembled.

Jake found his voice and the ability to move again. He stumbled into the small alcove and squatted down beside his brother, grabbing him by the shoulders. "What the hell did you just _do_, Tommy?"

"I've infected myself," answered Tom in a strained, yet satisfied tone.

"_WHAT_?" Jake thundered. "Are you out of your goddamned _mind_?"

"No," Tom answered calmly, his gaze level and determined on Jake's, "my mind is exactly where it needs to be. I think I've found a cure, Jake, but I need an infected subject to test it on before I can be certain."

"So you just decided to infect _yourself_?" Jake knew his voice was carrying but fear for his brother was ruling him now. "That doesn't make any damned sense! There's practically a whole village of infected people you could try it on!"

"Not ethically," Tom countered. "I won't use these people as my lab rats and that's essentially what it would amount to. They don't understand advanced medication, Jake. The best way for me to know that my treatment is working is to use it on myself. I have to be infected, to do that."

Jake let go of Tom's shoulders and he threw his hands out wide in frustration. "No, that isn't the best way! You're supposed to be healing them, not joining them."

Tom's response remained calm. "Don't tell me you never tested new weapons."

Jake stared at him in amazement. "They might have given us new weapons to test in the service but I sure as hell didn't shoot myself with any of them to make sure they worked!"

Tom wasn't deterred. "You're going to have to trust me. This way, I can monitor the symptoms myself and I'll know if something isn't right. Trying to get a suffering Na'vi to explain everything they are feeling is time consuming and hard on them. I know my work, Jake. I can do this better without a blindfold."

Jake took a deep breath and let it out in a huff. "You're crazy, do you know that?"

Tom smiled wistfully. "Maybe I am, but sometimes that's what it takes to get the job done."

Jake couldn't really disagree with that. After the things he'd done to help defend the Na'vi, he couldn't really lecture anyone on what was crazy and what wasn't. "Tommy, if this kills you..." He trailed off and swallowed. He didn't think he could handle watching his brother die...especially not the way those people in the den were dying. He couldn't reverse what Tom had done, though.

"What do you need me to do?" Jake finally asked in defeat.

"I should be symptomatic by morning," Tom answered, briefly rubbing the spot where he'd injected himself. "I need to let it reach a certain level of severity before I start taking the treatment. It won't be pretty, Jake. I'm going to get very sick and even once the treatment starts working, I'll be weakened. You'll have to help me with the distribution to the most vulnerable clan members, once I'm sure it's safe to use on them."

Jake sighed. "I'm here for you bro, but don't let it get out of hand. If you're wrong about this, you're going to have to come up with something else fast."

Tom reached out and patted him on the arm. "Thank you, Jake. I wouldn't be able to do it without you."

"If you say so," Jake muttered. "So tell me why you decided to expose yourself _that_ way? Wouldn't it have been less painful to give yourself a shot in the arm?"

"Yes, but it wouldn't have created an accurate scenario and might have made me even worse off than these people," Tom explained. "This disease starts by ingesting the harmful bacterium. It attacks the stomach, intestines, kidney, liver and bladder. Injecting it into the blood would have sent it through my entire body through the circulatory system. I needed it in my stomach and I wasn't about to drink that shit."

Jake grimaced. "I can't blame you for that but couldn't you have just...I don't know...eaten a bunch of fruits and nuts from around the territory?"

"That would eventually cause infection, but I don't have time to wait. I could stuff my face with contaminated food from this area until I puke, but by the time I've got advanced symptoms to test this treatment it would be too late for most of these people."

Jake shook his head. "And you used to call me a risk taker. I'd rather face down a group of angry Venezuelan guerrillas than shoot up with some mystery disease."

Tom smirked. "You pick your battles and I'll pick mine."

* * *

"The cramps started just before sunrise and they're steadily getting worse." Tom grunted and put a hand over his abdomen. He was breaking into a cold sweat as his symptoms rapidly worsened. "I took the precaution of setting up a jug and a bowl of clean water and I've got the alcove set up to handle it, when my condition worsens. When I start to experience the second phase of the disease, I'll administer the experimental treatment to myself and Jake will—"

"Would you stop talking into that damned thing?" Jake interrupted. "I feel like I'm stuck in a zombie horror flick."

Tom paused the recorder and gave his brother an annoyed look. "What does a disease outbreak have to do with...oh, I see your point." Tom grimaced as his stomach rumbled and Jake's irritated look faded into concern. Tom held a hand up and warded the older twin away when he tried to reach out for him. "It's okay. We've got some time before it gets to the point where I'll need you watching over me. Why don't you go out and hunt for a while?"

"I'm not leaving you alone," Jake said stubbornly.

Tom's lips twitched. "Jake, I'm not going to keel over in a few hours. You should get some fresh air and activity while you can. I mean it."

The older twin regarded him with trepidation. "What if you take a bad turn while I'm out?"

"I can handle myself until you get back," Tom assured him, fighting the rising nausea in his gut. "People still need to eat—especially you. I'll need you at full strength to help me with this and that means you need to stay well fed."

Jake gave in. "All right Tommy, I'll go on a hunt but I'm not going to make it a long one. I'll make you some broth with the meat, if I bring anything back. I'm going to keep my transmitter online so you can contact me if you need me."

Tom shrugged. Odds were, by the time his brother returned he wouldn't be able to hold anything down. The thought of food made him want to hurl but he valiantly swallowed his nausea and humored Jake. Ever since they were kids, both twins tried to take care of each other. It was hard to be annoyed when Tom knew damn good and well that if the situation were reversed, he'd be doing the same for Jake.

* * *

"How are things going, Jake?" Max was relieved to hear from the older Sully twin and he was sure his voice revealed it.

"Good and bad," answered Jake's voice over the transmission. "Listen, Tom doesn't know I'm getting in touch with you. I think you guys better start prepping your people to come and help."

Max glanced at Trudy beside him, who was still rubbing the sleep from her eyes. At the grim tone of Jake's voice, she gave Max a frown. "What's going on, Jake?"

"Tom's done something extreme," answered Jake. "He thinks he's found a cure for the disease but he wasn't willing to test it on any of the villagers. Some bullshit about informed consent."

Max nodded, understanding Dr. Sully's reasoning. "Yes, it would be difficult to obtain that, with the limited understanding most Na'vi have of our medicine. I suppose your brother needs animal specimens to test it on?"

"Nope. He said he needs an infected Na'vi subject. He's testing it on himself."

Trudy's face screwed up with confusion. "What good is _that_ gonna do? You just said he needed an infected...oh, shit."

Max caught on immediately and he shared Trudy's dread. "Has Dr. Sully been exposed to this disease, Jake?"

"It's worse than that," explained Jake, "he infected himself—on purpose. He gave himself a super-concentrated dose of the bacteria. He says the best way he can tell if it's working and whether its going to have side effects is to go through it all himself. He didn't want me to contact any of you guys for help until after he's tested it but I'm not willing to wait. I don't know how bad this mega dose is going to make him and I don't want him waiting too long and getting himself killed."

Trudy punched the top of the desk with the meaty part of her fist. "That idiot! What is _wrong_ with you science geeks, Max?"

Max sputtered a little, completely understanding Trudy's frustration but admiring Tom's backbone, too. "It's all part of the science," he said when he gathered his wits. "Yes, Tom is taking a big personal risk but there's undeniable logic behind his actions. I don't think he would have done this if he wasn't sure it would work."

"But what if he's _wrong_ about that?" Trudy fumed. "The big dumb jinx has a deathwish!"

"That's why I'm contacting you guys behind his back," Jake's voice cut in before Max could respond to the pilot's fervent complaint. "I want you to get everything ready to go. Hell, you can even start heading this way as soon as you've got the transport and medical team ready...just land a few miles away and wait for me to give you the go-ahead to come in."

Max nodded in agreement. "I think that's a good idea. We'll get started right away, Jake. I don't suppose you can tell me what formula Tom is using in this cure, can you?"

"All I can tell you is he used samples of the chemicals leaking into the local water supply to make some beefed-up version of and old treatment. He said something about the bacteria being a mutated form of a less fatal Na'vi disease."

"Intestinal?" Max pressed.

"Yeah, that's where it starts. The River clan has been drinking from a contaminated source and eating game that also drank from that source."

"That's actually good news," Max said. "It means it's not an air-born disease, so there's not much risk of contagion without direct exposure to infected stool. At least now I have some idea of how to protect our people while we're helping."

"You're the doctor. I'd better go now, guys. I've got hunting to do and I don't want to leave Tommy alone for longer than I have to. Will you try to get in touch with Norm for me? I couldn't get through and I don't have time to keep trying."

"We can do that," Max promised. "Try not to worry, Jake."

"I'll stop worrying when Tom's cure works," Jake grumbled. "I'll get in touch with you as soon as I'm ready for you to move in. I've just got to explain to the villagers so they don't panic when they see a bunch of suited-up humans."

"That's a prudent idea," answered Max. "I wouldn't want to frighten them. We'll talk to you again soon, Jake."

"Thanks. Talk to you later."

The transmission ended and Max looked at Trudy. He noted the way her lips were pressed together and he saw the tension in her frame. "Tom will get all the medical care he needs, Trudy. You mustn't worry about him."

"Yeah, that makes my cares go right out the window," she replied sarcastically. "Why did he have to pull a stunt like this, Max? So what if the villagers can't understand medicine! If Tom's so sure his treatment will work, he should have just used it on someone that was already sick!"

"It would have gone against his ethics to do that," Max tried to explain. "Would you push an untrained civilian out of a helicopter for an air drop?"

"No, but that's...not the same thing."

"Really?" Max pressed, "How is what Dr. Sully is doing any different from you putting yourself in the line of fire for a cause, Trudy?"

"I don't know, it just _is!_" She fumed. "I'm a soldier, he's a scientist! You guys are supposed to stay behind enemy lines, safe and sound in your labs."

"What precisely do you think is 'safe and sound' about handling bio-hazardous materials?" Max countered. "Science and medicine aren't risk-free careers, Trudy. We all have our parts to play here and nobody is completely safe all the time. You should know better."

She pursed her lips and gave him a sullen look. "You and your damned logic."

Max smiled patiently at her. "We all want the people we love to be safe, Trudy. It's only natural. Just try not to let your feelings distract you from what needs to be done."

She snorted. "You're preaching to the choir, Maxi."

He nodded sympathetically at the reminder of what she gave up. "I know I am."

Trudy sighed and crossed her arms over her chest. She shot a brown-eyed look at Max and blew her bangs out of her eyes. "Don't you go getting infected too, bud."

Max smiled. "I promise, I'll do everything I can to make sure I don't get infected."

* * *

"You're going to be pissed off at me."

Tom wiped his mouth and grimaced at the taste of bile and blood as he reached for the wooden cup Jake offered to him. "Why?" He sipped the cool water sparingly, avoiding drinking too much, too fast. His tongue was swelling, making his words come out slurred.

"I contacted Hell's Gate. They're on their way and they've got instructions to wait a few miles outside the territory until I give the nod."

Tom stopped drinking and frowned with annoyance. "You don't have a lot of faith in my common sense, do you Jake?"

"It isn't that," protested the older twin. "I've got plenty of faith in your smarts. The disease is what I don't trust. You've already got a fever and this is the third time you've puked in an hour. Not even you can say for sure how much harder this thing is going to hit you."

Tom was forced to concede the point. His symptoms worsened more quickly than he had anticipated and his guts felt like they were on fire. His vision was blurry, he was suffering alternating chills and hot flashes and he ached all over. Even his teeth hurt.

Jake tilted his head and narrowed his eyes at him. "Take the damned treatment, Tom. If you're wrong about it, you might not have time to fix it and save your ass."

If Tom weren't feeling so royally miserable already, he might have argued with his brother. Waiting for the worst stage of the illness would provide him with insight on how quickly he could expect the treatment to work—and whether the most severe cases were too far gone to save. However, Tom felt his strength leaving him at an alarming rate and he suspected that he would soon be too far gone himself, if he didn't take his brother's advice.

"Help me over to the kit," Tom said, defeated. His voice was raw and his arms trembled with the effort to keep himself propped up on his side.

Jake didn't hesitate and if he minded the traces of drying vomit on Tom's shirt, he didn't say anything. Brotherly love outweighed repulsion. Tom started to reach for the vial of concentrated serum he'd made before his symptoms became severe. His hand shook and he thought better of trying to measure the dose and inject himself.

"Jake, you know how to give shots, don't you?"

"Yeah, we're all taught how to do the basic stuff in training. You need me to do this?"

Tom nodded and a groan burst from his lips as soon as he completed the motion. The muscles in his neck were stiffening, locking up from the toxins raging through his system. "I need you to draw thirty cc's from that vial and administer the shot in my arm."

"Not in your stomach?" Jake questioned. "Not that I know how the hell to give anyone a shot in the stomach."

"No, the first couple of treatments should be administered through the blood stream," Tom explained as coherently as he could. "It will incapacitate the pathogenic bacteria, combat nausea and boost my white cell count. The rest of the treatment is the probiotic oral suspension. That's what's going to finish the disease off."

"A simple 'yes' or 'no' answer would have done," Jake muttered irritably. "We don't have time for you to explain how it all works and you need to save your strength."

Tom smiled wanly. "I just thought you might be interested to know, since you're being such a nursemaid."

"My brother shot himself up with a super virus," Jake reminded him, propping Tom against his chest as he got a syringe out of the kit. "I think I've earned the right to act like a nursemaid."

"It isn't a virus," Tom corrected. "It's...ugh...damn, I'm going to be sick again."

Jake set aside the syringe and reached for the clay barf bowl, grimacing at the smell of the contents still in it from the last retching fit. "I've got you," he said to his twin as Tom leaned over it and began to heave. Jake supported him and kept his queue out of the way.

When the fit ended, Tom's throat felt absolutely raw. He panted for breath and grabbed the rag lying on the floor to wipe his mouth off. He noticed that this time, there was more blood than bile and it probably would have been worse if he hadn't drank some water. His stomach was being torn up from the inside.

"I'm done," Tom announced in a croak. "The treatment."

Jake understood and he put the bowl aside and finished drawing the dosage from the vial. Tom clumsily unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it down over his right shoulder, fighting to keep his vision focused. He winced and hissed as Jake stabbed the needle into his shoulder without ceremony.

"Damn...I'm not a dartboard," Tom complained.

"You're as big a baby as Grace was," Jake snorted. "I gave you the shot and that's all that matters."

* * *

It was the dark hours of the morning the next day, by the time Tom stopped throwing up. He knew his treatment was working but just as Jake feared, he had waited a bit too long to take it. Jake forced him to take the oral treatment as soon as the injected medication stopped his vomiting. Tom nearly threw up again after swallowing the thick, bitter mixture but Jake quickly held a cup of water to his lips and made him sip it until his stomach settled.

"Feels like...bad heartburn," Tom coughed.

Jake put the cup down and eased Tom back onto his side. "How long before this medicine kills off that shit inside of you?"

"Weeks, to get it all," Tom answered. "Need to take it every four hours."

Jake sighed. "You really gave yourself a case of it, Tom. These people copped it over time but you did it all at once. You're lucky you aren't dead."

"Mom's cooking corned beef tonight," Tom slurred.

The sentence made perfect sense to him but Jake's expression of alarm made him realize he was babbling nonsense.

"I'm calling it in now."

Tom peered up at his brother's shadowed face, trying to make out his features through the clear plastic visor in the protective headgear. Another shudder passed through his body. "Hunh?"

Jake reached up and unsealed his headgear. Tom shook his head warningly but the older twin ignored him and removed the helmet, setting it aside on the floor. "I'm sending a transmission to Max and the others _now_, Tommy. You told me this shit isn't in the air so I'm taking this thing off so I can do it without leaving you alone."

"Jake," Tom protested in a weak voice, "Don't risk exposing yourself."

"I can't operate the fucking transmitter with that thing over my head," snapped Jake. "I'll put it back on after I reach our help. You just save your breath."

Tom lay his head back down on his folded arm and he panted, trying to clear the black spots dancing before his eyes. He heard the sound of feedback whine through Jake's earpiece as the chieftain tuned into the frequency he needed. Jake secured the earpiece when he had the right channel and he pressed the transmitter button on the piece around his throat.

"This is Jake Sully. Does anybody copy?" He paused for a moment and then repeated it. His tense features relaxed a bit when someone answered him. "Yeah, Trudy. We're ready for you. Tom says his cure is working and he's stopped throwing up, but I want Max or one of the other doctors to have a look at him. He waited too long to start his treatments and he's as weak as a kitten. Uh-huh. ETA? That's great. The River people know you're coming, so you shouldn't have any opposition. See you then, Trudy."

"Trudy," Tom whispered, shutting his eyes. What he wouldn't give to hear her voice. The least Jake could have done was lean closer to him so that he could listen in.

Jake frowned down at him and took the earpiece off. Despite his promise to replace his headgear, he wasn't reaching for it. Instead, he reached for the bowl of clean water and the cloth floating in it and he wrung the cloth out.

"Trudy's coming, Tommy. Just take it easy."

"She okay?" Tom mumbled the question as his brother wiped his heated face with the damp cloth.

His thoughts were sluggish and scattered, crippled by the fever and the drowsy effects of the injected medication. He placed a hand over the one that was dabbing at his face and he suffered a moment of delirium. "Trudy...I'm sorry. I miss you."

The hand paused and Tom opened his eyes. Trudy was nowhere in the room. The hand that he was holding belonged to his brother, whose jaw was clenched tight. "Sorry," Tom apologized, trying to sound reassuring. "I must have dozed off."

"That's okay, Tommy." Jake's voice was soft and his throat worked as he swallowed. "Don't worry about it. Just rest."

"Where's Tanhi?" Tom shut his eyes again, his thoughts shifting from the human woman he loved to the Na'vi one.

"She's at the Omaticaya Hometree," answered Jake. "She's waiting for you to come safely back. Don't make a liar out of yourself, Tom."

"She likes fish."

There was an unsteady chuckle from Jake. "You can't even make up your mind which woman to be delirious over. Yeah, I guess Tanhi likes fish. She likes _you_ more, though."

"She's safe?" Tom was falling asleep, but he needed to hear it before he drifted off. He felt a calloused hand brush stray locks of hair away from his face.

"Tanhi's safe too. Go to sleep, _tsmukan_."

Tom let himself fall into a dark, dreamless sleep as his brother suggested.

* * *

Tom looked terrible. Trudy could hardly believe he'd gotten this bad in little over a day. His skin had a greenish tint to it, his lips were cracked and dry and there were dark shadows surrounding his eyes. She immediately started toward him when she followed Max and Roy into the alcove but Jake gently held her back, shaking his head.

"Let the docs take care of him, Trudy."

"Christ, he looks like he's dying, Jake!" Trudy didn't fight Jake's hold on her but her eyes stayed wide and worried on Tom's unconscious form.

Max squatted on one side of Tom and Roy did the same on the other. "Dr. Sully? Tom, can you hear us?" Max gently shook the biologist as he spoke to him.

Tom's eyes flared open and looked around blankly before settling on Max. "Dr. Patel? Dr. Jacobs?"

"That's right," Max assured him. "I'm sorry to wake you up but I need to know if your treatment is working and what it's composed of, if it is."

"It's...working," Tom answered haltingly. He raised an arm with effort and pointed at the stump near the wall, where his equipment sat. "I...documented it. Voice recorder. Max, you need to distribute it...as soon as possible."

Max and Roy looked at each other before the younger doctor nodded at Tom. "We will, Tom. We're going to have you moved to one of the air transports and seen to, okay? Just leave the rest to us."

"Hurry," Tom urged, appearing to regain a little strength in his conviction. "Some of them...can't last much longer."

Roy grabbed the recording device and began to listen to the documentation. Max looked over his shoulder and up at Jake and Trudy. "I'll go and get someone to move Dr. Sully out of here. He's running a very high fever and we've got to get his body cooled down."

"You don't think the fever fried his brain, do you?" Jake tensed up beside Trudy. "He was babbling a lot before he fell asleep."

"I can't say for sure until we've gotten him back to the lab to run some tests, but a little delirium doesn't automatically mean brain damage. He knew who we were as soon as he saw us and he's coherent enough, so I'm confident it hasn't reached that stage yet. Let's worry about getting him into a transport and safely away to Hell's Gate right now."

Max headed out to get help from the medical team while Roy continued listening to Tom's verbal notes. Trudy's tension mounted again when Tom's feverish gaze met hers and he gave her a weak, somewhat sheepish smile. Jake noticed the exchange and he let go of her.

"Go on," encouraged Jake softly. "It'll make him feel better to talk to you."

Trudy approached Tom and knelt beside him. He tried to struggle into a sitting position but she pushed him back down, finding it easy to do in his weakened state. "Don't try to get up, Sully. You've really trashed yourself and you need rest."

Tom's long hand covered one of the smaller, gloved ones pressing on his chest. "'Sully'?" He repeated wistfully. "Not 'Tomcat'?"

Trudy swallowed and lowered her eyes. "You're still 'Tomcat'," She murmured.

_~You're just not MY tomcat anymore.~_

She shoved her emotions to the back burner. "You've got to get better. This was a dumb-ass thing to do, Tom."

"Hey, it worked."

She pressed her lips together. "You stubborn...okay, so it worked. You'll be lucky if you make it through this without brain damage, though."

"My brain feels fine," he murmured. "Well, _almost_ fine. I keep drifting in and out but that's only because of the initial medication and the fever."

"He sounds fairly coherent to me," Dr. Jacobs said upon hearing some of the conversation.

Trudy had forgotten all about the presence of the older man and Jake. She felt her cheeks grow warm with the knowledge that they had both heard the rather personal exchange between she and Tom.

"Much better than he was when I contacted you," Jake agreed, blessedly silent about the brief nickname discussion.

"The first dosage is wearing off," Tom said.

Roy nodded. "I'm afraid I'll have to give you another dose of the good stuff, Dr. Sully. You're in a bad state and it's going to take heavy treatment to correct that. I daresay you're one of the most dire cases we have to tend to. I can't argue with your results but your methods were somewhat extreme."

"Do what you need to do," Tom sighed. His voice cracked and he swallowed with visible discomfort. "I'm prepared to hear lectures for weeks, over this."

Roy smiled. "We may lecture you, but I don't think a single one of us doesn't admire your success. It was clever of you to devise a treatment that paralyzes the invaders while simultaneously easing nausea, before oral distribution of the probiotic."

"Wouldn't have done a lot of good if the patient can't keep the probiotic down long enough to work," Tom answered modestly.

Trudy watched as Dr. Jacobs measured out another dose of the clear injection for Tom. "That's going to put him to sleep again, right?"

Roy nodded and pushed out the air bubbles in the syringe before approaching Tom. "Yes, it will make him drowsy and by the sounds of it, a bit loopy."

Trudy managed a grin, remembering the time she'd listened to Tom talking in his sleep while they were stranded in a tree. "He's already loopy."

Tom was evidently too exhausted and sick to take offense at her jibe. He lay docile as Roy opened his shirt and tugged it down to expose his shoulder. Tom's eyes remained on Trudy as the older doctor injected the medication into his shoulder and Trudy impulsively stroked his disheveled hair, smoothing the loose strands that had come free of his braid.

"I'll be sure to get in touch with Norm so he can tell Tanhi you're going to be okay," Jake said to his brother suddenly.

Trudy bit her lip and she felt ridiculously shamed. Tom's eyes lowered as if he too felt guilty over the attention he was giving her. Trudy scooted away from the biologist and stood up, her guilty feelings rapidly fading into anger.

"Get some rest, Tom." She turned to Jake and looked up at him with a hard expression. "Hey Jarhead, want to take a walk with me? Dr. Jacobs will take care of your bro."

Jake nodded and the faint smirk on his lips said he could guess what she wanted to say to him. "Sure. Let's take a walk."

* * *

"You want to tell me what that was all about, Sully?"

Jake didn't pretend not to know what she was talking about. "I think you know."

Trudy looked around to be sure they were far enough away from other people to speak without eavesdroppers. "You don't have to throw his chick in my face, Jake. I know he's with the Ikran chieftess now. I pushed him to go for it, as a matter of fact."

"I know," Jake agreed with a nod, looking down at her with empathy he couldn't quite hide. "Props to you for that, too. It doesn't change the way you two are both straining against invisible leashes toward each other."

Trudy narrowed her eyes at him. "What are you, the chaperone?"

"I'm his brother," Jake countered, "and your friend. Look, I appreciate your reasons for doing it but you had your shot with Tom and you pointed him at another target. The only way you two can go back is to screw Tanhi over and probably Max, too."

"Max?" Trudy's face screwed up. "What does Max have to do with this?"

Jake sighed. Maybe it was too soon for him to bring it up but the cat was out of the bag. "I could be wrong about this but I'm pretty sure Max isn't just looking out for you because you're his friend. It's your choice whether you want to explore that or not but you'd better check with him to be sure he isn't getting into something you don't want. Know what I mean?"

"You think Max has a crush on me." It was a statement, not a question. The look on her face said she thought he was nuts.

"I'm not the only one," Jake said with a brief chuckle. "Hey, I don't want to be the bad guy here, Trudy. I'm just trying to keep you and Tom from making a mistake. If you can't be around each other without having 'I love you' written all over your faces, then maybe you should just keep away from each other."

Trudy looked _very_ angry with him and for a moment, Jake thought she might try to tackle him. Even though she barely reached his waist, he knew she could probably knock him down with enough determination. She was an army girl, after all.

"You were the one who said I should go to him in there," Trudy reminded him in an accusing tone.

Jake nodded. "Yeah, and in hindsight maybe that was a dumb idea. I knew being near you would make him feel better." He sighed again and shrugged. "I also feel sorry for both of you. I'm not going to try to get in your way and I know you're a smart woman, Trudy. You turned him down because you wanted him to have things you can't give him. I just hope your resolve doesn't fail because Tom would have moved mountains to have you, a couple of weeks ago. He's finally moving on and building something that could be special. Maybe you should try to do that too."

"Wow, you sure give long speeches when you want to make a point," Trudy grumbled. She heaved a sigh and looked back toward the village. "I get what you're saying, though. You don't have to worry about that. I'm not going to try and get down his pants and it's not like he cheated on his woman by talking to me."

"Only in his heart," Jake insisted grimly. "Trudy, when it comes to you, I don't think Tom can be completely faithful to Tanhi. Maybe I'm just giving you ammunition to use by telling you all this but I don't think you're the sort of woman that will use it to get what she wants."

"Hell no," Trudy agreed vehemently. "I can handle him being with someone else...as long as he's...happy."

Hearing her voice falter a little with emotions she couldn't completely hide, Jake's heart went out to her. He put an arm around her shoulders and drew her a little closer for a loose, awkward half-hug.

"You're good people, Trudy. I mean that."

"Whatever," she groused. "Let's just make sure the mad scientist makes it back to his Na'vi chick alive and well, all right?"

Jake smiled. "Deal."

* * *

-To be continued

**Translations: **

_**Tsmukan **_= Brother


	29. Chapter 29

"Between worlds"

Chapter 29

* * *

_**Author's note: See footnotes at the end of the chapter for Na'vi/English translations. My apologies for the late update. We lost our internet for a few days and I've been playing Final Fantasy XIII. **_

* * *

*Disclaimer: I do not own Pandora and I make no profit from writing fanfiction based on the "Avatar" film.

* * *

The next time Tom woke up, it was to the sight of Tanhi staring down at him with a severe frown of disapproval on her lips. Utterly confused and disoriented, he blinked and looked around, trying to bring the room into focus. Tanhi was wearing a containment mask over her face—probably as a precaution against contagion.

"Where...am I?" His voice was a hoarse whisper and he cleared his throat. "Tanhi? Where did...you come from?"

"You are at the Hell's Gate," Tanhi informed him. "And I am here because the _Toruk Makto_ contacted Normspellman and told him what you did."

Tom felt a vague sense of dread that was only muted because of the medication keeping him sedated. "I guess that means Norm told you."

She nodded, compressing her lips in anger. She reached out and pinched his left ear roughly, making him wince. "You broke your promise. You told me that you would be safe from the sickness and then you purposely made yourself ill! I should...I should..."

"What, spank me?" Tom couldn't stop himself from grinning at her.

"If you wish to be treated as a child, I will gladly take up the task!"

He reached out to take her hand and the effort required to make the simple gesture surprised him. His condition must have reached a critical state, for him to be so weak. "Easy. I'm sorry, Tanhi. I didn't go there intending to infect myself, but it was the only way for me to be sure my treatment was going to work."

She gripped his hand fiercely and her eyes glittered. "It was stupid!" She took a deep, calming breath and lowered her gaze. "But, you did save the Kilvan clan."

Tanhi straightened her shoulders and gave him a proud look. "They call you 'Spirit Warrior' now. You took the evil into yourself and you defeated it."

Tom blinked. He was already giddy from the drugs and he felt a combination of embarrassment and pride. "I'm no warrior. All I did was develop a probiotic solution that used one bacterium against another."

Tanhi narrowed her eyes. "I don't know what that means but you are lucky. You came close to death, Tomsully."

Tom sobered at that, finally seeing the relief in her golden eyes. "I did?"

Tanhi nodded and the beads woven into her hair clinked together. "They said your liver almost died. I am not sure what that means but they told me it would have killed you."

"You were jaundiced," a familiar male voice said from the other side of the room.

Tom and Tanhi looked at Max as he walked through the door and approached the hospital bed. "Fortunately for you, we were able to stop the liver failure with a power regime of detoxifying treatment and vitamins. We really thought we were going to lose you, Dr. Sully."

"It was that close, was it?" Tom's mouth was terribly dry and he swallowed uncomfortably.

"Yes, it was," agreed Max. "You were very lucky, Tom."

"Then I owe you one. How are the infected Na'vi holding up? Did the clan's _Tsahik_ make it?"

Max shook his head regretfully. "I'm sorry, Tom. She was too far gone by the time we began treatment on her. We did all we could but in the end, we could only make her as comfortable as possible while she passed. We lost three others but the rest are pulling through. The clan is going to initiate the next _Tsahik_ when their people recover. The Omaticaya are offering their hospitality until the River people are ready to find a new home."

Tom managed a smile, though regret ate at his heart for not being fast enough to prevent the death of the spiritual leader. "Jake's clan is taking in a lot of strays."

Max smiled. "They're good people."

"Yes," Tanhi agreed softly. "They are."

Tom looked up at her and he tried to read the expression on her delicate features. Something in her voice gave him pause, but he couldn't put his finger on it. There was some hidden meaning behind her words. She looked thoughtful and resolved. He decided it was a puzzle for him to work out later, when he wasn't under the influence of medication and he could think more clearly.

"What about the chemical spill?" Tom asked.

"We've got people working on that now," Max assured him. "An environmental cleanup crew has been sent to the area, to dispose of the toxic chemicals and set up a filtration system to purify the river. It could take a couple of years for the territory to recover and be fit for habitation but we'll do our best to repair the damage."

"Good." Tom relaxed, feeling like he'd finally accomplished something meaningful. "Thank you, Max."

"You should thank yourself," Max said modestly. "It was your intervention that made all of this possible. We're going to keep you here until your treatment is finished and we'll keep you on detoxifying medications as well. When you've recovered enough, you can return to Hometree."

"I'll cooperate," Tom agreed. "I feel like I've been run over by a train."

"You'll probably be feeling that way for a few days, as bad off as you were," Max chuckled. "I'll leave the two of you alone now. Get some rest, Dr. Sully."

When Max walked out of the room and shut the door behind him, Tanhi looked down at Tom again. Her expression of anger was slowly fading. She stroked his hair in an uncommon gesture of affection and she appeared to be deep in thought.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

Tanhi gave him a confused look. Tom smiled and explained. "It just means I want to know what you're thinking about."

She bit her lower lip before answering. "I am thinking that I should hunt. I will make a broth for you with a fresh kill. You must regain your strength, Tom."

He rubbed her hand, still clasped with his own. "Does that mean I'm forgiven for being 'stupid'?"

She smirked. "We will see."

* * *

"Looks like you guys have construction moving right along."

Jake and Neytiri walked beside Sebastian and Katherine through the compound, taking note of the repairs done to structures that were damaged during the fight against the invaders. Construction of the bio-dome that Max had mentioned months ago was also beginning and the residents were hard at work expanding the walls of the compound.

"Now that the threat is gone, they've had time to work on improvements," Katherine agreed.

She and Sebastian held hands as they walked and Jake smiled at both of them. They made a handsome couple, despite the obvious differences between them. He could see how much they adored one another and he was glad that Sebastian seemed adjusted and happy with his life.

"There are many new little ones," Neytiri observed.

"Not as many as I might have expected," Sebastian replied. "Either the residents are practicing more self-restraint than they would on Earth, or we have some fertility issues within the population."

Jake remembered Max mentioning a theory about the lowered rate of human conception and he smiled. "I don't think fertility is the issue. I'm sure most couples will have the children they want, when the time is right."

Seeing the uncomfortable, sidelong glance Sebastian gave to Katherine, Jake wished he had just kept his mouth shut. Perhaps other residents of the base would eventually have children but it was extremely unlikely that Sebastian and Katherine ever would. He was again grateful for Trudy's decision to resist a relationship with his brother. Maybe he was presuming too much about Tom's family plans but if they had stayed together, he would have never had the chance to experience parenthood and neither would Trudy.

"Is that the school?" Jake asked, pointing at one of the buildings that were currently under construction.

Sebastian nodded. "Yes. There's no great hurry to finish it, since most of the children on this base won't be old enough to start classes for a few years. Until then, the couples who have been here the longest and have older children are using one of the army briefing rooms as a classroom."

"Sounds reasonable. I'll bet in a few months, I'll hardly recognize this place." Already, Hell's Gate had a different look and feel to it. The compound was beginning to feel more like a town than a military base. Jake couldn't decide if that was a good thing or not, given the risk of the next ISV rotation bringing another invasion attempt with it.

"I just hope you guys don't get soft," Jake mumbled, more to himself than to his companions.

Having acquired the superior Na'vi hearing with his transformation, Sebastian heard the soft litany. "Oh, you needn't worry about that, Corporal Sully. If anything, many of us have grown more aggressive. Even the scientists visit the shooting range, these days."

"Including Sebastian," added Katherine with a prideful little smile at her boyfriend.

He chuckled self-consciously and shrugged, sticking his hands in his pockets. "But I'm a terrible shot."

Jake grinned. "I could give you some shooting lessons while I'm here if you want. The trick is to time your shots between heartbeats and hold your breath when you squeeze the trigger."

Sebastian raised his eyebrows. "How in the world do you time them between heartbeats?"

Jake shrugged. "It's just a matter of learning awareness of your own body. If you concentrate, you can feel it against your ribs when your heart beats. It's easier if you're firing from a prone position with the ground against your chest but that's mainly a sniping technique."

"I somehow doubt I'll have the chance to lie on my stomach and fire at the enemy, if we have another invasion," Sebastian said dryly, "but I'd love to practice that anyhow. You never know."

"We can make a day of it tomorrow," Jake promised.

"You have my gratitude."

Jake was mildly amused. Sebastian always made him feel a little crude, with his refined, polite way of speaking. "It will give me something to do while we're waiting for the River clan to recover enough to bring them to Hometree."

* * *

"Tom. Tom, you must eat something."

Dragged out of psychedelic dreams by the low, feminine voice, Tom opened his eyes with effort. His eyelashes were glued together and he frowned and mumbled in annoyance. He flinched involuntarily when a cool, damp cloth wiped his lids and his face but the action cleaned away the film that was stuck on his lashes, enabling him to open his eyes. A blurred Na'vi face was hovering over him and he could smell something that made his tortured stomach rumble. His eyes focused and he recognized Tanhi.

"Hi." His voice came out as a bare whisper and he cleared his throat and swallowed. His mouth was so dry he couldn't even work up the spit for it. "You aren't wearing your protective mask."

"The _toktors _have announced that the sickness is under control," Tanhi explained. "Maxpatel said that I can visit you without the mask."

Tom struggled to orient himself. "They've confirmed that the infected people aren't contagious anymore?" When Tanhi nodded, his confusion grew. "How long have I been asleep since we last spoke?"

"Two days," she answered, averting her eyes. "They put a tube into your arm and attached it to a bladder of some sort, full of liquid. They said it would give your body some nourishment while you slept."

"A glucose bag," Tom guessed. He then realized that the IV was still attached to his right forearm and the glucose bag hanging over his bed was three-fourths finished. He imagined it was an unsettling thing for Tanhi to comprehend and he reached out weakly and patted her hand. "It's okay. It's just a method to keep people hydrated when they've been sick."

"They explained this to me when they attached it to you," Tanhi murmured. "I would rather you eat and drink with your mouth. That is why I have been trying to wake you several times each day. This is the first time you have responded."

"You've been in here to see me that much?" Tom smiled before he could help himself. The appetizing smell he detected before wafted up his nostrils again and he sniffed. "Something smells good."

Tanhi glanced over her shoulder at the bedside table. "It is a soup I made from hexapede and root plants. It will help you recover your strength." She turned around and wheeled the eating table over Tom's bed, obviously guessing its function. Sitting on the table was a plastic bowl of steaming soup and a cup of water. "The eating containers here are strange, but they will do. Can you sit up?"

Tom looked around until he spotted the controls for the bed. "I think I'd disappoint you if I tried to sit up on my own," he said with a smirk, "but that's what automatic hospital beds are for." He pressed the button to raise the head and he nearly laughed at the wide-eyed look on Tanhi's face.

"How does it do that?"

"It's just human mechanics," Tom assured her. "There's nothing magical about it." When he was satisfied with the angle of his upper body, he stopped pressing the button.

"Such a strange thing," Tanhi said in wonder.

Tom started to offer to let her play with the controls a bit but when he lifted his head off the pillow, a wave of dizziness hit him. He laid his head back again and took a few deep breaths. Tanhi watched him suspiciously and her eyes went to the bowl and spoon. She considered him for a moment before seating herself on the edge of his bed and picking up the bowl of soup.

"What are you doing?" Tom asked between breaths.

"Helping you eat," she answered him.

"I can feed myself."

"You cannot even lift your head without risk of fainting," she countered smoothly. "You will just have to swallow your pride until you are stronger, Tom."

He almost refused, but then he pictured himself pressing his lips together and turning his head away like a petulant toddler and he sighed. Tanhi would force-feed him if she had to—he was sure of that. The warning was clear in her amber gaze and he was as weak as a newborn kitten.

"You may feed me sometime, when you are better," the chieftess offered suddenly in compromise.

Tom's eyebrows went up. "Oh?"

She nodded solemnly. "It is not so strange for mates and lovers to feed each other. Have you not noticed?"

Tom snorted. "That isn't the same thing. Couples show affection for each other with the exchange of food. I'm as helpless as an infant."

"We are the alone in this room," Tanhi lectured, "there is no need to be ashamed. You must eat to recover your strength and the sooner you do that, the sooner you can feed yourself."

She spooned up some of the soup and blew on it before bringing the utensil to his lips. Tom sighed and gave up, dutifully opening his mouth for her. He found the taste to his liking and he was more amicable about the next spoonful. He silently admitted to himself that he was surprised and warmed by Tanhi's efforts. He hadn't expected a woman like her to have such a nurturing side and he imagined her doing this very same thing for her sick clan mates, before the disease struck her as well.

* * *

"Was he awake when you last visited him?"

Jake shook his head and admired his mate sidelong as they walked the halls of the Avatar med wing together. "No, he was still out. Dr. Jacobs said he's not in a coma but if he doesn't wake up soon, they're going to have to give him something to boost his energy or find some other way to feed him."

Neytiri hugged herself and rubbed her arms. "I can smell the sickness in this place. I am glad I did not bring our son with me."

"If you had, I'd have put you both right back on your ikran and made you go back."

Neytiri stopped and gave him a challenging look. "And what makes you think I would comply?"

"The safety of our kid," he answered smoothly. "We couldn't be sure they had the disease completely under control, when the medical teams quarantined the infected people. I don't think you'd risk exposing Tommy to it if you thought there was a chance of him catching it."

Neytiri lowered her eyes. "No, I would not have taken the risk. Perhaps I should have stayed at Hometree with him and helped Mother prepare for our new guests, but I was concerned for you and for your brother."

Jake looked at her in surprise. It wasn't like Neytiri to be meek, unless she felt guilty about something. "Hey, I know you wouldn't have put Tommy in any danger. I didn't mean to imply anything."

Neytiri sighed and looked around at the sterile walls, white ceiling and artificial lights. "It is not that, my Jake. While you were away, Mother spoke to me about my duties to the Omaticaya. She says I have learned all I need to know to become _Tsahik_. The ceremony will happen at the next turn of the planet."

"That's great!" Jake's smile faded when Neytiri didn't return it. "What's the matter?"

Neytiri looked ashamed. "I am selfish."

Jake cocked his head to the side and he waited for a passing nurse to move out of hearing range before he responded. "You're one of the least selfish people I know. What's got you thinking like this, beautiful?"

Neytiri shrugged and averted her eyes. "The _Tsahik_ belongs to her people. Their needs must always come before hers."

Jake thought he understood, then. Neytiri was a free-spirited woman, used to coming and going as she wished. She had coped with motherhood admirably, considering the restrictions it placed on her personal activities. Now Tommy was becoming less dependant and Neytiri had a little more breathing space. The task of "mothering" her clan while parenting her son would be hard on her.

Jake put his hands on her shoulders and turned her to face him. He looked into her eyes and spoke with all sincerity. "If a bonehead like me can be _Olo'eyktan_, you can be _Tsahik_. You're twice as smart as I am and you have a gift for seeing into people." He smiled at her. "I'll be with you every step of the way and I'm sure Mo'at isn't going to abandon you and call it a day. We'll _make_ time for ourselves, if we have to."

"How do you 'make time'?" Neytiri murmured, studying him curiously.

Jake shrugged. "I've got some tricks up my sleeve...if I had a sleeve. I know you're under a lot of pressure but you can do this. The clan loves you and I don't think anyone would have an issue with you enjoying a little personal time now and then. If they do, we'll work around it together."

Neytiri rewarded his efforts with a smile. "Nothing discourages you."

"I wouldn't say that," Jake answered, pensively remembering events of the recent past. "I really thought I blew it with you back when I confessed why I originally came here. When my back got damaged, I was almost ready to give up. Thanks for that."

She looked puzzled. "What are you thanking me for?"

Jake smiled at her and cupped her chin in his hand. "For giving me a chance to prove myself and for talking some sense in me when I was in the hospital." Seeing that there was nobody around within visual range, he gave her a quick kiss on the lips.

This time, her smile was genuine. "You are...what is the word? Silly."

Jake chuckled and continued walking towards Tom's hospital room. "I don't mind being silly, if it can make you smile like that."

Neytiri fell into step beside him again and he could tell her tension had lessened. He allowed himself a moment of pride for making her feel better about the additional responsibilities she was going to have. It wouldn't be easy for her, but he was positive that she would adjust. He just needed to help her remember to go easy on herself.

When they reached Tom's room, the door was open a crack. Jake stopped with a frown and peered into the room. Neytiri crowded closer to him and looked in curiously. They both went still when the saw the scene within the room.

There was Tanhi, seated on the edge of Tom's bed and spoon-feeding him from a bowl of what Jake assumed to be stew or soup. Tom looked faintly embarrassed, but at least some color was returning to his complexion.

Jake shared a quiet, conspiring smile with Neytiri and he stepped away from the door. "Let's leave them alone," he suggested in a whisper.

"I agree."

* * *

It took three days for Tom to regain enough strength to stand and walk on his own. He couldn't be up and about for long before getting fatigued, but Max and the other doctors agreed that he was recovering fine.

"You can't expect to run races so soon after getting over a critical illness," Max told him with a little smile. "You're as bad as your brother, that way."

Tom chuckled and spooned up another mouthful of pudding. His appetite was greatly improved and he had just finished a meal of spit-roasted fish, root vegetables and nuts. The pudding was provided to him by Trudy, though she'd sent Max to deliver it instead of doing so herself. It saddened Tom that she was apparently avoiding him but the fact that she arranged for his favorite human treat to be brought to him eased the sting a little. At least he knew she still cared. He understood why she wasn't visiting him in person and he respected it.

Against his better judgment, he decided to inquire to Max about the woman in question. "How is Trudy?"

Max's expression changed ever so slightly from friendly to guarded. "She's fine. She's been asking about you. I'm afraid her duties have kept her too busy to stop by and see you."

Tom guessed that some of those extra duties were assigned by Max. He couldn't really blame the guy for trying to protect Trudy. "Right. That's probably a good thing."

Max looked away uncomfortably.

Feeling an odd sort of empathy with him, Tom felt that he owed Max an apology. "You love her, don't you?"

Max looked at him and for a second, Tom thought he saw a flash of anger in his dark eyes.

"It's okay," Tom soothed. "I'm not going to say anything. I couldn't if I wanted to, considering she's keeping away from me. Max, I think—"

"Trudy is my friend," Max said stiffly. "I care for her and I want to see her happy. That's all."

"I think we both want her to be happy." Tom didn't bother trying to force a smile. His heart ached and he wished he had never fallen for Trudy to begin with. "I'm not going to badger you about your feelings but I want you to know I respect you. You're a good scientist and a good person, and I think you would treat Trudy well if you ever became more than her friend."

Max relaxed a little. "I didn't mean to put off an offensive air."

"No, don't apologize," sighed Tom. He lost his appetite for the remainder of his pudding and he pushed his dining table away. He regarded his associate with quiet sympathy before continuing. "You've been very stoic about this entire thing, only thinking of Trudy's well-being and staying out of the way. Not many men could do that, you know."

Max shrugged and looked away. "Trudy doesn't need someone to think for her."

"Of course not, but—"

"Listen," Max interrupted, "I know you didn't intentionally hurt her. Trudy told me everything, Tom. I know she's the one that made the decision and I know that you fought against it. You don't need to pity me. If anything, I pity _you_."

Tom was taken aback. "Why is that?"

"Because it's clear to me that you're torn between two women and I of all people know what it's like to feel something that...isn't...let's just say that when it comes to Trudy, I have some sympathy for you."

It was an enlightening moment for Tom. He suddenly saw with such clarity, it was almost overwhelming. "Max, if we keep going this way it's not fair to anyone."

Max blinked behind his glasses. "I'm...not sure I follow."

"Let me elaborate," Tom offered. "Trudy and I are both pining over each other while our other love interests are hesitating...with good reason. I've seen how close you two are. I know something could grow beyond friendship, given enough time and nurturing. I also know that I could have something special with Tanhi. The problem is, I've been holding back and so have you. I know why I'm conflicted, but why are _you_?"

If anything, Max looked more uncomfortable. "Do you know how long it's been since the last time I went on a date, Dr. Sully?"

"No. Why don't you enlighten me?"

"Well, it's been..." Max thought about it with a frown and then he laughed dryly and shook his head. "I can't even remember my last date. That's how out of practice I am when it comes to courting the opposite sex. Besides, Trudy isn't the sort of woman to be impressed with wining and dining."

"No, she isn't," Tom agreed with a faint smile. He couldn't believe he was sitting there encouraging Max to romance the woman he was still in love with, but he loved Tanhi as well and he needed to move on. "You know the sort of things Trudy likes. Spend time with her doing something fun, that doesn't require social etiquette."

"Are you actually encouraging me to make a move on her?" Max looked perplexed.

"If you don't, someone else will eventually." Tom shrugged, remembering something he had said to Norm on the subject. "I'd much rather her end up with you, if she can't be with me. I know you'll treat her well."

Max studied him for a moment and then nodded slowly. "That's very gracious of you, Tom."

"No more gracious than you've been with me," answered Tom sincerely. "I know I'm right, though. Trudy's an attractive woman and I'm sure you and I aren't the only guys on this base to notice it. Unless you're prepared to leave it up to fate and risk someone else catching her eye, you'd better get on the ball."

Max looked unhappy at the thought of someone else winning Trudy's affection and Tom couldn't blame him. How long had the man harbored romantic feelings for her? He had already watched her fall for someone else once and Tom guessed his stoicism was reaching a limit.

"I really don't know where to begin," admitted Max after a few moments.

"Start with something simple," Tom advised. "You aren't asking her to marry you, you're just trying to establish first contact. She already knows you, so you can skip the small talk and be yourself. Keep it casual and when you think the time is right, test the waters."

"What if she rejects me?"

Tom winced, all too familiar with that particular scenario. "That's a risk you're going to have to take, if you want to see if she can return your feelings. Otherwise, you'll be kicking yourself for never giving it a try, Dr. Patel. These things start by taking chances."

Max sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "I'll take your advice into account, Tom. Thanks."

* * *

"It's okay...I'm all right."

Jake and Neytiri watched Tom in concern as he staggered and leaned against one of the domesticated fruit trees for support. He held up one hand to forestall any attempt to help him as he caught his breath. This was the first time he was allowed outside since they brought him to the med ward a week ago. He was determined to prove it wasn't a mistake. Wearing real clothing again and breathing the fresh air of Pandora was too good to risk losing the privilege. Other recovering Na'vi were up and about as well, making use of the gardens and the Avatar cabin until it was time to leave Hell's Gate.

"Tanhi will skin us if she finds out we let you push yourself too hard," Jake predicted as he watched his twin catch his breath. By the tone of his voice, he wasn't entirely joking.

Tom gave him a grin and shook his head. "I know my own limits and Tanhi isn't here right now." He reached up and plucked a fist-sized piece of fruit from the branch hanging over his head, feeling hungry.

"Don't spoil your appetite," warned Neytiri. "Tanhi will want to cook a good meal for you when she returns from her hunt."

Tom wiped off the exterior of the fruit with his shirt. "Don't worry, I can eat more before I get a full stomach, now. Aside from the lingering weakness I'm almost recovered."

"I sure as hell hope so," Jake muttered. He glanced over his shoulder past the garden area, where some of his clan members were milling about on their daily business near the lodge. "Even so, I'll get a fire started for cooking. Why don't you sit down in the shade for a while?"

Tom complied—not so much because he wanted to but because he didn't think his legs would support him for much longer. The walk across the compound to get to this area seemed longer to him than usual and it had fatigued him. Neytiri sat down across from him gracefully as Tom eased himself down to sit with his back against the tree trunk. He started to take a bite of the fruit in his hand but he paused upon glancing at his brother's mate. She was studying him with quiet curiosity and he could see the question in her eyes. Tom glanced up at his retreating brother before looking at Neytiri again.

He wasn't sure what she wanted to ask him but it occurred to him that he had something to say to her. "Neytiri, I know what I am now."

She cocked her head. "And what is that?"

He smiled. "I'm a _toktor._ I always have been and I always will be, no matter what skin I'm wearing."

Neytiri shared his smile, her lovely features lighting up with faint amusement. "I could have told you as much, Tom."

"But you didn't. You let me figure it out for myself. I want to thank you for helping me see my path, Neytiri."

She lowered her eyes and nodded respectfully. "Your heart seems lighter."

"It is," he assured her, examining the piece of fruit in his hand absently. "Now I just need to get used to Tanhi watching my every move."

Neytiri chuckled softly. "You defeated an enemy she was sure could not be beaten. I think she is in awe of you, as are many other Na'vi. She was certain you would not survive and now she is determined to see you get well again."

Tom thought about the fearless Ikran chieftess and how out of character it had seemed, to see her so frightened. He thought of how protective he had felt when he considered the possibility of her becoming infected and he remembered the night before he left, when they made love. The experience had brought to him another revelation; when he was intimate with her, his thoughts had been completely on Tanhi. Maybe with time and further development of their relationship, his heart could belong to her completely.

"You are no longer hungry?"

Neytiri's soft inquiry broke through his thoughts and he glanced at the forgotten fruit he was holding. "I'm still hungry," he answered with a smile. "I'm just thinking of Tanhi."

There was a subtle glint of slyness in her amber gaze. "Only of Tanhi?"

Tom felt a guilty flush creep into his cheeks. "Well, mostly of Tanhi. I was thinking of how easy it's getting to focus on her when we're together."

Neytiri nodded as if in approval and unwittingly echoed his thoughts. "Perhaps with time, she will be the only one you think of."

Tom was surprised by how easy it was to talk to his "sister in law". Though a fierce huntress and reputed by his brother to be impatient, he found her calm reason refreshing. He saw no judgment in her eyes—rather, there was a touch of sympathy.

"I feel like a terrible person," Tom confessed, feeling like he had to get it off his chest. "I can't completely ban Trudy from my heart. Part of me still longs for her. Jake says it isn't fair to Tanhi but I can't just turn off my feelings."

"Are you with Tanhi because you want her, or because you cannot have Trudy?"

The question made him flinch inside briefly, but there was no accusation in her tone when she asked the question. She was again encouraging him to think things over, without trying to influence his path either way.

"Because I want her," he answered readily, and he knew it was the truth. "You can ask Jake; I don't get involved with women I'm not attracted to. I just feel like I'm betraying her by harboring feelings for Trudy."

Neytiri smirked. "Jake has his heart in the right place but he does not see very well. Tanhi had a mate before you came to us, Tom. Do you think she has forgotten her love for him?"

"Of course not. I wouldn't want her to, either. She had a life with him, and a child. I could never ask her to forget about him."

She nodded. "You do her honor, by respecting her this way. My Jake thinks we females don't see through jealousy but he is wrong. Tanhi will show you this, I know."

Tom grinned, relaxing a little. "I hope I didn't just instigate and argument between you two by talking about this."

She laughed softly and looked over her shoulder in the direction of the lodge. "I will speak to him on this, but for you I won't lecture him. He will find another reason to annoy me, I know."

Tom returned her laughter. "He always finds ways to get into trouble, eh?"

Neytiri nodded enthusiastically and her grin remained. "Yes, but he likes it."

"Some things never change," Tom agreed. "Jake always thought girls were cute when they got mad, when we were growing up."

"He does not take us seriously?" Neytiri's amusement visibly faded.

"Oh, he does," Tom hastily corrected, "that's why he's learned how far he can push before it gets serious. You haven't noticed that?"

Neytiri's grin returned. "I have. He is quick to apologize when I become truly angry with him, now that I consider it. Other times he treats it as a game."

"It's a risky game to play," Tom said.

"Yes, it is. He will never learn that, though."

Tom coughed into his hand to hide a laugh. "No, probably not. He'll probably still be teasing you for reactions when you're both elders."

* * *

Later that night, Tom sat outside in the garden with Tanhi and watched the stars. While he was familiar with the planetary system in this galaxy, he knew next to nothing about Na'vi constellations. Tanhi obligingly enlightened him, to his delight.

"That one we call '_Seze_', blue flower," she said as she pointed out a smattering of stars overhead. Some of them appeared to glow blue instead of white. "You see how it forms the shape of flower petals?"

Tom nodded. "I do. Neytiri used to have an ikran named Seze, didn't she?"

"I remember. She fell in battle when we fought to save the Tree of Souls."

"I wonder if she named her after an actual flower or that constellation?" Tom pondered. "I would ask her but I don't want to bring up a sad subject."

"I do not know," Tanhi admitted. "I have never asked."

Tom spotted another cluster of stars and he thought they had a pattern to them. He pointed up at them and glanced sidelong at his companion. "Is that one too?"

She looked where he was pointing and nodded. "Yes. That is the thanator chasing the huntress. Long ago, the first female Na'vi chieftess lured an enraged thanator away from her people as they were migrating to a new Hometree. Her clan never thought to see her again but she returned, carrying with her a trophy from the kill. Her people were so impressed that they named her next in line to lead them and when the old _Olo'eyktan _died, she took his place. My people descended from theirs."

Tom smiled. "I never knew that. I always wondered why your clan is the only one I've seen with a female leader."

"We are ahead of the other clans," she said haughtily, shaking her braids back over her shoulders as she leaned back on her elbows.

Tom laughed and reclined next to her, pillowing his head on one bent arm. He rested his free hand on his stomach and regarded her thoughtfully. "Do you think the thanator up there will ever catch the huntress?"

Tanhi rolled onto her side and supported herself on one elbow. "Maybe...if he is determined enough."

Tom turned onto his side and propped himself up the same way, detecting a hidden meaning behind her words. Acting out of instinct, he reached out to her and threaded his fingers through her loose braids, gently drawing her closer. She didn't resist him and he kissed her softly on the mouth. He brushed his lips back and forth over hers before applying more pressure and when her mouth parted, he deepened the kiss. Tanhi's fingers slid into his hair, loosening some of it from his queue as she urged him on.

Despite his body's exhaustion from the day's activities, Tom responded to the growing passion in her kiss and he put an arm around her waist to pull her closer. The beads of her necklace pressed against his chest, along with her breasts. He started to pull away, not wanting to let things get out of hand like the last time. He intended to follow through with his promise and respect her enough to refrain from further sex until they were a mated pair. Unfortunately, Tanhi wasn't satisfied to let the kiss end and she rolled on top of him, straddling his hips. Her tongue stroked his and her fingers began to deftly unbutton his shirt.

"We're out in the open," Tom reminded breathlessly against her lips. His body didn't seem to care about that but the last thing he wanted was for someone to happen along and see the two of them going to town on one another.

Tanhi smiled and eased off of him, taking his hand. "Then come," she urged, "My travel tent is outside these walls. We will have privacy there."

Tom wanted to refuse and explain to her that she was more to him than a mating partner, but his cursed libido spoiled his ability to do so. He grudgingly admitted to himself that he really didn't _want_ to wait, after a kiss like that. He allowed her to help him up and he followed her to the gate. The guards opened it for them and they left the interior of the compound together, neither one aware that someone had already seen them making out.

* * *

Trudy remained frozen in her tracks as she watched Tom leave the compound with Tanhi. It was easy to tell Jake she just wanted him to be happy, easy to say she didn't want to get in the way. Watching him lip-locked with his Na'vi chieftess was another matter, though. An unreasonable feeling of betrayal shook Trudy to the core and she cursed herself for a weakling and an idiot.

"He's not my boyfriend," she reminded herself through clenched teeth. "I never gave him the chance to be. What the hell's the matter with me? I wanted this for him, didn't I?"

Yes, she did want this for him. She wanted him to be with someone who could perhaps give him a child someday. She wanted him to be with someone more physically compatible; not stuck with someone who barely reached his waist, who he probably couldn't even have sex with. Trudy had never gotten the chance to find out whether the last part was true or false but she strongly suspected sex would have been difficult, if they could even make it work at all.

She clenched her hands into fists and shut her eyes, but the image of Tom kissing another woman so passionately remained burned in her mind like a brand. "I've got to get over this."

She turned on her heel and changed her trajectory from the air hangar to the housing building that connected to the lab building. She intended to raid the kitchen for a bottle of liquor and retire to her sleeping quarters. She'd drink the damned image out of her stubborn brain, if she had to.

* * *

Tanhi proved to Tom that he didn't need to be at full strength to please her. Her loincloth and necklace lay on top of his pile of clothes a foot or so away from the sleeping pallet. She rocked steadily on top of him, straddling his thighs and bracing her hands on his chest. He stared up at her with parted lips and an expression of lusty pleasure on his face as she rode him. She tempered her motions, content to take her time feeling him inside of her and watching his reactions. Tanhi admitted to herself that she would never get tired of the sensual expressions his handsome features underwent when they mated. His queue was draped over his shoulder and it straggled over his stomach. She chose to leave it there and she bent over to kiss him, gasping softly into his mouth with each pelvic motion.

Her lips muffled Tom's groan of bliss as he cupped her hips and matched her motions. He pulled his mouth away from hers to explore her throat with his lips. He released her left hip and pulled her braids and queue aside to expose her neck. Tanhi tilted her head and sighed, murmuring his name as his kisses trailed over her sensitive skin. She opened her eyes a slit and realized with faint amusement that the end of her queue was lying next to his on the floor, almost as if by its own will.

Her amusement faded to bewilderment when she felt the tendrils of her hair plug activating. Her motions slowed and she stared as the pinkish filaments emerged from their concealment and stretched towards the end of Tom's queue. His tendrils were likewise reaching out, seeking hers. In a sudden flash of panic, Tanhi sat up and began to reach for her braid to yank it away from Tom's.

"H-hey, where are you going?" Tom protested, reaching for her in confusion.

Tanhi would have explained her sudden change in mannerisms after stopping their queues from entwining, if she had been quick enough. As it was, her mind and body became overwhelmed with sensations and feelings from Tom. The tendrils of their queues wrapped around each other tightly before she could stop them and the bond was sealed immediately. She moaned low in her throat and collapsed on him, panting from the erotic intimacy of it. Tom went completely still and his breath left him with a confused huff.

She raised her upper body with effort and looked down at him, bewildered that their queues had betrayed them both and acted on their own to establish _tsahaylu_. Tom's eyes were wide and staring and his breath came in shallow gasps.

"Oh my god," Tom breathed, shuddering beneath her.

"I did not...do this," Tanhi insisted, fearing that he would think she purposely linked to him without consent. It was so very hard to concentrate, with his thick, swollen length still wedge inside of her and his thoughts and desires flooding her being.

Tom must have felt her confusion and anxiety because he seemed to gather enough wits to look her in the eyes. He stared up at her and he traced her features with his fingertips, panting softly as his neural system adjusted to the connection. "I know you didn't."

"This has never happened to me before." She was being completely sincere. She had never heard of it happening to anyone else before either, but she supposed it must have if it happened to them. She should have considered the risk of their queue's linking together if they lay too close while they were mating. The tendrils reacted out of instinct more than conscious will of the owner and it seemed only natural for them to act on Tanhi's feelings for Tom.

It was too late to apologize. Whether the bond occurred due to unconscious desire from both of them or Eywa willed it to happen, they were now joined in every sense of the word. Tanhi felt the strength of the bond as surely as she had felt it with her first mate. If the expression of wonder on Tom's face was any indication, he felt it too. There was nothing "casual" about this link.

"Tom, I didn't mean—"

He pressed his fingers against her lips and shook his head. "Don't. It isn't as though you picked up our queues and forced them together. You shouldn't apologize."

His voice was husky with pleasure and his eyes were still dazed, but she could feel his sincerity through the link. He was surprised but not nearly as disconcerted as she would have expected him to be. She sensed resolve through the bond. It confused her and she knew it showed on her face and fed through _tsahaylu_.

"I've definitely got to complete the trials now," Tom said in explanation, his gaze soft on her. "As soon as I'm strong enough to do it. You deserve someone worthy."

"You _are_ worthy," Tanhi argued. "You have proven yourself to all of the clans with this thing you have done, Tom. The Ikran people will accept you as my mate, whether you take _Iknimaya _or not. You cleansed the illness that nobody thought could be stopped."

"I don't want to be a special case," Tom countered. "I want to earn my place, not have it handed to me because I got lucky. I won't disrespect you or your clan by skipping tradition, Tanhi."

She stared into his eyes and felt his earnestness. He wasn't just speaking with a honeyed tongue to keep her from panicking; he meant it all. Despite her concerns that she wasn't ready for this yet, Tanhi couldn't resist the pride she felt for him. She knew all along that he was a man with a strong, honest heart and a quick mind. Now he was proving her right about that, all over again.

There was only one other thing to give her doubts, besides her uncertainty over having a mate again. She laid her head on his chest and listened to his heartbeat as the pleasure of being joined to him in body and mind washed through her.

"You still love your human woman."

Tom's hands stroked her back and he nodded. "I'm not even going to try to hide that from you. I do still love her and maybe a part of me always will. You still love your previous mate, too."

She shut her eyes and caressed his ribs. "Yes." There was no point in denying it.

Tom's lips brushed over her forehead. "It doesn't mean we can't make room in our hearts for each other, does it? You can sense how I feel about you, can't you?"

She smiled. "I can. That is why I am not angry."

"Then you know I'm yours," Tom reasoned softly. "Even if I still have feelings for someone else. You are the one I'm with."

Tanhi nodded, shifting on top of him with a sigh of enjoyment. She had forgotten how wonderful _tsahaylu_ felt with a man, forgotten how it intensified each sensation. "I don't question your loyalty."

She lifted her head and looked at him, tracing his features with the fingertips of one hand. "I can accept that you have a place in your heart for her, as long as the rest belongs to me."

He smiled. "Likewise." He lifted his head and kissed her, angling his pelvis beneath her in a way that made his shaft press against a sensitive spot inside of her.

Tanhi gasped and kissed him back, muffling his answering groan. She started to undulate on top of him, spurred on by growing restlessness. It would take time to adjust to being newly mated to him, but Tom Sully was hers now—in more than just body. The knowledge made her smile even as the pleasure of being joined with him grew. She was out of touch with the difference a link made while mating and Tom was completely inexperienced with it. Though she could feel his fatigue through the bond, he sat up and embraced her tightly, urging her to ride him harder with his actions and feelings.

Tanhi was more than happy to comply and she embraced his waist with her legs as she rolled her hips. With a deep moan of satisfaction, Tom synchronized his movements with hers and he lavished attention on her breasts with his lips as they began to mate in earnest. Within moments, they were both so consumed with ecstasy that all coherent thought abandoned them. Tanhi's thighs tightened around Tom's waist and her arms embraced him fiercely as his thrusting sex brought her closer to release. Tom laid his head against her chest and groaned her name, bucking beneath her with the last of his failing strength.

He climaxed first but Tanhi immediately joined him when she felt it happen. His name burst from her lips before she could stop it and she tensed all over, trembling with the force of her release. Gasping for breath, she stroked his hair and laid her cheek on the crown of his head. Tom was even more winded than her and his tail swished back and forth on the pallet as he panted and began to relax. The tuft on the end of the tail brushed against Tanhi's calves and she smirked, reaching down impulsively to catch the restless appendage and hold it still.

"You really love to play with my tail, don't you?" Tom's breathless murmur was faintly amused.

"I know many women who enjoy doing it to their men as well," she defended, though she smiled because she didn't sense any annoyance from him as she held his tail possessively. "It is really the best way to keep you in line."

"Am I going to be your mate or your pet?" Tom challenged, nuzzling her breasts.

"Both." Tanhi was unapologetic. "I sense no objection from you."

"I think you'll find that most men don't object when their women play with...certain parts. It just so happens my tail is almost as sensitive as...other things."

"Your penis?" Tanhi guessed, wondering why he was being so evasive.

Tom chuckled. "I was trying to be a gentleman, but yes. That was what I meant."

Tanhi smirked and began to stroke the length of his tail, avoiding the actual erogenous spot out of respect for Tom's condition. As much as she would have loved a repeat event, he needed his rest. He was enjoying the petting—she could sense the easy pleasure it gave him without arousing him. He began to fall asleep and she softly urged him to lie down on his back. He complied and she stayed on top of him, lowering her head to his chest to kiss it before resting her cheek against it. His arms went around her and he murmured her name before yawning.

"Sleep now, my Tom," Tanhi encouraged. "We will discuss what to do in the morning."

"What to do?" he repeated sleepily.

"I must tell my people," she answered. "They will sense that something is different before long. I will not be dishonest with them."

"Are you sure they'll accept it?"

Tanhi nodded. "They already revere you for what you have done. When I tell them that you insist on following tradition, they will respect you even more. There is no need to worry about that."

* * *

-To be continued

**Translations:**

_**Iknimaya **_= Rite of passage ending with the taming of an ikran.


	30. Chapter 30

"Between worlds"

Chapter 30

* * *

_**Author's note: See footnotes at the end of the chapter for Na'vi/English translations. Due to requests, I've incorporated a bit of sports fun into the story. For those curious about the term "Oorah/Oo-rah" (which you hear Jake use in the movie when he's narrating the scene just before he starts climbing to tame his ikran), it's the Marine equivalent of the army term:"Hooah" or "HUA". I made a little boo-boo by referring to "oorah" as an army term while I was checking my sources, but I have fixed it. **_

* * *

*Disclaimer: I do not own Pandora and I make no profit from writing fanfiction based on the "Avatar" film.

* * *

The next day, Tom confided in his brother about what happened between he and Tanhi. The twins were taking a walk together in the garden area when Tom blurted it out.

"I've got to recover fast and finish the hunter's trial soon, Jake."

Jake stopped and looked at him with obvious surprise. "Well it's great that you're so enthusiastic about it, but why the sudden rush? Climbing those mountains and taming an ikran is no easy feat, bro. I don't want you pushing yourself too hard."

Tom looked out at the mid-morning horizon and explained. "Last night, Tanhi and I bonded in _tsahaylu. _It was an accident but I expected it to happen eventually, the way things have been going."

Jake ogled him. "What do you mean, 'an accident'? How do you accidentally end up mated for life with someone? That's like accidentally getting married!"

Tom shrugged. "We were having sex and our queues linked together of their own accord. I can't explain it, Jake. Neither of us consciously instigated it but it seems our bodies acted on our subconscious desires."

Jake started to laugh. He clapped his brother on the shoulder and shook his head. "You're the only guy I know that could get himself hitched by accident. Still, you need to give yourself time to get your strength back. Your situation is a little different and it won't do either of you any good if you get yourself killed, trying to finish _iknimaya _when you're still weak."

"I know," Tom sighed, "I just don't want Tanhi to lose the respect of her people because of me. I'm still an 'outsider' until I'm formally initiated into the clan, no matter how much they respect me."

Jake sobered. "I see your point, but I still don't think you should rush it. After what you did, I think the Ikran clan will make an exception and be patient with you. They wouldn't want their chieftess to lose a second mate over something that could be avoided."

Tom grimaced. He certainly didn't want to die and he didn't want to make Tanhi a widow a second time. There was another problem, though. "The Na'vi population is still too low, Jake. That means that nature is going to be compensating with a higher pregnancy rate. Tanhi and I are mated now and that means—"

"She could be ready for you to put a bun in her oven any day now," Jake finished for him with a wince. "Yeah, I see why you're anxious to be initiated before that happens."

"Exactly," Tom said with a nod. "I've got every reason to believe it's going to happen eventually and I have no way to guess when. To me, it would be like getting a girl pregnant before marriage and you know how Mom and Dad would have felt about that."

"Well, Mom and Dad aren't here anymore and technically, you're already 'married' to Tanhi," Jake reminded him, "but I understand why you want to become an official member of the clan first. We'll just have to make sure you get plenty of protein and exercise. I'll help you out, so don't worry."

"I appreciate it," Tom said, feeling some of the weight lift off of his shoulders. "I still have another problem. There's Trudy."

Jake groaned and pressed the heels of his hands against his eyes. "Again? I thought you had that all figured out!"

"I do," Tom insisted, "but we both need closure, Jake. I'd rather her find out from me that Tanhi and I are mates, now. Can't you understand that?"

Jake sucked in a breath and took his hands away from his eyes, giving Tom a warning look. "Listen, it's noble of you to want to be open with her about this but I don't think rubbing salt in the wound is the way to go."

Tom gave him a stricken look as his heart ached. "Hurting her is the last thing I want to do. You know that."

"Then don't tell her." Jake heaved a sigh and looked in the direction of the hangar area. "I'll do it for you. She might take it better coming from me."

"Or she might think I'm a coward for not doing it myself," Tom argued.

"Trudy knows damned well you're not a coward," Jake countered. "She broke things off with you because you were honest with her in the first place and she thought you'd have a better life with Tanhi. It might make _you_ feel better to come clean with her but it sure as hell won't make her feel better. Let me handle it for you."

Tom wanted to argue with his logic but he pictured Trudy's face and imagined how hard it was going to be on both of them. His brother was no doubt right; going to her and telling her about his commitment would be like rubbing her nose in it. He knew he would feel that way if the tables were turned. With a sigh of defeat, he nodded.

"All right, but what makes you think she'll react any better hearing it from you?"

"We're both soldiers," Jake answered. "We've got a kind of connection. We were both trained to rely on and trust our people like brothers and sisters."

Tom understood. He had heard other military personnel speak of this bond before as well. "Once a marine, always a marine, eh?"

Jake nodded. "Oorah."

Tom frowned at him. "What does that even mean; '_Oorah_'? I've heard other marines say it too but I've never asked."

Jake grinned and shrugged. "It's a Marine corps expression. It can mean anything from 'hell yeah' to 'understood'. Old habits die hard."

"I see. Well, let's hope you're right about this, Jake."

* * *

Jake grimaced as he worked up the nerve to approach Trudy and explain things. He walked through the hangar and steadily made his way over to her Samson, which she was currently tuning up and checking for faults. She was in the cockpit, checking the console controls and wiring. She noticed him coming and she waved at him through the window before popping the door open and hopping out. She wiped her hands on her pants absently and adjusted her exopack a little as he approached.

"What's up, Sully?" Trudy bumped her small, closed fist against Jake's larger one in a gesture of greeting. "Need a lift somewhere?"

"Nah, I came to talk to you about something," Jake answered. He looked around and took note of the other personnel moving about in the hangar. He didn't want anyone to hear this conversation. "Let's hop into the cockpit for some privacy, okay?"

Trudy looked up at him suspiciously. "It's about your twin, isn't it?"

Jake pressed his lips together and nodded. "It's important, Trudy."

"Why do I get the feeling I'm going to hate this?" She sighed and climbed back into the aircraft, while Jake circled around to the co-pilot side and joined her. "All right, spill it. Just don't lecture me again, man. I've been staying away from him."

"I know that," Jake assured her. "And I want to thank you for it. This isn't about anything you did, though. It's about Tom and Tanhi."

"Let me guess, she's preggers?"

Jake blinked, but then he realized it was a logical assumption for a human to make if they didn't know about Na'vi reproductive conditions. "No, that isn't it. Although that could happen soon, now that they're a mated pair."

Trudy's eyebrows went up. "You mean like you and Neytiri?"

Jake nodded, unable to hide the sympathy in his gaze. "Last night. They linked in _tsahaylu_ and now they're mated for life. It's...well, it's hard to explain but the bond is a lot stronger than a ring and a piece of paper. I wanted you to hear about it from me first and Tom agreed with me."

Trudy made an impressive show of hiding her pain, but Jake saw it flash behind her dark eyes for a moment anyhow. "Why you and not him? He could have come to me and told me this to my face."

Jake kept his gaze steady on her. "Do you think it would have been easier to hear from him?"

She opened her mouth, shut it and looked away. "No. You got me there, bud. It would have been worse." She hastily pushed her mask out a little to reach beneath it and scrub at her eyes, turning her head away from him. "Ah, dammit. Look at me...I'm a loser."

Jake shook his head. "No way. Losers don't put other people before themselves, Trudy. You might have lost the battle but you won the war, doing what you did."

She laughed a little unevenly and looked at him with slightly reddened eyes. "Military lip service, huh? Maybe I'm weird, but that cheers me up a little."

Jake realized she must have been crying before but he chose not to call attention to it. "Hey, us military dogs have to stick together, right? I might wear a loincloth instead of the fatigues now but there's still a marine in here."

"As it should be," Trudy agreed with a nod.

"So, are you going to be okay?" Jake didn't have to feign concern for her.

"I'm fine." She shrugged. "Like I told you before, I knew what I was doing and now I've got to own it. A little self-medicating might help."

Jake gave her a suspicious look, finally understanding what the lingering scent he was picking up might be. "Don't tell me you've been drinking alone."

She looked almost guilty, but defiant. "Just last night. Hey, what do you expect? I crossed paths with Tomcat and his woman on my way to the hangar. Seeing them playing tonsil tennis made me want a drink, man."

Jake sighed. "I can't say I blame you but you don't need to get into that habit."

"Let a girl live a little, you big nanny," Trudy snorted. "I've earned a drink or two."

Jake considered her for a moment and he came to a decision. He patted her on the shoulder and opened the co-pilot door. "Come on, let's go."

"I've still got inspections to finish, Sully."

"It can wait. Move it, Lieutenant."

Trudy huffed and opened her door. "So where are you taking me?"

"Friends don't let friends drink alone." Jake threw a wink at her. "If you want to get wasted, do it with me."

* * *

Trudy selected a bottle of tequila from the metal cabinet in the public kitchen and Jake got out the salt while she poured a couple of shots. She stayed behind the island counter and slid his shot she short distance over to him. She licked the top of her hand and sprinkled some salt onto it and Jake did the same.

"Cheers, bro." Trudy held up her shotglass and clinked it against his.

She started to take the shot but upon seeing Jake getting ready to lift his breathing mask to lick the salt off his hand, she froze. Remembering her delightfully cruddy experience with Pandora fruit, she hastily put her shotglass down and lunged across the counter to grab Jake's wrist, stalling him. He blinked at her in open confusion.

"Whoa, wait a minute there, stud. Have you ever tried drinking the firewater in your Na'vi body before?"

Jake took a moment to think about it and he frowned, shaking his head. "Now that you mention it, the only alcohol I've ever had in this body is Na'vi moonshine."

"Maybe you shouldn't drink the tequila, then," Trudy suggested.

"Why not?"

She nearly rolled her eyes. Jake was a great guy but sometimes he lacked common sense. That was one thing the Sully twins had in common, despite Tom's superior brainpower.

"When I tried to eat native fruit, it gave me the shits and made me high," Trudy explained patiently. "The regular avatar drivers around here stay away from human food when they're in their Na'vi bodies and I'm guessing you stick to the Pandora stuff too."

Jake sighed. "Meaning if I drink this, I could end up with a case of the shits."

"Or worse," agreed Trudy. "I'd love to get hammered with you Sully, but not if it's going to put you in the hospital."

Jake pushed his shotglass away and grabbed a napkin out of the nearby holder to wipe the salt off of his hand. "Then you drink and I'll just hang out with you."

Trudy grimaced. "The point was to drink together, not for you to watch me get trashed. It's no fun if I'm going to be the only one making an ass of myself."

"Hey, I can make an ass of myself just fine without the drink," Jake smirked. "Go on, Trudy. Bottom's up."

She returned his smirk, encouraged by his jesting manner. "If you say so. Here's to you."

She licked the salt off her hand and downed the shot in one gulp, hissing a little at the burn. It was a shame they didn't have any limes to go with it but she was in no position to complain. She noticed Jake watching her with a curious expression on his face as she poured another shot and she felt a little embarrassed. Maybe she was trying to throw them back too fast or maybe her feelings were showing more than she intended.

"What's with the look, Sully?" Trudy kept her eyes on the glass as she poured the liquid into it. "Something else you want to run by me?"

"Are you okay with me hanging out with you?" Jake asked bluntly. "I mean, since Tom and I are twins. I'm not making it harder by being here, am I?"

She paused in the action of shaking more salt onto her hand and she realized with a little shock that it hadn't even crossed her mind. "Huh...that's strange. It really doesn't. You two might have the same face but there's more to it than looks." She scanned him up and down with her eyes and shrugged. "I can tell you two apart easily, now. You move differently, you talk differently and even some of your expressions aren't the same. You both have the same crooked grin, though."

"I'll try not to grin too much, then."

Trudy chuckled and shook her head. "It's all right. I don't see him when I look at you, even if that grin reminds me of him. All I see is my jarhead buddy."

Jake smiled. "That's good. I was a little worried there, for a minute."

Trudy finished sprinkling the salt and she took another shot. Just as she finished it and was getting ready to pour another, Sebastian walked into the kitchen and he raised his eyebrows at the sight of the two of them.

"Isn't it a bit early for that?" He glanced at his wristwatch and revised his opinion. "Oh, it's after lunchtime. I suppose not."

"Join me, Bastian," Trudy offered. "You can drink this stuff, right? I mean, since you can eat both kinds of food."

"Yes, but I'm not actually a fan of tequila." Sebastian crossed the room and walked behind Trudy to get to the refrigerator. "I came to get a snack, but I'm really not all that hungry. Jake, I notice you aren't touching your drink. May I presume it wouldn't sit well on your stomach?"

"Probably not," Jake agreed with a hint of regret coloring his voice. "I'd test it but we've got enough sick people on this base without adding me to the mix."

Sebastian opened the fridge and peered into it, shifting containers around. "Then would you like some Na'vi brew? I found it to my liking, so I've been making my own. I've got a bottle of it in here waiting to be opened."

Jake's surprise showed on his face. "I won't say no to that. When did you take up the art of brewing?"

Sebastian shrugged. "I started on it sometime last month out of curiosity. I'm sure mine isn't as good as the authentic native brew but you can be the judge of that." He procured a dark purple bottle from the refrigerator and set it on the counter before going through the cabinet for appropriate drinking glasses.

Jake raised an eyebrow at Sebastian when he pulled out a pair of brandy snifters and filled them with the drink. "Kind of fancy for moonshine, don't you think?"

Sebastian smiled and poured the drinks. "These glasses allow it to breathe more. I think it tastes better in them."

Trudy rolled her eyes and shook her head. "You British guys and your fancy ways."

"We aren't _all_ fancy," Sebastian protested. "Ya wont a'noer shot, missus?"

Trudy and Jake both stared blankly at him.

"Huh?"

"What?" Jake followed.

Sebastian sputtered a laugh, turning his head politely to the side to avoid accidental spit precipitation. "That was a cockney accent," he explained. "I suppose it would be the equivalent of an American deep southern drawl, or a strong New Jersey accent. I was asking if you'd like another shot, Lieutenant Chacón."

"Oh, I get it," Trudy said with a grin, feeling ignorant. "Like Oliver Twist, right?"

"Something like that, yes." Sebastian refilled Trudy's shot glass, pushed one of the brandy glasses over to Jake and lifted his own in a toast. "To your health."

Trudy and Jake clinked their glasses against his and the three of them commenced with drinking. After that shot, Trudy decided to make herself a mixed drink. She knew she would get slammed far too quickly if she kept drinking the stuff straight so she scavenged the refrigerator for possible cocktail mixtures. She found orange juice and apple juice. Oranges and grapefruit were the only two citrus fruits currently being grown in the indoor terran garden. There was no cherry juice but she did find artificial cherry cordial mix, so she used that with the orange juice to make a reasonably tasty tequila sunrise.

"Here, taste this," Trudy offered to Sebastian. "Am I good or what?"

He tried a sip and nodded in appreciation. "It's not quite the same without the pineapple but you've added something that sweetens it. What did you do?"

"Cherry cordial," answered Trudy with a grin. "It's not exactly Grenadine but it'll do."

"Well done," approved Sebastian. "Jake, you should try some. I'm sure a tiny sip won't hurt you."

Jake considered the glass Trudy offered to him and he shrugged. "What the hell...just one sip." He lifted his mask, took a small swallow from the glass and smiled as he handed it back to Trudy and lowered his mask again. "Were you a bartender before the military or something? That's the best Tequila Sunrise I've tasted in a long time."

"Yeah, actually." Trudy took a drink and swished it around in her mouth appreciatively before swallowing. "For a little while, when I was in high school."

Sebastian swallowed his Na'vi brew the wrong way and he coughed a little. "In high school? I thought the drinking age in the United States was eighteen?"

"Twenty-one," corrected Trudy. "Unless you're in the military. Eighteen is the legal age for recruitment. I can see why that confuses some people."

"That's odd," Sebastian mused. "Why not make eighteen the legal drinking age, then?"

"If you're mature enough to fight for your country, you're mature enough to have a beer," Jake reasoned with a crooked smirk. "It's been like that for a while now. So Trudy, how did you get a bartending license while you were in high school?"

"Fake ID," she answered. "Got it from the best in the business. Dad said if I wanted my own car I'd have to buy it myself, but most places weren't hiring kids. I pulled some strings and a few months later, I was sitting pretty behind the wheel of a fixer-upper."

Jake grinned. "If you looked up the word 'determination' in the dictionary, you'd probably find Trudy's face under the definition."

She shrugged modestly. "If you want it bad enough, you find a way to get it." She frowned as soon as she said it and so did Jake. "But that only counts when nobody gets hurt, you know?"

He relaxed and reached over the counter to pat her on the shoulder. When he pulled away, he changed the subject. "So, what do you guys miss about Earth?"

"Not much," Trudy snorted. "I guess I miss movies and carnivals. I miss going outside without an exopack on, but half the time we had to wear them anyway because of smog."

"Real pizza," Sebastian said mournfully. "There was a shop owned by an Italian family down the street from my apartment and they made the best. Right now, I'd even settle for a pizza from a cheap chain business. I've tried to make my own but it just isn't the same with synthetic cheese and the processed meat here. I have a theory that I could make a reasonable Na'vi equivalent with the right spices and untreated hexapede sausages, but I haven't had the opportunity."

"Mmm, pizza." Trudy sighed. "Now you're making me hungry. So what about you, Jake? Is there anything you miss or are you totally content with your new life?"

"I'd say I'm totally content," Jake answered, "but I have to admit, I miss some of the sports Tommy and I used to play and watch. Especially football and baseball."

"Ahh, Rugby," Sebastian said with a nod. "I miss that, too."

Trudy looked at the hacker doubtfully, remembering the photo she had seen of him pre-avatar. He was a handsome guy but he didn't look like he had the build for such a rigorous sport. "You played?"

Sebastian snorted and shook his head, swallowing the sip of moonshine in his mouth. "Of course not; they would have torn me apart. I enjoyed watching it on telly though. It was a bit more brutal than American football."

Jake smirked. "I've seen it myself and some of those guys are pretty scary."

"You played US football and baseball?" Sebastian asked.

"Yeah, Tommy and I used to toss the pigskin in the park after school. On the weekends we had our ballgames with our friends. My brother was a pretty sporty guy, for a science geek. We used to have a blast confusing our team mates by switching out our jerseys between innings."

Trudy chuckled in appreciation of the mental image. "I'll bet that caused an upheaval."

"Sometimes, yeah." Jake grinned. "Coach always knew, though. Sometimes he didn't figure it out right away but he always figured it out eventually. Like you said, Tom and I don't move the same and he's always been faster on his feet. Coach figured things out when 'I' would take bases too quick."

"You know what? We should have a game outside the compound someday," Trudy suggested. "I'll bet the Na'vi could catch on pretty quick. They might even like shooting some hoops in the basketball court here, if you show them how."

"Hey, that's not a bad idea," Jake said with a grin. "Do we have anything to play with or do we need to start working on carving some bats and making the ball?"

"The avatar team has the supplies for it," Trudy informed. "I watched them have a game once, in the landscaped area outside the western perimeter. All we've got to do is set up the field and explain how to play."

"Maybe I could even talk some of them into a little football."

Trudy winced. "I'm not sure that would go over too well, Jake. Nine-foot tall guys with super human strength in a full-on contact sport? Max and the others would end up spending the whole day treating injuries."

Jake and Sebastian laughed. "Good point. The hunters are aggressive enough, without being encouraged to tackle each other. We'll stick to the baseball and then see how they take to basketball."

The door opened and they turned to see Max walking in. He stopped when he saw them standing and sitting around the counter island and he raised his eyebrows. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything. I just came to boil more coffee."

"Screw coffee," Trudy said, feeling cheered by her buzz and the talk of getting Na'vi to play baseball, "come sit down and I'll make you a _real_ drink, Maxi." She patted the stool next to hers invitingly and grinned.

Max hesitated, clearly unused to being in group social situations. "I wouldn't want to impose."

"Nonsense," Sebastian encouraged, "there's plenty of room and you work far too hard, Dr. Patel. Please, join us."

"Come on Max," Jake coaxed, "take a little time out for some fun. All that research is still going to be there tomorrow."

"Yes, and I'll have to go over it with a hangover," Max sighed. He looked at Trudy and he wavered. "I guess one drink won't hurt. What are you planning to make for me, Trudy?"

"A Tequila Sunrise, unless you'd rather have something else. I think I could do a White Russian, too. I'll just use some of that instant coffee syrup as a substitute for Kahlua. The milk might make it taste a little off though, since it's soy milk."

Max shrugged and took a seat beside her. "I'm willing to give it a try. I haven't had a White Russian in a long time."

"You got it." Trudy got up and went to work, doing her best to make the drink Max wanted with what she had available. At least the Vodka was the real deal.

"We were talking about teaching some of my clan how to play baseball," Jake said to Max as Trudy began mixing the drink. "I think it would be a blast. We could make a day of it and some of the avatar team could join in, if they want. Tommy's great at stealing bases."

"Just remember, your brother still has recovery time before he'll be up to something so vigorous," Max cautioned. "I hope you're planning to wait for that, before you plan this game of yours."

"I wouldn't want him to miss out," Jake answered. "Don't worry, I'll wait until everyone's settled in at Hometree and Tom's up for it, before I set a date. I've got to teach people the basics, too. Mind if I take some of the avatar-sized baseball stuff with me?"

"Be my guest," Max agreed. "But you may run into some trouble with the catcher's mitts. They're all designed for five-fingered hands."

Jake mulled it over and shrugged. "I'm sure some of the tailors in the clan could make some for regular Na'vi hands if they have a look at how they're put together. Norm's mate is a pretty good seamstress and she'll probably be glad to help out."

Trudy snorted and stirred the cocktail she was making. "That's right, get the women sewing and let the men have all the fun."

Jake gave her an exasperated look. "You're joking, right? You know I'm going to try to get Neytiri in on the game and any other Na'vi women who want to play. I just mentioned Ni'nat because she's one of the best tailors we've got and if _I _try to make the gloves, they'll fall apart the minute they're put on."

"Geez, relax Jake." Trudy smirked at him. "I was just yanking your tail. Here Max, try this out and see what you think." She handed the drink to her friend and watched as he took an experimental sip.

"Mmm, this is good!" Max had an expression of surprise on his face as he examined the drink and took a deeper swallow. "How did you make it so creamy with soy milk?"

"I added some whipped cream from the fridge," Trudy answered with a proud grin. "It's made of the same stuff but it's thicker and it makes up for the thin milk. Like it, huh?"

"I may just have to hassle you to make another one for me, when I finish this." Max was smiling in delight, looking almost relaxed.

"No problemo, bud." Trudy mixed herself another tequila sunrise and grabbed the bottle of Na'vi moonshine from the fridge to top up Jake and Sebastian's drinks.

"Are you trying to get us all drunk, bartender?" Sebastian questioned with a slightly lopsided grin.

"I'm not getting wasted alone," Trudy answered with a shrug. "Might as well celebrate Tom getting hitched with some friends."

Max paused and blinked. "Hitched?"

"Uh, Tom and Tanhi became a mated pair last night," Jake answered with a visibly uncomfortable look at Trudy.

Realizing her buzz was making her mouth run away with her, Trudy cleared her throat. "Yup. You don't have to walk on eggshells Jake. I'm cool with it."

The expression on his face said he wasn't so certain of that as Jake watched her pour more of the purple-blue moonshine into his glass. "We can talk about other things."

"Sure thing. After we have a toast." Trudy lifted her glass and gave them all an expectant look. "To Tom's happiness."

They reciprocated to the toast and Trudy saw the quiet concern in Max's eyes. She felt like shouting for everyone to stop treating her with kid gloves but at the same time, she realized that the alcohol was making her reveal more than she wanted to. When Jake and Sebastian began talking about Rugby again, Trudy took the opportunity to sit next to Max and whisper in his ear.

"Do me a favor, will you?"

Max gave her a sidelong look. "Of course. What do you need?"

"If I start acting like an idiot, give me a signal will you?"

His expression softened with understanding. "I've got your back."

* * *

As it turned out, Trudy didn't have to worry. Even as she got tipsy, she remained aware of her words and actions after the toast. By the time she decided she'd had enough, even Jake was slurring a bit. The others agreed it was time to have something to eat and sober up. Max had an early dinner with Trudy and as they finished up and bused their trays, he surprised her by asking if she wanted to watch a movie together.

"What kind of movie are we talking about?" She asked him.

"Any kind you like," Max answered with a shrug. "I can bring the monitor to your quarters and set it up on your desk. We've got thousands on file but I can't say how recent most of them are, since we haven't been able to download from the RDA for a while."

"Any comedy would work for me," Trudy said upon some thought. "I don't want to see anything romantic or sad and I get enough action in real life doing field work."

"Something funny," repeated Max with a smile. "Got it. Only, I'm not sure my sense of humor is aligned with yours. Can you think of anything in particular?"

"Just pick something out," Trudy suggested. "I think I can trust you. I'll get some popcorn started while you get the video monitor ready."

"We _have_ popcorn?" Max was amazed by this announcement.

"We've got bags and bags of corn kernels in the garden supply," Trudy chuckled. "All I've got to do is grab a couple of cups and rinse them off. I know how to pop corn and the synthetic butter isn't too bad."

"Okay, I have to see this. It will only take me a few minutes to get a few movie files and set up the monitor, so I can do that after I help you make this popcorn."

Trudy rolled her eyes and smirked at him. "Doesn't take much to amaze you, Maxi."

* * *

Max had never seen corn popped in a pan before. The few times he'd ever eaten popcorn on Earth, it had been the instant kind in a microwave bag. Trudy poured the kernels into an oil-coated pan and put a lid on it. She lightly shook the pan when the corn began to pop and she kept doing it every few seconds to keep it going evenly. Before long, the job was finished and Trudy took the lid off, poured the melted synthetic butter over the popcorn, shook it all up and then sprinkled salt on it.

"We used to pop our own corn all the time," Trudy explained. "It's sort of a family tradition and it saves cash on the snacks." She dumped the popcorn into a large bowl and held it out to Max.

He tried some. "Trudy, are there any other hidden talents you want to show me today?"

"I'm guessing that means the popcorn passes the Patel test?"

He smiled. "Absolutely. Now, let's pick out a movie and get set up."

* * *

The movie Trudy picked out was an old classic starring Tom Hanks, called "The Money Pit". It was about a couple that got conned into buying an estate, only to find out it was falling apart. Their misadventures in repairing the house made for light-hearted humor that took Max and Trudy's mind off work and personal troubles...except that Max kept finding logical faults in the film.

"That would never happen," Max scoffed as Tom Hanks rolled down the hill in the wheelbarrow. "It would tip over before he crashed into the statue."

"How do you know?" Trudy challenged. "Ever ride downhill in a wheelbarrow before?"

"As a matter of fact, I have."

Trudy paused in chewing the popcorn she'd just put into her mouth and she suddenly got off the bunk, paused the video clip and turned to face him. "All right, I've got to hear this," she said after swallowing her mouthful. "Spill it, Maxi. What was a guy like _you_ doing riding a wheelbarrow?"

Max felt his cheeks flush. "Well, I was a kid and it was kind of an experiment. I used to see other kids on the news and in Christmas specials, sliding down snow hills on sleds. I hear it used to snow occasionally in San Francisco but it never did while I was living there, so I improvised with my father's wheelbarrow. He was a construction worker and I saw it sitting out next to his work truck one day, so I took it and rode down one of those famous San Francisco hills, on a street that was closed off for construction."

Trudy hid a grin behind her hand. "Holy shit, Max the Thrillseeker. Who would have thought? So I guess it didn't turn out how you planned, huh?"

Max rolled up his left sleeve and pointed out a crescent-shaped scar on his forearm, just beneath the elbow. "Five stitches. I toppled before I even made it to the halfway mark. The front wheels hit a tiny rock and that made the wheelbarrow flip right over. I landed on some broken glass."

Trudy winced. "Ouch. What did your parents say about that?"

"Oh, I didn't tell them what really happened," Max said with a smirk. "I used my sock to wrap up my arm and I hurried back home with the wheelbarrow, bent my bicycle wheel and tended the cut myself until they got home from grocery shopping. I told them I had a bike accident."

"Slick." Trudy grinned. "Now I'm going to have this image of a little curly-headed kid with glasses, riding down the street on a wheelbarrow." She snickered and started the movie back up before hopping back onto the bunk with him.

"I'm glad it amuses you." Max was grinning despite his dry words. "Popcorn?"

Trudy sat cross-legged and nodded. "Popcorn."

Max watched her scoop up a handful from the bowl as he held it out and he tried not to pay too much attention to her bare legs. It was funny, how something as simple as a t-shirt and a pair of boxer shorts looked so alluring on Trudy. Then again, she could wear a sack and he'd still think it was attractive on her. He briefly wondered what she was doing with a pair of men's boxer shorts but he knew they couldn't possibly be Tom Sully's—otherwise she'd be swimming in them. Trudy likely kept a few pairs just for comfort, knowing her. Practicality always came before fashion with her, which was one of the things that made him like her so much.

When the movie was almost finished, Trudy leaned against Max's shoulder and he impulsively put an arm around her. He almost stopped when he realized what he was doing, but since she wasn't objecting he completed the motion. He swallowed when she laid her head on his shoulder and he reminded himself that she was still getting over Tom. Now wasn't the time to take her gesture of affection to mean something more than comfort seeking.

The scent of her hair became distracting and Max stopped paying attention to the movie altogether as he wondered what kind of shampoo she used. He shifted carefully when the contact became a bit _too_ enjoyable, hoping his movement wouldn't disturb her and call attention to his problem. Finally, when the movie ended, he decided it was time to "test the waters" and hint at his romantic feelings.

"Trudy, do you ever think that you and I could—"

Max looked down at her and stopped talking. Her eyes were shut and her breathing was deep and even. She was fast asleep. He sat like a statue for a moment, wondering what he should do. The last thing he wanted to do was wake her but she hadn't exactly invited him to stay the night in her quarters.

After mulling over it for a while, he decided to try and maneuver her into a horizontal position and tuck her in. Knowing it would likely rouse her from sleep, he took one small liberty for himself and he nuzzled her hair gently. After taking that opportunity, he moved the bowl away and carefully eased her onto her side. Trudy murmured and yawned, blinking her eyes open and peering up at him in confusion as he climbed off the cot and put the empty popcorn bowl on her desk, by the monitor.

"Movie's over?" Trudy mumbled.

"Yeah, you fell asleep during the last five minutes," Max answered softly. He took hold of the sheets and draped them over her. "You can keep the monitor in here as long as you want. I put some extra movie files in the database that I thought you might like, so watch them at your leisure, okay?"

She smiled and reached out to squeeze his hand. "Thanks Max. You're a real pal. Sorry I pooped out on you so soon. I had fun."

He returned her smile. "It's okay. You've had a busy week and we're all tired. I had fun too. I'll see you tomorrow, Trudy."

He turned the lock on the door before exiting the room and he walked to his own sleeping quarters, though he wasn't particularly tired. He could still feel Trudy's body against his as if he hadn't left her bunk and he wondered if her falling asleep was fate's warning to him. Maybe it was too soon for him to delve into possibilities of something beyond friendship. She was, after all, freshly adjusting to news that Tom was now officially committed to Tanhi.

He had to be patient, for his sake as well as Trudy's. While Tom was on the base, it would be impossible for Trudy not to think of him. She needed time to sort her thoughts and feelings out without his presence. Maybe when Dr. Sully left with the others, Trudy's emotional healing would come faster and Max could safely approach her without undue pressure. He would be honest with her and let her know in no uncertain terms that no matter what her answer was, he would always be her friend and he would never get in the way of any relationships she pursued. He had to be certain she understood that, because he could handle rejection better than the loss of her friendship.

* * *

The day came for the remaining River clan to be transported to Hometree. Trudy volunteered to be one of the pilots for the transport assignment, despite Max questioning whether she was up for it.

"I've got to put it behind me," she said stubbornly to him as she buttoned up her flight jacket and put her exopack on. "I've got my closure, so now I've got to use it to my advantage. I look at it like facing a fear, Maxi. You don't win by running away."

He stared at her for a moment with an almost stricken expression and she frowned. "What? Is it something I said?" She prompted.

"Can you lift that mask for a minute, Trudy?"

Curious about the request, she did as he asked and she was surprised when he quickly kissed her on the lips. It only lasted for a moment but it was a warm, affectionate kiss and his lips were surprisingly firm.

Trudy blinked at him, slack-jawed. Suddenly, Jake's theory that Max had deeper feelings for her didn't seem so unbelievable. "What was that for?"

Max looked embarrassed but resolute. "For being you. For being so determined, gutsy and strong. If you can face up to your feelings, then I should try to follow your example and do it too."

Trudy opened her mouth to say something but he stalled her. "I'm not asking you to go steady with me, Trudy. I'm not even asking you to think about us as something more than friends, right now. I just had to do that, after listening to you talk. Even if you never think of me as more than your nerdy friend, I'm always going to admire you and I'll always be here for you."

Trudy struggled for something to say. She was well and truly stunned by his actions and words and while her first instinct was to tell him right away there wasn't a chance for anything more than friendship, she had her doubts about that now, too. "Uh, Max..."

"Don't worry about it," Max assured her with a smile. "It was just a message, not a demand. Take care of yourself first and don't think about it until you feel ready to, okay?"

Trudy nodded convulsively, still feeling like her tongue was glued to the roof of her mouth. "Okay," she managed to say before slipping her filter mask back over her face. She left Max's office in a hurry, her thoughts in a jumble as she mechanically moved down the hallway to the exit. She almost forgot to activate her exopack as she walked through the doors leading outside but the blinking reminder sign caught her attention and she hastily rectified her near mistake.

When she made it into the hangar to her aircraft, the Na'vi were already in the process of boarding with what few belongings they had. Trudy got into the cockpit and sealed it before powering the Samson up and turning on the interior air filter system. When the meter said the oxygen level in the cockpit was fit for human respiration, she took her exopack off and put it in the overhead compartment. For a moment, she just stared blankly at the instrument panel.

"Max kissed me."

She would have expected a bumbling speech from him or a carefully constructed theory of why they should experiment with a romantic relationship. She definitely wasn't expecting him to lay a wet one on her with no warning. She looked out the window and she saw Tom helping some of the River people onto the Dragon gunship that had been recently finished. There was enough room on it to fit most of the Na'vi and their belongings, but to avoid crowding they were including a couple of Samsons and Scorpions to carry some of the passengers and supplies.

Trudy watched Tom and she remembered the passionate, heated kiss she had shared with him. Could she feel that sort of raw desire with Max, eventually? She doubted it but she couldn't deny that Max's kiss had just as much feeling in it as Tom's, even if it was hasty and shy.

Someone knocked on the window of the pilot door and Trudy jumped, startled. She turned to see Jake's face peering through the reinforced glass at her and he pointed at his transmitter unit, his lips moving. Shaken out of her daze, Trudy turned on her radio and tuned into the right frequency.

"You copy?" Jake asked.

Trudy gave him the thumbs-up.

"You're good to go," he continued. "All of your passengers are loaded and your co-pilot is on his way now. I'll ride point with the other ikran riders but I don't think we'll run into any trouble on the way; especially with this much firepower."

No, Trudy couldn't imagine them running into any trouble either. Native airborne predators generally only attacked lone travelers and most of them were wary of human aircrafts. She turned around in her seat and looked through the cockpit window into the cabin, surprised that people had boarded without her even noticing. When she turned around again, Wilson opened the co-pilot door and quickly got in before the oxygen could escape. He shut the door and took off his exopack, stowing it the same way Trudy had.

"Ready to fly, Chacón?"

"You know it," Trudy said easily, forcing her confused feelings to the background.

* * *

Tanhi didn't push Tom to ride on her ikran with her for the trip. Though he had recovered much of his strength, he was still in a weakened state. Riding a banshee all the way to Omaticaya territory would have been grueling on him, so she didn't object to his riding in one of the aircrafts with the River clan. She would have been a little troubled if he had boarded Trudy's vehicle but he chose to ride in the biggest ship with the majority of the others, probably to avoid any competitive or awkward feelings.

She flew ahead of the convoy with the hunters that had accompanied her on her journey to Hell's Gate. Jake and Neytiri rode beside her at the front and she thought she saw the two of them exchange a knowing look between them as they glanced at her. She knew Tom told his brother about them becoming a mated pair and Tanhi felt an odd sense of relief when she recognized approval on Jake and Neytiri's faces.

The ikrans were tired by the time they landed near Hometree early in the evening. Tanhi and the other riders fed their mounts treats and dismissed them to settle in and rest, before helping the River clan unload their belongings and get settled in. Mo'at had everything in order for the new visitors and the evening meal was already being cooked.

Trudy and the other pilots helped until the last of their cargo was gone. Tanhi saw the way her mate's eyes met the human woman's, but she said nothing as Tom said his goodbyes to her.

"Thanks for your help, Trudy," Tom said while Tanhi waited in the background. "You didn't have to, but we appreciate it."

"It's no big deal," Trudy answered in a casual tone that Tanhi recognized as forced. No matter how she tried, the human couldn't fully conceal her love for Tom. She did an admirable job not making it obvious, but Tanhi could easily sense it, simply because she could so easily relate with the human's feelings.

"Well, I suppose I should get to the den and help everyone get settled," Tom sighed. He staggered a little and Tanhi quickly went to his side and supported him.

"I think you need to get some food and rest before you worry about anyone else," Trudy said firmly, crossing her arms over her chest. She looked up at Tanhi and gave her a nod. "Take care of him, okay?"

_~He's one of a kind,~_ Her eyes said.

Tanhi felt grudging admiration for the small woman's stoicism and honor. She gave her a sincere, respectful nod and kept her eyes on her, silently communicating with her the way women sometimes could. "I will."

Trudy gave a tight smile and a salute, apparently satisfied that Tom was in good hands. Tanhi stood with him and watched the smaller woman go to her Samson and climb in. The rotaries started up and before long, Trudy and the other pilots took to the air and headed back to the base.

"She is," Tanhi said thoughtfully, "much stronger in spirit than I knew. I understand why you were drawn to her now, Tom."

Tom looked surprised by her comment. "That's...really gracious of you."

Tanhi shrugged. "It is easy to be gracious. You are with me, after all."

Tom gave her a puzzled look. "I don't think I'll ever understand women."

* * *

While Tom continued to recover his strength, he and Jake started tutoring clan members on the game of baseball. They started out simple, teaching them different pitching techniques first and then explaining the concept of bases and scoring. Jake discovered that his mate had a strong throwing arm, one afternoon.

"Damn, that smarted through the glove!" Jake took the ball out of his catcher's mitt and tossed it lightly back to his mate. "I think you'll end up being a team pitcher."

She smiled and caught the ball. "I am enjoying this. When do we start playing the game?"

"As soon as Tom is strong enough to run without wearing himself out," Jake promised. "I think you'll be impressed with how fast he can move from base to base, when he's at full capacity."

Tom was watching from the side and he spoke up. "You don't have to wait for me, Jake. There are enough mitts crafted now to go around and I'm just as happy watching other people play. Besides, I've got to get back to honing my hunter's skills and practicing for the day I get my ikran."

"Doesn't mean you need to be left out," Jake insisted stubbornly. "But I guess you can coach from the side until you're ready to join in."

"That's fine. I think you should start getting people used to wearing the gear before you start the gameplay exercises."

Jake made a face. "I don't think I'd be comfortable in that getup anymore, so I know they won't be."

"They should at least wear the pants," Tom cautioned.

"Nah, everyone will be fine without it."

Tom sighed. "If you say so." He imagined a Na'vi trying to pull off a slide in the skimpy tribal wear and he predicted social disaster, but Jake was the kind of guy that had to learn the hard way.

* * *

Another week went by and Jake had two teams of interested Na'vi picked out for the first practice game. Everyone had picked up on the art of throwing, batting and catching fairly well, so it was time for a friendly match. Tom and Jake laid out the bases in the clearing on the outskirts of the village and since he wasn't quite fully recovered, Tom played the role of coach. They didn't mark the field because they had nothing to use that would stay and be environmentally sound, so they would have to rely on perception and base position to determine the foul lines. Ni'nat was participating, despite Norm's worried protests.

"I will be fine, my Norm," she insisted as the teams began to take to the field. "If I can hunt and ride in my condition, I can play too."

He sighed. "I just don't like the idea of a ball flying at you. It could hit you in the stomach."

She kissed him softly. "You worry too much. My usual activities are more dangerous than this."

"I'll keep an eye on her, Norm," Tom promised. "I'm sure everyone will be careful not to hit her with the ball."

"All it takes is a stray ball," Norm grumbled, "but I guess I can't forbid it."

Ni'nat ruffled his hair fondly and smiled at him before joining her team with E'quath.

"Norm, I promise you I'll keep her in the outfield and make sure the pitcher goes easy on her when she's up to bat."

Norm nodded, looking no happier. Tom patted him on the arm and took his place in the field, next to Neytiri. She was absently tossing the ball from hand to hand as she waited for everyone to get into position.

"Go easy on Ni'nat when she's up to bat," Tom advised out the corner of his mouth. "Norm's worried that she or the baby could get hurt."

"I will do nothing to endanger an expecting mother," Neytiri assured him. "Especially not a sister of my people. Why did you not put her on my team, Tom?"

"Jake did the picking," answered the biologist, "and he didn't want it to be clan versus clan, so he's making sure each team has members from all three clans. That way, tribal politics won't spoil the game." Unfortunately, there were only a few River people strong enough to play but it was better than nothing.

Neytiri nodded and cast a smile at her mate, who was squatted behind home plate in the role of catcher. "He unites the clans even in games," she approved. Jake noticed her smiling at him and he gave her a wink, though it was unlikely that he could hear her soft comment.

Tom was satisfied that everyone was ready and he picked up the whistle hanging around his neck and blew it to signify the beginning of the first inning. E'quath was the first player up to bat and he tapped his bat on the ground as he'd seen Jake do, before positioning it and narrowing his eyes on the ball in Neytiri's hand.

Neytiri got ready for the throw and she shot Jake an annoyed look when he gave her the hand signal to throw an underhanded pitch.

"Practice, remember?" He mouthed, catching on that she wasn't happy with making it easy on her adversary. The twinkle in his eye promised that she could get more serious later.

Neytiri sighed and complied with his silent signal, drawing back for the pitch. She aimed for Jake's open catcher's mitt and she made the throw. E'quath missed it and Tom called out encouragement to him as Jake caught the ball and tossed it back to Neytiri.

"Strike one. It's all right, E'quath. Good try. You've got two more so make it good."

Neytiri cast a sidelong look at Jake's twin. "Which side are you on?"

Tom blinked at her. "Neither. I'm coaching for everyone or else it wouldn't be fair. Be a good sport, sister."

Neytiri wasn't sure what a "good sport" was but she assumed by his tone that she was taking the game too seriously. Feeling a little mortified, she tempered her competitive nature and pitched another ball. This time, E'quath struck it and it sailed over Neytiri's head in an arch. E'quath took off running for First Base, while one of the men on Neytiri's team scrambled for the ball. He threw it at the woman guarding first base, but E'quath had already passed her and was on his way to second. She tossed the ball to Neytiri just as Tom made a commentary.

"He's stealing second base."

The word "stealing" prompted Neytiri's hunter instinct and she threw the ball forcibly, directly at E'quath. She realized her mistake as soon as the ball left her hand but it was too late to stop it and her aim was perfect. Neytiri winced as the ball struck poor E'quath in the head, knocking him off balance and making him blurt a startled shout.

"Man down!" Jake got up from his position and jogged over to the fallen hunter, along with several other Na'vi. "You okay, E'quath?" He asked as he helped the groaning male to his feet.

"I don't like this game," complained E'quath.

"It's a good thing Na'vi skulls are so hard," Jake said with a sympathetic grimace, supporting the tracker. "She could have knocked you clean out. Mo'at, I've got one for you to look at!"

While Jake helped him off the field for Mo'at to see to his head, Tom rounded on Neytiri with a stern expression on his face. "Your goal is to work with your team to tag the other players and put them out before they reach the bases, not wallop them upside the head with the ball. Understand?"

She felt like a child being scolded by a parent and she bit her lip, properly contrite. "I acted badly," she admitted. "You said he was stealing."

Tom sighed, but his mouth twitched with apparent amusement. "It's a game term, Neytiri. It only means a runner is claiming one of the bases. It doesn't literally mean anybody is stealing anything, okay?"

She nodded, scuffing the heel of her foot in the moss bashfully. "I will do better."

Tom patted her arm. "Just tone down those killer instincts a little and you'll be fine." He looked out over the field and called out to his brother. "How is he, Jake?"

"It was just a glancing blow," answered the chieftain. "He'll be okay."

Norm suddenly marched out and put an arm around Ni'nat's waist, drawing her away from the batter line. She protested but he grimly kept going, urging her away from the game field to the spot where he and other Na'vi were watching.

"That's it, you aren't playing until they have the basics worked out," Norm insisted.

"But Norm—"

"Not until I know you won't get cold-cocked with a ball," he interrupted in a tone of finality. "Would you stand in an archery range while untrained hunters shoot their bows?"

Ni'nat conceded his point. "Very well, my Norm. I understand. You had better let me play when they improve, though."

"I will. I just don't want my mate and child put under medical care."

Seeing that they were short two team members, Jake whistled and motioned to a couple of the Na'vi waiting for a turn. They eagerly joined the batter team in place of E'quath and Ni'nat and Jake took his place again behind the home plate.

"All right, now let's try not to wipe out the rest of the team before we have the chance to even play," Tom suggested dryly to Neytiri. "I'm not going to penalize your team this time, because it was a reflexive accident. Do it again and the other team will get a free point, understand?"

"Yes." She felt bad enough without Tom lecturing her but Neytiri admitted that she had earned it with her own impulsive actions. She felt a little better when she saw Jake give her an encouraging grin.

* * *

The rest of the inning went smoother by comparison, but when it was time for Jake and Neytiri's team to bat, he discovered why Tom suggested the players wear baseball clothes. He was waiting on second base for the next batter to hit a ball and when she did, Jake ran for third. The center fielder caught the ball and began to toss it to Tanhi, who was manning third base.

"Slide, Jake..._slide!_" Tom yelled.

Jake would have questioned why his brother was rooting for him when Tom's mate was the one he was up against, but he was too into the game to think much of it. He impulsively took Tom's advice and slid in feet-first to avoid getting tagged. Unfortunately, the move made his loincloth ride up and he experienced one of the most painful wedgies he'd ever felt. He made it safely to the base but he didn't immediately get up. While the soft moss hadn't caused any skin burn, he felt like his loincloth was clear up around his ears. Jake groaned and called a timeout as he checked his garment and adjusted it. Tanhi cleared her throat and looked away respectfully.

"Okay, so maybe there's something to wearing traditional baseball gear after all," Jake grunted as he limped over to Tom. "You can wipe that shit-eating grin off your face now. You did that on purpose, didn't you?"

Tom shrugged. "You would have slid eventually. I just thought I'd encourage you so you could see my point sooner. Imagine what would happen if Neytiri or one of the other women pulled a move like that, with an audience of onlookers. Those necklaces would go straight up over their heads."

"Where did you put the baseball outfits?" Jake sighed in defeat.

* * *

-To be continued


	31. Chapter 31

"Between worlds"

Chapter 31

* * *

_**Author's note: See footnotes at the end of the chapter for Na'vi/English translations. Thank you everyone for the feedback! I've decided to give Sebastian and Katherine a little more attention in this chapter. Warning: extreme fluff, graphic sex **_

* * *

*Disclaimer: I do not own Pandora and I make no profit from writing fanfiction based on the "Avatar" film.

* * *

"Are you ready, Tom?"

He almost said "no". He was unaccountably nervous about what they were going to do, though Tanhi was the one facing possible rejection by her people. He had convinced her to procrastinate on formally announcing their mated status to the Ikran clan. He didn't want to appear before them sick and weakly, but healthy and strong as a chieftess' mate should be. Now he was almost fully recovered and he was ready to make his first kill and complete his training for _Iknimaya_. It was time for Tanhi's people to know that their chieftess was a mated woman.

"I'm ready." Tom looked down at his clothing and he wondered if he should have tried to get a loincloth from Jake. He would always prefer pants but it might make it easier for Tanhi's clan to accept him if he were dressed more like a native.

Tanhi noticed his uncertainty and she touched his arm. "I did not choose you because of your clothing, Tom. My people already know this."

"But will they accept it?" Tom's doubt didn't fade.

Tanhi drew a deep breath, hinting that she was nervous as well. "We will see. I have faith that they will have the wisdom to accept one who is chosen by Eywa herself. Come. We should not delay longer."

Still harboring uncertainty, he walked with her into the Ikran encampment, just on the edge of the village border. People greeted them both as they passed and some of them even gave Tom a respectful nod. Maybe Tanhi was right and his success with curing the disease would make her clan more accepting of him.

Tanhi called out to her people once they were in the center of the encampment, commanding their attention. Tom's self-conscious doubt returned in force when the Ikran clan gathered around them, but he stifled his concerns and did his best to appear confident and calm. Tanhi addressed each of her people, her eyes sweeping over them slowly as she began to speak.

"Many of you have been concerned for me this year," she announced. "I see you all, and I hear your words. You say I am too young to go without a mate; I should choose a new mate and begin over, as others have done."

There were nods and shared looks of curiosity, as well as faintly shamed expressions. Some of her people looked distinctly uncomfortable at the reminder of being pushy with her. Tanhi went on without lingering on the subject, going straight to the point now that she had full attention.

"You don't need to worry any longer. It seems that Eywa has agreed with all of you." She turned to Tom and took his hand. "Tomsully and I are now mated before her. If our Great Mother wills it, we will provide new blood for the clan someday soon."

"I _knew_ it," Peyla said aloud, looking smugly satisfied.

Tanhi gave the other female a dry smirk. "Very clever, sister."

One of the other women stepped forward with an interesting mixture of relief and concern on her face. "_Olo'eyktan_, I mean no disrespect when I say this, but Tomsully is not one of the People. He is a fine, brave male but..."

"He will become Omaticaya soon," Tanhi said patiently. "He has only two trials to pass."

Tom understood the discomfort on the woman's face, which was mirrored by several other Ikran clan members. He spoke up, realizing he hadn't talked with Tanhi about tribal politics beyond announcing their status as mates.

"I'll be joining the Ikran clan, if it is permitted."

Tanhi looked at him with surprise. "You are certain? Your brother is _Olo'eyktan_ of the Omaticaya."

"Yes, but my mate is _Olo'eyktan_ of the Ikran." Tom rubbed her arm and gazed into her eyes. "Your clan will move on to rebuild your village again someday. It wouldn't be right for me to join the Omaticaya if I don't intend to live with them. Besides," he smiled wryly, "they've taken in enough strays."

A faint smile curved Tanhi's mouth. "If this is your decision, I am sure my people will welcome you into the clan." She looked around and there were nods of agreement. One of the male hunters added his opinion.

"We have not had a _Tsahik_ since our last one died of the sickness. Since Tomsully is a healer and chosen by Eywa, he could take her place."

"But he is male," one of the female hunters argued. "The _Tsahik_ is female, always."

"And is the _Olo'eyktan_ always male?" countered the male with a lift of his eyebrows and a purposeful nod at their chieftess. "I say that men can interpret the will of Eywa as well as women, just as women can lead our warriors into battle as well as men. It is also tradition for the _Olo'eyktan_ to be paired with the clan's _Tsahik_."

Tom felt nervous all over again. He might have the gift of healing and he might have communicated directly with Eywa, but he was by no means a spiritual person. He could also see by the sour looks on some faces that only so much drifting from tradition would be tolerated. To accept him into their clan as their leader's mate was one thing, but for him to take on such a sacred role was clearly an insult to some of them. He wasn't born a Na'vi, after all.

"Perhaps you should choose someone born into the clan," Tom suggested, his mind working quickly. "Eywa spoke to me, yes, but I'm not worthy to determine her will. It took me _months_ to understand what she wanted from me. I would be the slowest _Tsahik_ in the history of the People. I'm sure the Ikran clan could do much better than me."

Some of them chuckled softly and others looked at him with grudging agreement. Tom used it to his advantage. "I know there are members of the Ikran clan who have spent their entire lives listening for Eywa's voice. Male or female, I think you should choose a _Tsahik_ that has a better understanding of the Great Mother."

The tension in the air faded and Tanhi looked at him sidelong. There was pride in her amber gaze and another reserved smile tugged at her lips. "You speak wisely, my Tom. You really would have made a good _Tsahik_, but you are right. My people have been through enough change."

Tanhi addressed the crowd again. "The Omaticaya are naming their new _Tsahik_ in two nights. We will wait out of respect for our brothers and sisters and join them in honoring Neytiri. After that, we will begin holding council to decide who among our people are worthy of becoming our next _Tsahik_." She looked at the man who said a male could make as good a spiritual leader as a female and she nodded. "Males will also be considered."

Tanhi took Tom's hand and declared the gathering to be over. He went with her to her tent and he sighed in relief when they were inside and away from prying eyes.

"You did well," Tanhi complimented, glancing at him sidelong as she adjusted the sleeping pallet. "You have shown my people that you are not doing this for power, even as you spoke like a leader."

Tom shrugged modestly, uncomfortable. "I meant everything I said. I've only begun to believe in Eywa and I think I would make a piss-poor _Tsahik_. I'm sure Eywa would agree, even if she _does_ like me."

Tanhi graced him with a low huff of laughter. "Perhaps. The truth remains that you gave my people more reason to trust you, with your clever words." She sobered and looked at him thoughtfully as she sat cross-legged on the pallet. "I am pleased that you wish to join the Ikran clan. I thought that loyalty to your brother would make you join the Omaticaya."

"If things were different, it would," Tom admitted. He sat down beside her and stroked her hair. "I want...no, I _need_ you to know that I'm loyal to you, Tanhi. If I'm not willing to become one of your clan members, I'm no mate worth having."

She caressed his face with her fingertips, studying him with quiet admiration. "I did not want you to feel pushed to choose sides. _Toruk Makto_ is more than a sibling to you; he is your twin. It would have been unfair for me to force separation."

Tom tilted his head curiously. "I have to confess, I wouldn't have expected you to have such a compassionate side a few weeks ago."

Tanhi lowered her gaze and nodded. "I gave you no reason to think differently. I...understand, Tom. I was a twin, too."

Tom couldn't hide his surprise. "You were?"

She nodded. "Not like you and Jake. I had a brother. He did not survive long after the birth and he was given back to Eywa before I was placed at my mother's breast. I never knew him, but I have always felt the loss. For this reason, I know the bond between twins. I want you to be happy with me, not forced."

He felt like he was finally, truly getting to know this mysterious woman. Tom smiled and put an arm around her, drawing her closer to him. "There is still so much I don't know about you."

She nuzzled his neck, just below his jaw. "In time, my Tom. I hope that your brother will not resent me for taking you away."

Tom shivered in response to the feel of her lips caressing his skin and he shut his eyes, enjoying the intimacy. "You aren't taking me away. I can always come back and visit."

He turned his head and kissed her, his pulse quickening with desire. It was the middle of the day; too early to retire for rest. He knew Tanhi had coaxed him to her tent to speak privately with him after the announcement but now he was interested in something more. Each day he got to know her better and as he did, his feelings for her grew and he wanted her more. She wasn't the harsh, detached huntress he first thought. It just took a bit of work to peel the layers.

Tanhi stopped caressing his face and began to undo the buttons on his shirt, leaving little doubt that her thoughts were going to the same place as his. She pulled the garment open and slid her palm over his chest as she pulled her mouth away from his and looked into his eyes.

"I hope you are right."

Tom was distracted by his urges and his answer came out husky and breathless. "Don't worry. Jake will understand."

* * *

"I don't understand." Jake was frowning.

Tom's mouth worked as he mentally reviewed what he had just explained to his brother and wondered where he went wrong. "What don't you understand? I'm Tanhi's mate and I belong at her side."

"I understand _that_," Jake replied, "but I don't understand why you have to be initiated into their clan to do it. I thought you wanted to be Omaticaya."

"I did. It's just that things are different now. How would it look to her people if I picked your clan over theirs?"

"You're my brother." Jake shrugged as if that answered everything.

"You're being childish," Tom sighed. "I'm still going to be your brother whether I'm in your clan or theirs. Do you think you'd be with Neytiri now if you hadn't undergone your trials and joined her clan?"

Jake looked conflicted and he glanced at the nearby trunk of Hometree, backlit by the setting sun. "I don't know...maybe." He heaved a sigh of his own and smirked at Tom. "I guess you've got me. I was kind of hoping the Ikran people would stick around and merge with us."

"Why would they do that?"

"They've been living here long enough and some of their clan members are already mated with some of ours. I figured it would be easier for everyone if the two clans joined together; especially with our numbers down from all the fighting. Plus, you and I could raise our kids together."

Tom thought the idea of the clans becoming one had its merits, but the dispute in authority could be a problem. Tanhi's people might not be willing to pledge Jake as their new chieftain and the Omaticaya weren't likely to accept Tanhi either. Though they were all Na'vi, each clan had its own way of doing things. Some traditions differed. The remark about raising their children together made Tom smile, though.

"If we were raising families on Earth, we wouldn't be living in the same house," Tom reminded him. "We can still visit each other all the time, Jake. As for the merging idea, that's something you should speak with Tanhi about if you're serious. I'm not interested in influencing the way she leads her people."

Jake gave him a suspicious look. "You're not doing this out of guilt, are you?"

Knowing what he meant, Tom shook his head and answered without hesitation. "I'm doing this because I love her, Jake. Yes, I still love Trudy and I think I always will. You were wrong about Tanhi though. She understands and she doesn't hold it against me."

"Hmph...I guess you just can't tell with some women," Jake said. "I thought for sure she was the jealous type."

"I'm not going to test how far her lenience goes," Tom replied dryly. "I'm just glad she doesn't hold my lingering feelings for Trudy against me. I don't know about you, but I'm hungry."

"Yeah, we should join everyone in the den for supper," agreed Jake. "Remember, we're going hunting tomorrow. Maybe you'll make your first kill and all you'll have left to do is get your ikran."

"Let's hope so." Tom walked with his brother into the den but he silently harbored some doubts concerning his hunting ability. He was a good shot with a bow but he lacked fortitude when it came to shooting a living thing. The last time he had tried to do it, his aim went obnoxiously wide, earning him puzzled looks from his hunting party. Nobody said anything to him but he knew they were wondering how someone rumored to be a natural archer could miss a still target so badly.

* * *

Jake noticed Tom's hesitation when he sighted the arrow and prepared to shoot it at the grazing hexapede. The animal wasn't yet aware of their presence, but a shift in the wind or the slightest noise could change that within seconds.

"Tom, you only have to do this one time," Jake said in a bare whisper, guessing by the conflicted expression on his brother's face that there was more to his reported misses than a lack of experience. "One kill, bro. After that, you can provide for the clan other ways. If you don't prove you're capable of providing meat for your clan, you won't be considered a fit hunter and you'll never pass this trial."

Tom nodded silently, his eyes fixed on the prey. He whispered a soft apology to the animal before holding his breath and loosing the arrow. It cut through the air smoothly, hardly making a sound. The hexapede sensed its danger at the last moment and it lifted its head with an alarmed bleat, just before the point of Tom's arrow pierced it in the chest. The shot was clean and accurate. The creature fell to the ground and gave one reflexive kick, then lay still.

Jake stared at the kill, then at his brother. Tom had a grim, unhappy look on this face as he lowered the bow and Jake was reminded of someone who had just shot a horse to put it out of its misery. Together, they moved in on the prey and Jake was impressed to find the animal already dead. Most hunters couldn't manage a direct kill-shot every time and Jake found it impressive that his brother pulled it off, conflicted as he was.

"It hardly had a chance to feel anything," Jake assured Tom as the younger twin murmured the Na'vi blessing and drove his hunting knife in for good measure. "Good kill, Tommy."

Tom wiped his blade off on the grass and sheathed his knife. He looked down at the blank, dead eyes and sighed. "I know it's all part of the balance and I've eaten my share of animals, but..."

Jake patted him on the shoulder. "I know. You're used to saving life, not taking it. It'll get easier with time and if it doesn't, you can always gather fruits and vegetables."

"At least I know I can take prey down if I have to," Tom sighed.

* * *

While Tom worked his way toward his goal and the Na'vi practiced their baseball playing skills, Sebastian and Katherine were moving toward a goal of their own. It seemed like something always interrupted them when they were ready to consummate their relationship with each other. Katherine couldn't speak for her boyfriend but she was becoming frustrated. She no longer worried over whether making love with him would be awkward. She was at a point now where she doubted thoughts would interfere with instinct and desire.

Tonight, Sebastian had a dinner date planned for them in the terrarium. He had promised her something special, but he didn't allude to what that special thing was. She was just adding the finishing touches, twenty minutes prior to the designated time. He hadn't specified whether she was supposed to dress casual or fancy for this date, so she chose the latter. Katherine wasn't the sort of woman to stoop to seduction on a regular day but now, she wanted to make sure she looked her best. She dabbed perfume behind her ears and smoothed flyaway bits of hair as she examined her reflection.

"Not bad."

She only hoped Sebastian would agree with her. The royal blue satin blouse went well with the cream-colored skirt. The skirt fell to just above her knees and a pair of blue pumps completed the ensemble. She had styled her hair into what she hoped was an elegant twist and she wore a pair of teardrop crystal earrings. It wasn't exactly a dinner gown but it was the nicest outfit she owned.

Katherine placed her hand over her stomach and grimaced at her reflection. She had butterflies. She hadn't been this nervous before a date since she was a teenager. If Sebastian could affect her this way with so little effort, it only meant one thing; this wasn't just a case of infatuation—it was the real thing.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Kath. You haven't even slept with the man yet."

It was all well and good to advise herself on discipline but as she walked out the door of her sleeping quarters and locked it behind her, the butterflies in her stomach only became more active. She took a deep breath and started down the hall toward the main exit of the building. People gave her curious looks as she passed them and Trudy's copilot whistled at her, earning himself a smack on the back of the head.

"Hey, it was a compliment," protested Harris.

"Haven't you figured out we don't dig that kind of bullshit?" Trudy snapped at him. "If you think she looks nice just say so, instead of trolling her. Look, you're making her uncomfortable."

Indeed, Katherine's face was hot and she suddenly wondered if her skirt was riding up.

Trudy's expression relaxed into a smile as she regarded Katherine. "You're looking fancy. Big date tonight?"

"Something like that," admitted the botanist, relaxing a little. "Are you two flying a night mission?"

"Nah, we just got in from bringing back some of the cleanup crew."

Katherine nodded. The personnel at Hell's Gate was nearly finished cleaning up the mess near the River clan's Hometree. With any luck, the land would be inhabitable again in a couple of years, once the environment recovered from the pollution. "I'm so glad we were able to help those people."

"Me too," agreed Trudy. "Jake's clan had enough on their plate taking in the Ikran folks. Maybe the natives will trust us a little more now."

"Let's hope so." Katherine looked at the silver plated watch on her wrist. She had five minutes. "Well, I don't want to be late. Sebastian is waiting for me."

Trudy nodded. "Good luck, Kathy. Not that I think you'll need it."

"You look really pretty," Harris complimented more gracefully than before. "He's a lucky guy."

Trudy grinned at the other pilot. "See? That wasn't so hard, was it?"

"Okay Mom," grumbled Harris, "let's just report in and leave the lovebirds to their fun."

Katherine chuckled and waved at them as they walked away. Steeling herself once more, she continued to the lobby and took one of the exopacks before heading out the exit. It was only a short walk across the compound to the recreation and cultivation buildings. The lights inside of the garden dome were out—not surprising, since it was past active hours and there were rules against wasting electricity. She walked through the sliding doors and waited for the familiar hiss of air as the ventilation system compensated for the brief disruption of atmosphere. After taking off her exopack, she checked her hair and walked to the reinforced glass doors leading into the terrarium.

"Sebastian?" Katherine called out as the doors shut behind her. She peered into the shadows, spotting a warm, flickering light coming from somewhere up the path. She couldn't see the source through the various orchard trees but she guessed her date was somewhere near that light.

"I'm in the center, Katherine," answered Sebastian's voice after a moment. "I'll come and escort you."

Katherine almost protested against that, but she shrugged and changed her mind. With his Na'vi vision, Sebastian could see better in the darkness than she could and she didn't want to trip and fall. She waited and listened to the sound of his hard-soled shoes approaching. Her heart pounded as he came into view on the winding path, even though she couldn't see any details of his features or clothing in the darkness. She saw his teeth flash white in a smile as he approached and she took his offered hand gladly.

"I apologize," Sebastian said, "for not meeting you at the door. I intended to but I was just adding some finishing touches when you arrived. You're right on time."

Katherine squeezed his hand. "It's fine. I probably could have navigated my way through, but I think I like having you come to my rescue."

He chuckled and returned the pressure of her hand gently. "You are a lady to the manner born, Kath. I hope you're hungry."

"I'm starving," she assured him with a smile as she fell into step with him. "I resisted the urge to snack so that I wouldn't ruin my appetite. What will we be having for dinner?"

"It's a surprise," he admonished teasingly. "Hopefully a good one, though."

Katherine didn't press him further. When they made it to the center of the dome, she discovered what the light source was. Katherine stared in amazement. There was a small, round table set up in the courtyard, decorated with a white tablecloth and a candle lantern centerpiece. There were other candles spread out, surrounding the dining area with soft light. They were all sensibly enclosed in glass lanterns for safety but that didn't distract from the romantic atmosphere they created. Waiting on the table was a small bowl, suspended over a tea light. Two plates were set on the table, piled with small squares of bread. The aroma of heated cheese reached Katherine's nose.

She looked up at her companion with delight. "Fondu?"

Sebastian nodded and smiled at her. "At least, my attempt at it. I can't promise you that a soy-based substitute for real cheese will be any good, but we can experiment." His eyes drifted over her from head to toe and he stopped talking, his features softening.

Katherine likewise stared at him. Now that she had light to see him, she couldn't stop looking. Apparently, she wasn't the only one with the idea of dressing to impress. Sebastian was wearing a white button up shirt beneath a black blazer. His trousers were semi-formal and he wore black dress shoes. His thick, long hair fell soft around his shoulders, brushed and shining in the candlelight. Katherine marveled over how much hair he had, to leave so much of it free of the queue that fell down his back past his hips. He looked—for lack of a better word—dashing. Alien features or not, she could imagine him on the cover of one of those historical romance novels that she always scoffed at; except his shirt was buttoned.

"You look—" Katherine began, enchanted.

"You are—" Sebastian said at the same time, his amber gaze warm on her.

It was an awkward moment and they both went quiet, mutually embarrassed. Sebastian's eyes held hers as he coughed into his hand and smirked. "Shall we?"

Katherine nodded and she didn't resist as he put an arm around her waist and guided her towards the table. She was further charmed when he pulled her chair out for her, acting in a gentlemanly manner that was nearly lost to humanity. Katherine sat down and she smiled up at him in thanks as Sebastian helped her scoot forward. He circled around the table and bent over to retrieve a bottle of wine that was sitting in a nearby basket.

"I hope chardonnay is okay with you," Sebastian said as he picked up Katherine's wine glass and filled it. "There really aren't many choices. I can attest that it's good."

Katherine smiled at him and thanked him as he handed the glass to her. "Did a little wine tasting, did you? This is fine. You really thought of everything, tonight."

He filled his own glass before taking his seat across from her, picking up his fork to spear a square of bread. He paused as he began to dip it in the cheese sauce and he looked at Katherine questioningly.

"Be honest. Is this romantic or just plain corny?"

Katherine coughed in the process of swallowing the mouthful of wine she had taken. She recovered quickly and shook her head. "It isn't corny. At least, it's not as corny as it is romantic. I think this is the nicest gesture any man has ever made for me, Sebastian."

He visibly relaxed and graced her with a smile of relief. "Whew. I was actually nervous about overdoing it."

Katherine barely held back a laugh. He really was too precious for words. "You're very sweet."

"Or just very corny," Sebastian answered with a grin. "But, I'm glad I haven't frightened you away. Here, try it." He dipped the piece of bread into the hot cheese sauce, blew on it and held it out to her in offering.

Katherine thought this moment couldn't be any more romantic if there was French music playing in the background. She smiled at him and leaned forward, opening her mouth to accept the bit of food. Unfortunately, Sebastian's concerns over the edible status of soy-based fondu sauce proved to be valid. Katherine did her best to put on a "yummy" face as she chewed and swallowed the morsel.

"It's...nice."

Sebastian gave her a suspicious look. "My dear, I suspect you of fibbing to me." He speared another square of bread and dipped it before bringing it to his lips for his own taste test.

Katherine winced and started to reach out. "'Bastion, you don't have to—"

"Oh, I think I do," he interrupted with a wry smirk. He placed the coated piece of bread in his mouth and chewed curiously. His face immediately screwed up and he glared at the heated bowl of sauce as if gravely offended.

"This," Sebastian declared, "is terrible. You must like me more than I thought, to put on such a show for my benefit."

"It isn't _that_ bad," Katherine protested, even as she reached for her wine to wash the stale flavor down.

"Katherine, it tastes like feet."

She nearly spit her wine as a giggle burst from her lips. "But you put so much effort into it," she excused, "I didn't want to seem ungrateful."

"Torturing yourself by continuing to eat this isn't an acceptable form of gratitude for me," Sebastian said with a grin. "Not to worry; as I said, I thought this might not turn out so well, so I have a backup plan."

Katherine sipped her wine and watched with interest as Sebastian bent over to reach into the basket near his chair. He procured a banana and an apple from it, setting it on her plate before reaching in to retrieve his own fruit. To her surprise, he chose an apple to go with the Pandora citrus fruit he had chosen.

"So, you really can eat a mixture of native and Earth food safely?"

Sebastian nodded. "Most human foods are safe for me. I just don't like some of it the way I used to. There are a couple of peaches and an orange in here, too."

"I'll wait until I finish this before I start on them," Katherine decided.

"We could always raid the kitchen for something more substantial," Sebastian offered as he began to peel the native fruit. "I planned for failure but I know this isn't a particularly filling substitute meal."

Katherine shook her head. "No, this will be fine. I'm just happy to spend some quiet time alone with you."

Sebastian smiled with pleasure and they began to eat, enjoying one another's company. Katherine couldn't remember ever having been so spoiled on a date. He managed to make the event entertaining and affectionate, without going overboard.

* * *

"I can't believe I'm so full," Katherine murmured as she leaned back against Sebastian's chest. They were sitting beneath a nearby apple tree together, allowing the food to settle. Katherine sat between his thighs and Sebastian had his back propped against the tree trunk.

He put his arms around her and drew her close, smiling against her cheek. He had taken his blazer off and laid it down so that Katherine could sit down without risking stains to her skirt. Sebastian nuzzled her hair and brushed his lips over her ear.

"We did eat our fill. It's a shame my original meal didn't work out so well, but I'm glad the fruit salvaged it."

"The fondu was a good idea," Katherine assured him. "You did your best with what you had. Thank you for a wonderful date, Sebastian."

He smiled, pacified by her compliment. "I'm glad you enjoyed it. Kath, I've never really told you how grateful I am for you."

She turned her head and looked at him, her hazel eyes wide in the starry light filtering down through the clear dome. "You don't think I'm dating you out of pity, do you?"

He chuckled and shook his head. "No, you have far more class than that. I just mean...well, if it weren't for you, I probably wouldn't be here right now. You saw a person when others only saw an empty shell. I know you stopped them from euthanizing me when I was still in that incubation tank. You took care of me when I was out of my head and you gave me a reason to adjust to this transition and make the best of it. I'm thankful for all of that, and I'm even _more_ thankful that you're dating me, now."

Even in the dim light, he could see the blush rising in her cheeks. "You make me out to be some sort of hero. I'm just a botanist who had a feeling things weren't quite the way they should be with your avatar."

"And if you hadn't listened to those feelings, I would be dead now." He smiled at her and kissed her lightly on the lips. "You and Corporal Sully _are_ my heroes, Katherine. You saved my life and he saved my mind."

She looked uncertain. "You aren't with me because of that, are you? There's so much you could experience with a Na'vi woman that I can't give you—"

He swiftly kissed her again, cutting off her words. He broke the kiss a moment later and gazed into her eyes. "A Na'vi woman wouldn't be you. _Tsahaylu_ couldn't make up for that and besides, I'm two feet shorter than most native women. Aside from the awkwardness of size, physical compatibility would be the only advantage to pairing with one of them. You and I can't link queues but we can do everything else together. It's enough for me."

She smiled at him and snuggled closer. Sebastian shut his eyes and told himself to take it slow, but hadn't he already taken it slow enough? Perhaps it was wishful thinking on his part but her body language seemed to indicate that she was tired of waiting, too. He cupped her chin and urged her to turn her head for a kiss. She complied, her lips soft and eager against his. Soon, the kiss deepened and went from sweet and gentle to heated and desperate. Sebastian groaned inwardly and stopped fighting his body's demands. He began to subtly work on freeing Katherine from her clothing.

* * *

Katherine wondered if she should put a stop to this, before it got out of hand. Never mind that she came there fully intending to entice Sebastian into her bed; she wasn't expecting it to go so far right there in the garden. His kisses made her head spin and the feel of his lean-muscled body against hers awakened every deprived sexual need she had. She wasn't quite sure how her blouse ended up unbuttoned and she definitely didn't recall her skirt getting tugged up. Sebastian's fingers slipped under the band of her garter hose and he groaned softly in her ear. The evidence of his excitement was pressing firmly against Katherine's backside and she impulsively cupped the back of his head as his lips nuzzled her neck.

"You wore a garter belt," Sebastian said un-necessarily, his voice husky.

Evidently, such garments were a weakness of his. Katherine made a mental note of that and hid a smile. His hair brushed against her shoulder as he pulled one sleeve of her blouse down to bare her skin. Again, she thought of asking him to stop and inviting him to her private quarters, but it was so peaceful and romantic, there in the garden. Besides, nobody ever visited the terrarium at this hour. Even if someone came, she would hear them before they got anywhere near the center courtyard.

Sebastian's hand pulled down her bra strap and Katherine forgot all about suggesting they carry on somewhere else. She turned her head and kissed him on the mouth as his other hand slipped into her panties. He hesitated and broke the kiss, breathing heavily as he looked at her with a searching expression on his face.

"You'll tell me if you want me to stop, won't you?"

Katherine could have howled with frustration, but instead she nodded and combed her fingers through his hair. "I don't want you to stop, Sebastian."

"Thank God," he groaned, kissing her again.

She laughed into his mouth and caught hold of the trailing end of his queue, which was lying on the ground beside her. She might not have the ability to link with him like a Na'vi woman could have, but she knew how to make up for it at least a little. She picked up the end of the braid and let the hair fall away from the tendrils. Once the sensitive fibers were exposed, she stroked them between her fingers. Some of them curled around her fingers as if embracing them.

"Oh, that feels good," Sebastian murmured encouragingly.

Katherine figured the trick out by accident a couple of weeks ago, when he had a headache and she tried to soothe it. Stimulating the neuron tendrils apparently gave him pleasure that bordered on erotic. Taking advantage of that discovery was something she had avoided doing, until now. She kissed his jaw and leaned against him invitingly, sighing as his fingers began to do some stimulating of their own, beneath her panties.

Sebastian took his time, stroking and fondling her until Katherine was on the verge of climax. She imagined what she must look like now, with her hair mussed, her skirt hiked up and her bra exposed. The mental image would have sobered her up quickly, if she weren't so aroused. Sebastian finally undid her bra and cupped her right breast, destroying whatever lingering sense of modesty she had left to her. Katherine moaned and nibbled his chin before kissing him on the mouth. She arched her back, pressing more firmly into his cupping hand as he gently fondled her breast.

"Kath," Sebastian gasped against her lips. "I think I might burst soon."

The bulge she felt against her backside hinted that he wasn't just being dramatic. Katherine stopped toying with his queue tendrils and reached behind to slip a hand between their bodies. She palmed the area of his discomfort and kneaded it encouragingly, drawing a groan of lust from him. On the verge of desperation herself, she twisted around to face him, maneuvering her body so that she was on her knees between his thighs.

"I think we've put this off for long enough," Katherine said to him breathlessly.

Sebastian responded by catching her around the waist and lowering her to the grass, onto her back. One of his hands cupped her bottom as he propped himself up on one elbow and settled his weight onto her. His tongue fenced with hers as he began to undo the clasps of her garter belt and tug her hose off. She helped him as best she could, heedless of whether she ended up with grass stains on her clothes or not. He grunted softly and lifted off of her long enough to pull her panties off and then his hips settled between her thighs. His mouth covered hers in a kiss again and he pressed his trouser-clad pelvis between her legs, rubbing against her.

The action was unusually enticing to Katherine and she returned the motions, fighting back a whimper. The friction of the material against her loins threatened to finish what Sebastian had started and a part of her was mortified by how wanton she was acting. A bigger part of her was becoming painfully impatient to feel Sebastian inside of her. Katherine's fingers flew over the buttons of her companion's shirt, flicking them open with haste born of frustration. Sebastian's lips moved away from hers and glided over her arching throat, teasing and silken against her skin. Katherine nearly yanked his shirt open when the last button was undone and he balanced himself awkwardly and helped her pull it off.

His trousers were her next target and Katherine wasted no time unbuckling his belt and popping the button open. Sebastian cooperated with her efforts, raising his hips when she unzipped his fly and helping her tug his pants down. When she finally gripped his erection in her hand, Katherine hesitated. Sebastian noticed her stillness and he drew back to look down at her.

"Is everything okay?" he gasped.

Katherine's face heated up. Yes, everything was fantastic...but she hadn't been with a man in so long. She suddenly realized their lovemaking wasn't going to happen without some discomfort, at first.

"It's just...been a long time," Katherine whispered. She stroked his warm, rigid length experimentally and the expression of pleasure on his features eased her anxiety a bit. "It could take some getting used to."

_~And you're not exactly average in size.~_

"I'll take it slowly," he promised, tracing her features with his fingertips. "I would never hurt you, Kath."

"I know you wouldn't." She caressed his back with her free hand and shifted beneath him, eager to begin despite her mild anxiety.

He lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her as he moved on top of her, pressing against her waiting entrance with her guidance. He eased in carefully, pausing as she gasped. Katherine shut her eyes and relaxed her body, while at the same time embracing his waist with her legs to encourage him. He entered her a little deeper and again paused, murmuring softly to her as he waited for her to adjust. There was discomfort as she suspected there would be, but it wasn't as bad as she expected. Katherine combed her fingers through his hair and ran her other hand over his chest, feeling the tight muscles and the beat of his heart beneath the cyan skin.

"Better?" Sebastian gasped after a moment.

Katherine nodded and he resumed. Her breath caught again and she embraced him, kissing his chest and throat as he began to slowly thrust. The ache began to fade as her body grew more accustomed to the breach and she moaned his name. Sebastian groaned an endearment back and moved with more confidence. He supported his weight on one arm while exploring her body with the other hand. Katherine started to move beneath him, synchronizing her pelvic motions with his thrusts. His length drove into her fully and she shuddered beneath him, crying out before she could stop herself.

Sebastian immediately stopped and looked down at her with concern. "Too much?"

She shook her head. "Just enough."

He smiled at her in a strained way and resumed, grunting softly and shutting his eyes. His hand stroked her left thigh and urged her to bend her leg back further. Katherine complied and another cry burst from her lips as he put more power behind the next thrust. Now fully immersed in the pleasure, Sebastian took up a steady rhythm. His pumping grew progressively stronger and faster but he didn't slam into her. His mouth sought out hers and their breath mingled as they kissed. Soon, Katherine was digging her nails into his back unwittingly. She realized what she was doing when he hissed a little and she gasped an apology and rubbed the abused skin.

"Kath," Sebastian groaned, his motions losing coordination, "are you...close?"

She was more than close. She'd been close since he fondled her but to her frustration, her body seemed to be reluctant to grant the final release. She nodded and whimpered, arching her back and shifting desperately beneath him. His free hand slipped between their bodies, sliding over the sweat-beaded skin of her abdomen and lower. Katherine huffed a sincere exclamation of gratitude when he located the swollen nub he was after and began to stimulate it. His mouth dragged over her neck and to her chest, the lips fastening around a nipple.

Sebastian's clever fingers, lips and tongue provided her with the sensations she needed. Katherine clung tightly to him and moaned enthusiastically as the tension inside of her burst free. Sebastian murmured her name in a relieved tone as she rhythmically clenched around his thrusting sex. He released her nipple and trailed soft kisses over her face and throat, still gently rubbing her clitoris while the climax played out.

When she lay panting and spent beneath him, he stopped fondling her and braced himself on both arms. His thrusts quickened and his moans filled her ears as his efforts brought him closer to his reward. Katherine ran her hands over his back and kissed his chest, breathlessly urging him on. He stopped breathing for a moment and his body tensed up as he pushed deeply into her. A ragged groan emitted from his parted lips and he twitched inside of her, coming hard. She combed his hair away from his eyes and admired the expression on his starlit face, noticing how bright the luminescent pattern of spots smattering his skin had become.

"Katherine," Sebastian sighed when the spasms slowed and stopped. He kissed her again with satisfied languor, his body relaxing on top of hers. "I'm sorry we didn't make it to a proper bed," he murmured as he nuzzled her cheek with his lips.

"Don't be," she whispered back, steadily stroking his soft hair. "This was perfect."

In truth, she knew she was probably going to have a rash on her back from the friction of the grass against it. Her skirt was probably ruined. These things were trivial to her though and she did not intend to break the spell. She caressed his body and exchanged soft kisses with him as he softened inside of her.

* * *

"Do you _always_ have to have grapes with your oatmeal?"

Ramona smirked at her complaining boyfriend as they walked the paths of the garden together, heading for the vineyard area. "Do you _always_ have to put that yeast crap on your toast?"

"It's called 'Vegemite' and yes, I can't start the day without it." Lee was smirking right back at her.

The banter was a familiar morning ritual for the couple. The day wouldn't be complete without an exchange of criticism over their individual tastes in food, music or entertainment. They reached the center of the garden and Ramona was just about to fire off another teasing remark when she saw the empty bottle of wine, plates and various fruit peelings sitting on the table. She stopped and examined it with a frown. Someone had even put a cloth over the table.

"What do you make of that, babe?" She asked her boyfriend. "It looks like someone had a fancy breakfast in here."

Lee's eyebrows were raised as he looked around as well. "Yeah, complete with candle lanterns. It seems like an awful lot of trouble to go through for breakfast."

"Maybe it wasn't breakfast," suggested Ramona with a saucy grin. "Maybe we're seeing the aftermath of a romantic din—"

Her words froze in her mouth as she circled around the table and spotted a pale, out-flung arm sticking out from behind a bush, near the apple trees. Her first thought was that someone had collapsed and she hurried over to investigate. When she saw Katherine Hart and Sebastian Thomas buck-naked and spooned together, her jaw dropped. Ramona blinked and gathered her wits just as her boyfriend started toward her.

"What's the matter, 'Mona?"

The zoologist held her hand out to stop him. "Uh, stay there, Lee. Someone had a bungle in the jungle last night."

"Huh?"

Ramona hastily slipped out of her lab coat and draped it over the slumbering couple, covering their nudity as best as she could. "Kath and 'Bastion explored their wild side," she elaborated succulently. "Hey guys...rise and shine! You don't want someone else to catch you like this."

Katherine was immediately startled awake by the announcement, while Sebastian groaned softly and stirred more slowly. Katherine looked around with confusion, taking note of the lab coat covering her, the presence of the nude male at her back and finally, the zoologist standing over her. She made an interesting squeaking sound and burrowed further beneath the lab coat, her fair features turning pink with embarrassment.

"Um...good morning, Ramona," Sebastian said with admirable dignity. "This...isn't what it looks like."

"Oh yeah?" Ramona was thoroughly amused. "Because to me, it looks like you two had a nice, romantic dinner last night and ended up naked under an apple tree. Unless you're going for some kind of 'Adam and Eve' reenactment, I'd say it's pretty obvious what happened."

"Okay, so it _is_ what it looks like," Sebastian muttered. His cheeks darkened as he blushed almost as furiously as Katherine, but he impulsively adjusted the lab coat over his female companion's body in a chivalrous attempt to keep her covered. "Not to be a prude, but would you mind looking away while I gather our clothes?"

Ramona crossed her arms over her chest. "It's a little late to get bashful. I've already seen it."

"'Mona," Lee admonished from somewhere behind her. She turned to see that he already had his back turned and was pretending to take an acute interest in the empty wine bottle.

"Oh, all right. Nobody lets me have any fun around here." She turned her back on her friends and smirked as she listened to the sound of clothing rustling and soft swearing. After several minutes, Katherine declared them both decent and Ramona turned around to face them again.

"No, you wear it," Ramona offered when Katherine tried to hand her lab jacket back to her. "You've got some pretty obvious stain action on that skirt and people are going to wonder. I wouldn't want a shrinking violet like you to embarrass herself."

Katherine grimaced and Sebastian helped her into the long jacket. "Thanks. We really didn't mean to fall asleep there. I guess we're lucky it was you that found us, instead of someone else."

"That depends on your perspective," Lee pointed out with a glance at his girlfriend. "Most other people wouldn't try to peek."

"I wasn't peeking," protested Ramona. "I had my back turned, same as you! It's not my fault I got an eyeful when I found them and I covered them up, didn't I?"

"That was very polite of you," Sebastian said hastily. "Now if you'll excuse us, Kath and I have some cleaning up to do."

"Here, let me help you with that," Lee offered when Sebastian began to collect the remains of their dinner and put it into the basket.

"Thank you," Sebastian said gracefully. He gave Katherine a bashful little smile. "We've got this. Why don't you go and have a shower?"

"I should help clean up," argued Katherine.

"Kath, you've got some grass and leaves in your hair," Ramona pointed out with a chuckle, plucking some of it out.

"Off to shower, I go," Katherine mumbled, her face reddening further. She left without a backwards glance and Ramona watched her go with a grin.

When Katherine was gone, Ramona turned to Sebastian and winked at him. "It's about time you two went for it. Way to go, 'Bastion."

Sebastian's tail swished and he failed to hide the satisfied little smile that curved his lips.

* * *

"Hey girl, I want to talk to you for a minute."

Katherine's hair was bundled up in a towel and she was in a bathrobe, having just gotten cleaned up. She blinked at Ramona and stepped aside to let her into her sleeping quarters. "Can't it wait?"

"Yeah, but it probably shouldn't." For once, Ramona looked serious as she regarded her. "You two used protection when you got busy last night, didn't you?"

Put on the spot by the abrupt, unexpected inquiry, Katherine shook her head. "Well, no. Neither of us have been with anyone else since coming here and STD testing is part of the standard physical. I really didn't see the need for prot—"

"Kathy, it's not diseases you should be worried about," Ramona interrupted, her dark features growing more serious.

Understanding where she was going with this, Katherine frowned. "Are you forgetting that Sebastian is in a Na'vi body? We can't reproduce!"

"Jake Sully isn't a full-blood Na'vi and he's got a kid," reminded the other woman. "If our DNA was completely incompatible with theirs, it wouldn't even be possible to make the avatars. Besides, Sebastian and all the other avatar drivers like him have more human DNA in them than the original ones. It might not be as far-fetched as you think. All I'm saying is if it were me, I'd be more careful. Maybe you should even have some tests done to make sure there's not a risk of an 'oops', know what I mean?"

Katherine paled and abruptly sat down on the edge of her bunk. Her hands twisted together in her lap and her eyes went wide and blank. "You're right. Oh my god...why didn't I consider that?"

"Because your mind wasn't on it, for one thing," excused Ramona, "The only reason I thought of this is because I ran into Joyce on my way to the kitchen and she told me she's finally expecting. It got me to thinking about what would happen if her avatar got pregnant instead of her human body, and that made me think of you and Sebastian."

"Oh my _god_," Katherine moaned, covering her face with her hands as her mind calculated the very real possibility that she could end up pregnant from her encounter.

Ramona patted her shoulder supportively. "Just calm down. You're not knocked up yet and even if it's possible, a lot of people have to try more than once to get the reproductive ball rolling. You should talk to your man about this though and the two of you ought to start being more careful, until you know it's safe."

Katherine took a deep breath and nodded, trying to calm herself down. "Okay...okay, I'll talk to Sebastian today and we'll discuss this. Ugh, how could I be so _stupid_? I didn't even ask him to pull out!"

"Hey, this isn't all on you," Ramona said sternly. "'Bastion could have used the head on his shoulders instead of the one in his pants. You both thought it was safe and heck, it just might be. Don't panic until you've got a reason to, chickadee."

Katherine looked at her curiously. "Do you use protection when you fool around with Lee's avatar?"

"I've been taking contraceptives since I first got here," Ramona chuckled. "But if I weren't, I'd probably make him wear a condom when he's driving his blue body, just to be safe. Problem is I'm not sure we could find one big enough to fit him..."

"Okay, that's more than I need to know," Katherine muttered.

"Hey, you asked. Feel free to share Sebastian's measurements with me, while we're on the subject. I didn't get a look when I found you guys...your butt was in the way."

"I'm _not_ discussing my boyfriend's endowments behind his back," Katherine huffed, mortified.

"Spoiled sport."

* * *

-To be continued

**Translations:**

_**Olo'eyktan **_= Chieftain

_**Tsahik **_= Spiritual leader


	32. Chapter 32

"Between worlds"

Chapter 32

* * *

**_Author's note: See footnotes at the end of the chapter for Na'vi/English translations. The ceremony of passing spiritual wisdom from the old Tsahik to the new one is purely speculation on my part. I have no idea how Cameron would envision it. Beware the silliness near the end. _**

* * *

*Disclaimer: I do not own Pandora and I make no profit from writing fanfiction based on the "Avatar" film.

* * *

The night of Neytiri's ascension to _Tsahik_ came and the clan went to the Tree of Souls for the ceremony. The guest clans were invited to witness as well. Jake stood beside his mate and silently admired the way she looked in the gossamer, web-like shawl draped around her shoulders. Mo'at stood waiting beneath the tree, ready to relinquish her ceremonial head garb to her daughter. Little Tommy began to fuss a little and Jake bounced him gently and patted him.

"Shh," Jake whispered to his son. "I know you're tired, kiddo."

Neytiri reached out and stroked the baby's cheek with her fingertips, looking up at Jake with trepidation in her lovely eyes. "He senses my anxiety."

Jake gave her a warm, supportive look. "Just take a deep breath. The whole clan believes in you. You can do this."

Neytiri nodded, encouraged by her mate's confidence in her. She looked out at the crowd of her people, who were respectfully silent but for the occasional cough or child's whimper. Her eyes went to her mother, who nodded silently at her, bidding her with her eyes to come forward before turning to address the clan.

"This night, I will hand my responsibilities as _Tsahik_ of the Omaticaya down to my daughter, Neytiri. She will now interpret the will of Eywa! Do her honor, my people, as I pass all of my knowledge on to her."

The clan began to sing praise to Eywa, led by Ni'nat. Neytiri walked over to her mother's side, acting more on instinct than thought as she stepped beneath the glowing strands of the _Ayvitrayä Ramunong_ to stand before Mo'at. She could sense Jake and her son's presence behind her and she took comfort in it as the melodic voices of her people filled the night. Mo'at's hands settled on her shoulders and the taller, older woman looked deeply into Neytiri's eyes.

"Are you ready, Daughter?"

Neytiri nodded once, holding her gaze. "I am ready, Mother."

"Then give your queue to the voices of our ancestors, and I will follow you. Be strong, Neytiri. You will feel and hear many things from our people's past and present. Know that I am beside you as we do this."

"Yes, Mother."

Neytiri obediently lifted her braid and allowed the tendrils of her hair plug entwine with the hanging strands from the Tree of Souls. Mo'at did the same and for a moment, nothing happened. Knowing better than to question, Neytiri closed her eyes and waited, letting the Na'vi song flow through her like water. She felt her mother's presence suddenly and she heard Mo'at's low voice beginning to chant and pray to Eywa.

Mo'at's thoughts and feelings began to flood Neytiri's being, followed by foreign emotions and voices Neytiri knew to belong to their ancestors. It was overwhelming and Neytiri feared that she wouldn't be able to endure it. She held on stubbornly, knowing that she must succeed for the good of her people. Her Jake came from a different world and yet he passed his tests. Thinking of his strength and versatility, Neytiri endured the scattered chaos and the confusing flow of knowledge. It wasn't even anything she could coherently pick apart. It was like being given instincts she never had before—knowledge that couldn't be passed on by word of mouth or conventional lessons.

Neytiri's head felt like it would split open under the assault and she cried out to her mother without consciously realizing she was doing it. The voice that was not a voice reverberated in her spirit and she knew it belonged to Eywa herself. No words were in the voice, but there was power and feeling and love so strong it shook Neytiri.

"_Sa'nok_," Neytiri called out, feeling lost.

Mo'at's presence was near her again, reassuring and comforting. "Calmly, Neytiri. Our Great Mother is blessing you with the wisdom of the _Tsahik_, just as I told you."

Neytiri bore down mentally, much as she had born down physically while giving birth to her son. She endured the primal infusion as stoically as she could. It wasn't exactly painful but the sheer force of feelings was more than most mortals could stand. She called out to Jake unwittingly and unseen by her, the young chieftain tensed and barely refrained from going to her side.

* * *

_"You must not interfere with the ceremony, no matter what you see or hear. This will be Neytiri's test, son. She must pass it on her own."_

Jake replayed Mo'at's warning in his mind as he watched his beloved mate go to her knees and cry out. Mo'at sank down with her, pressing her forehead against Neytiri's as the sacred tree passed her knowledge to her daughter. Tommy whimpered and Jake cuddled him, keeping his eyes on the two women as he tried to soothe his infant son.

"She's going to be okay," Jake murmured, as much to himself as to Tommy.

Watching her struggle with whatever visions or voices she was experiencing, it was difficult to feel confident about that. Neytiri was a strong woman, both physically and mentally. Jake blamed protective instincts for his uncertainty and he waited tensely as the People chanted and Neytiri inherited the wisdom of the _Tsahik_. When she called his name, he took two steps forward before stopping himself and pressing his lips together. He bounced his small son again when the baby started to wail, as if sensing his mother's distress.

Dozens of _atokirina_ floated down from the branches of the tree and settled on Mo'at and Neytiri. The sight comforted Jake, assuring him that Eywa was watching and giving her blessings. It went on for several nerve-wracking moments, until both women collapsed on the ground. The pulsating light from the root system faded as Mo'at and Neytiri's queues released their hold on the luminescent tendrils hanging from the limbs. Neytiri sat up first and the chanting song of the Na'vi died down as she looked around. There was an expression of faint wonder on her features, as if she was seeing the world through new eyes. She looked down at her prone mother and reached for her, gently shaking her shoulder and calling her name.

Jake was torn. Mo'at hadn't mentioned anything about this part of the ritual and he wasn't sure whether he should go to her aid or not. He relaxed when Mo'at stirred and sat up with Neytiri's help. Mother and daughter got to their feet, supporting each other as they stood before the waiting assemblage. Mo'at looked drained and a little pale, but her expression was proud and she stood tall beside her daughter as she held her arms out.

"Eywa has spoken," Mo'at announced. "She has given her blessing. Neytiri is now _Tsahik_ of the Omaticaya." She held up the headdress and Neytiri bowed her head to accept it.

Someone hooted and more followed. Jake's grin practically took to his ears and he lifted his son close to his face and whispered to him. "See? I told you she'd be okay."

Little Tommy must have sensed the change in the atmosphere. He made a happy gurgling sound and he reached up to curl his fingers around one of the small braids hanging free of Jake's queue. Tommy smiled at him, revealing the few baby teeth he had recently cut. Jake laughed and bounced Tommy, delighted.

* * *

She could sense the life force emitting from each person as her clan mates warmly touched her shoulder and offered gestures of respect. Neytiri kept her wits about her and shared smiles with all of them. Her brightest smiles were reserved for those whom she had grown close to, such as Ni'nat, Norm and E'quath. Tom Sully followed the lead of the others, though he wasn't officially one of the People yet. Neytiri accepted his quiet congratulatory comment and returned his smile, having come to care for him as a brother herself.

When the excitement finally died down, Neytiri turned toward her waiting mate and walked over to him. Jake gave her one of his charming, crooked smiles but she saw the relief in his gaze as it swept over her. She could practically see the energy pulsing from him as he cradled their son with one arm and reached out for her with the other. She gladly moved into his half-embrace and laid her head on his shoulder, relieved herself that the ordeal was finished.

"So do you feel any different?"

Neytiri thought about it, trying to decide the best way to describe her increased awareness of the life surrounding her. "I feel more...alive."

She looked Jake up and down and a different kind of awareness reared its head. She admired his muscle tone, smile and features quietly for a moment, thinking of how it felt to be in his arms. Jake's ears swiveled curiously as she continued to stare at him and Neytiri realized she was practically mating with her eyes.

Jake leaned closer and spoke into her ear, his grin turning mischievous. "Don't you ever think of anything else?"

She resisted the urge to pinch him and she bit her lip. Of course, she thought of other things. She knew that now wasn't the appropriate time to think of running her hands all over that body of his. The urging came unexpected and it was strong—almost as strong as when she was ready to conceive their son.

"It is not my fault," Neytiri protested crossly, averting her eyes. "The spirit energy is doing this. I know that now is not the time to be thinking of such things."

Jake's soft, low chuckle drew her gaze back to him. "You're cute when you're embarrassed."

Neytiri would have popped him on the head if he weren't holding their child. "I am not embarrassed."

"If it makes you feel any better, I'm willing and able to let you take out all that extra energy on me." He brushed his lips over her ear before pulling away and winking at her.

Neytiri tried very hard to hold onto her annoyance but his sensual, playful suggestion and the mischievous glint in his eyes made it impossible. She found herself grinning despite her efforts not to.

"Be careful what you offer, my Jake."

* * *

"Be careful what I offer," Jake grumbled the next morning as he finished bathing and pulled on his loincloth. "I've really got to learn when to stop pushing buttons."

Not that the results of his suggestion last night weren't satisfying. Despite her apparent need, Neytiri wasn't roughly aggressive when they mated—she just wouldn't let him sleep. She kept waking him up for more and Jake was now operating on two hours rest at most. He thought about canceling his plans for the day with his brother, but he had an obligation to keep his word. Being tired wasn't a good enough excuse and he wanted Tom to get as much practice in as possible before his final trial.

Having grown used to "air drying" his skin after bathing, Jake retrieved his hunting gear from the ground and put it on before heading back to the village to meet up with Tom. The younger twin was waiting for him by the smoke rack on the western side of the _keltural _trunk and he waved when he spotted Jake approaching. Norm was with him and Jake recalled the biologist saying it wouldn't hurt for him to brush up on his skills as well, since he needed to bond with a new ikran mount eventually.

"Wow, you look tired," Norm observed when Jake closed the distance and stopped before the two of them. "Your eyes are bloodshot."

Jake grimaced and rubbed said eyes self-consciously. He hadn't realized it was that obvious. "I'm fine."

"What were you up doing all night?" Tom queried.

Jake smirked wryly at him. "Neytiri. Let's just say I was congratulating her. Any more questions?"

Norm cleared his throat and looked away, while Tom chuckled and shook his head. "We can put this off until later, or we can start tomorrow morning. You could obviously use some rest, Jake."

"No." Jake shook his head stubbornly. "You need to get as much practice in as you can. I want to make sure you're in top shape for this. _Iknimaya_ has claimed lives before, Tom. I want to make damned sure your name isn't added to that tally."

He knew he was being "militant" but Jake meant what he said. His brother had the weirdest luck, which could go either way in any given situation. He intended to make sure Tom had the skills to tip the scales in his favor. Tom didn't argue further with him, apparently thinking along the same lines as Jake. Norm knew better than to dispute Jake's decision, by now. The three of them went into the nearby forest clearing where the clan's direhorses grazed and they chose their mounts for the day. For the first time in a long while, Jake thought of coffee and he dearly missed it.

* * *

"Put more strength into it, Tom! Norm, you're slacking off. Pick up the pace!"

Jake watched his companions practice "roping" the ikran model fashioned by some of the hunters, not far from Hometree. The object was constructed of wood and plant fibers, fashioned skillfully by clever hands to bear the approximate shape and size of a banshee. Practice with a moving target would come later, after Tom mastered tethering the still one.

"It's all in the wrist," Jake advised. "Try to muzzle the snout, Tom. See what Norm's doing?"

Jake quickly regretted using the anthropologist's actions as an example when Norm's next strike went wide and his banshee catcher got entangled with Tom's like a fishing line. Jake grumbled crossly and walked over to the two of them to help them sort out the tangle.

"Scratch that," Jake said, his eyes on his task as his hands worked the bolas free of each other. "Don't do what Norm's doing. What's with you?" He looked at his friend with a frown. Norm was acting like he'd never done this before.

"You're making it hard to concentrate," accused Norm. "You're usually not this impatient."

Jake gave him an irritated look. "Hey, you wanted my help."

Norm sighed and looked away. "I'm a little distracted. Ni'nat was pretty sick this morning when we woke up."

Jake compressed his lips. "Who's pregnant, you or her? It's just morning sickness, Norm."

"You're out of line, Jake," Tom intervened, glowering at him. "I knew you should have gotten some sleep. You're acting like an asshole."

"I thought you wanted me to motivate you guys."

"Not if you're going to be shouting at us like we're in boot camp," countered Tom. "Next you'll have us running laps and singing military cadences. Insulting Norm's concern for his mate was pretty low, too."

Jake stared at him for a moment and then he smirked, realizing his exhaustion really was making him cranky, impatient and rude. Acting like a drill sergeant wasn't the way to go with these two. "All right, I'll tone it down." He looked at Norm a little sheepishly. "I worried a lot too when Neytiri was pregnant. Just deck me if I say something dumb like that again."

Norm grimaced. "Believe me, I nearly did." The fact that his right hand was clenched into a fist lent testimony to his words. Given enough motivation, Norm was just as capable of physical violence as the next guy. "If I didn't know it was your exhaustion talking, I probably would have."

Thinking of his own anxiety when Neytiri was expecting, Jake imagined he would have punched first and asked questions later if he were Norm. Knowing how much the anthropologist adored his lovely mate, he winced guiltily. "Shit, I'm sorry, man. I'm surprised you held back."

"It's all right." Norm shrugged, relaxing. "Everybody has their 'jerk' moments sooner or later."

"Why don't we take a lunch break?" suggested Jake in a tired voice. "We've been at it all morning and we could all probably use something to eat. I can ride your asses more after lunch."

Tom grunted. "Maybe you should take a little nap, too."

Jake shook his head and walked over to the travel pouch and waterskin he'd left by a mushroom stalk. "Nah, if I take a short nap I'll wake up feeling worse than I do now. I'll call it an early night when we finish up with this."

* * *

Norm tilted his head and peered at Jake suspiciously as he swallowed his last bite of _Nikt'chey_. "Think he's really asleep?"

Tom glanced over in response to the whispered question and he smiled when he saw his brother's head droop. Jake had his back propped against a tree, with one knee bent and one forearm resting on it. His food wrap dropped to the ground from his slack fingers and a faint snore issued from his mouth.

"He's out," confirmed Tom softly. He looked sidelong at Norm as rare, mischievous inspiration struck him. "Want to get a little revenge?"

Norm looked tempted, but he shook his head. "Let him sleep. He's obviously beat and he didn't mean any of it."

"I don't intend to wake him up." Tom's grin didn't fade.

Intrigued, Norm looked at the slumbering warrior again. "What did you have in mind?"

Tom shrugged. "Just a little makeover. We still owe him for dropping those beetles on us and he's been a real dick today. Interested?"

Norm bit his lip to control a fiendish snicker. "I don't know, Tom. We're a little old for frat pranks and he might wake up."

Tom examined his brother thoughtfully for a moment and he shook his head. "Trust me, when he wears himself out like this it takes a pretty loud noise to wake him up."

Norm peered around at the vegetation and his eyes settled on a berry bush. "The juice from those berries ought to work. It'll wash off easily but it should do for a temporary paint job."

Tom nodded. "You get them ready and I'll do the rest. I might need your help to move him a little but if he wakes up, I'll take the blame."

Norm still looked a bit uncertain but he went off to gather the berries and squish them without further questions. Tom tip-toed over to Jake, respecting the fact that his brother's senses were more acute than they used to be. Exhausted or not, Jake might not be such a hard sleeper any more. Tom grinned as he eased Jake onto his side. Pranks between siblings weren't so easily outgrown, even for the more reserved twin.

* * *

When Jake came out of his doze, the shadows indicated that it was after noon. He heard his two companions talking between grunts of effort and he blinked and yawned. He didn't remember nodding off and just as he suspected, he felt even worse than before. Cat naps were fine in the middle of a long battle or between marches but a teasing hour or two of rest only made his body more aware of how tired it was. Grouchier than ever, he struggled to his feet and joined his brother and Norm. At least they continued practicing after he fell asleep, but he was annoyed that they didn't wake him up.

"Hey, you should have nudged me awake," Jake groused as he came up between them. He watched Tom's banshee catcher wrap around the "neck" of the model and he nodded in approval. "Not bad. You've got to work on muzzling it though. Roping it won't do you any good if it bites your hand off."

"I'll work on it," Tom promised. He kept his eyes on the fake ikran as he freed the bola from it and got ready for another throw.

Jake sluggishly noticed that his brother wouldn't look at him and Norm completely turned away. Interpreting their body language as the cold shoulder, he felt bad all over again for his earlier behavior.

"Hey, you guys aren't still mad at me for what I said before, are you?"

Norm waved a hand and coughed into his other one before answering. "No, it's all right, Jake. I just feel a sneeze coming on. Something in the air." He cleared his throat and made an odd sound.

Jake looked at his brother, who was carefully concentrating on the ikran dummy. "Tommy?"

The microbiologist looked at him sidelong and a crooked little smirk curved his mouth before he schooled his features. "We're good."

Jake fought another yawn and tried to shake himself out of his groggy state. "All right. I hate to say it but I think you're going to have to start getting used to wearing a loincloth soon. I know you don't want to but there's a reason less is better, sometimes. The less material you have on you that can catch, the better off you'll be when you tame your ikran. The banshee could hook a claw on your shirt or belt and then you'd be screwed."

Tom grimaced. "I see your point. I guess I can put up with wearing one on certain occasions. I've got to admit, it's easier to aim straight with a bow when I'm shirtless or wearing something sleeveless."

"That's what I've been trying to tell you," Jake sighed. "At least you're used to walking around barefoot at Hometree, so you won't have to get used to that part."

"You don't kid around when you say you're going to ride someone's ass, do you?" That smirk was back on Tom's lips, but it vanished as quickly as it had before and he began to twirl his bola, readying it for another try.

"I'm just watching out for you." Jake shrugged. He frowned at Norm and wondered why the taller man was still keeping his face turned away. "You okay, Norm?"

Norm turned to look at him and he immediately looked away and covered his nose and mouth. He nodded and his voice was muffled and uneven as he spoke. "Just allergies."

Jake was becoming suspicious. Norm had never suffered allergies before, as far as he knew. The more he woke up from his doze, the more he thought Norm and Tom's behavior was just plain odd.

"Did I miss something while I was out?"

"Nothing special," Tom answered casually. "Norm and I just practiced and let you sleep."

Jake looked at Norm's back again and he saw his shoulders tremble. It almost looked like he was crying, but then Jake heard a snort of laughter. "All right, what the hell happened?"

"I tripped," Tom said before Norm could answer. "I almost landed face-first in this bush over here, just before you woke up. It must have looked pretty funny."

Jake gazed at his twin narrowly, sensing a cover-up. The thing about Tom was that when he didn't want someone to know what was going on in his head, he was a master at pulling a poker face. He could usually tell when something was fishy but getting the information from Tom when he didn't want to share it was like pulling teeth.

"I don't know what's up with you two but I'll figure it out eventually," Jake promised. He checked the position of the sun and he sighed. "We should probably get back. I Hate to admit it but I'm running on empty, here."

Tom wound up his banshee catcher and Norm did the same. The younger Sully twin still held that damnably neutral expression on his face as he responded. "I'm sure you'll feel more like yourself after a hot meal and some sleep."

"A bath, too," suggested Norm.

He quickly turned away and called out for the nearby _pa'li_. The animals trotted over to their Na'vi riders and stood docile while they mounted up. As the trio began to ride back to Hometree with Jake in the lead, Tom and Norm shared an amused look of conspiracy between them. Norm's eyes went to Jake's back and he snorted again in his effort to contain a snicker.

* * *

Neytiri's smile slowly faded as she watched her mate ride into the meadow. Her welcoming expression dissolved into puzzlement as Jake and the others dismounted. She shifted Tommy in her arms and approached him, studying his face curiously. Tom and Norm waved at her, thanked Jake for training them and then left with peculiar haste. Neytiri brushed it off, assuming they were both simply eager to see their mates.

"Hey," Jake greeted in a tired voice. Fatigue was radiating from him but he still had a smile for her and his son. He leaned over and kissed her before planting a kiss on Tommy's head. "How did you know we were coming back?"

"I did not," Neytiri answered, distracted. "I was showing our son the _pa'li_. He likes them."

Her eyes flicked over the red and purple markings on his face and she tried to think of the best way to ask about them. They looked nothing like traditional warrior symbols. If she were to describe it to someone, she would say it appeared that a child had painted on her mate's face in a deliberate attempt to make him look like a scowling beast. His lips were outlined in red and the paint turned down severely at the corners of his mouth. The purple marks on his forehead made him look like his eyebrows were merged together and drawn in an angry V shape. Three more purple lines were drawn at the outer corner of each eye, presumably to represent a squint. The red spots on his cheeks could be interpreted as a flush of anger.

"Did the training go well?" Neytiri asked uncertainly. Jake had a strange sense of humor, at times. She guessed that he would explain why he painted his face in such an odd way when he told her about his day.

"More or less," he answered. "_Somebody_ kept me up all night, so I was a little pushy with them. Tom said I was riding their asses, but I think he exaggerated."

Familiar by now with the term about asses to understand the meaning behind it, Neytiri smiled. "You had no complaints last night."

He smirked. "No, I sure didn't. If I'm going to be kept awake, that's the way I want it done." He looked down at the baby and made one of his goofy faces at him. "_Sempu_ turns into an ogre when he's tired, kiddo. Remember that when you're older."

Neytiri would have asked him what an "ogre" was, but Tommy started crying. He usually liked it when Jake made silly faces at him but with the obnoxious paint on his face, the expression evidently frightened the baby. Jake stopped immediately and watched with confusion and concern as Neytiri bounced their son and tried to calm him.

"He's not sick, is he? I usually make him laugh when I do that."

"It is the strange symbols on your face, I think." She looked up at Jake with a slightly chastising expression. "They must be frightening to small ones."

Jake couldn't have looked more confused if he tried. "What are you talking about, 'symbols'?"

"The warpaint," she offered, giving him a confused look of her own. She patted Tommy's back gently and held him close to her shoulder. "But to me, it looks more like a child's scrawling."

Jake's brows drew down, emphasizing the ridiculous smear of paint streaking over them. "I really don't know what you're talking about. I didn't put on any...oh, wait." His expression changed as if he just figured something out and he turned to look in the direction where his brother and Norm went. "I _knew_ they were acting funny! I thought the snickering I heard was just a dream. Neytiri, what did they—"

At that moment, Neytiri saw Jake's back and she burst into laughter, finally understanding why Tom and Norm left so quickly and how Jake's face got painted.

Painted in red on Jake's back were Na'vi symbols that spelled out the words: "_Txim Makto_".

* * *

"Here he comes. Just act natural."

Norm shot a glance at Jake through lowered lashes and he doubted it was possible for him to follow Tom's advice. The victim of their prank looked as though he was freshly bathed and he walked into the den with Neytiri and took a seat beside Mo'at for dinner.

"Does he look mad?" Norm asked, not daring to look directly at Jake to see for himself.

Tom shook his head and chuckled. "No, he's just getting ready to eat. You know Jake doesn't get mad over things like this."

"He was in a really bad mood, though," Norm reminded.

"Nothing sticks with him," Tom assured, although he appeared a little dubious too.

Ni'nat came to sit beside him and he put an arm around her, taking his mind off the dangers of an angry Marine for long enough to examine his mate. Ni'nat smiled at him and took a handful of fruit from one of the trays being passed around, indicating that her nausea earlier in the day truly was simple morning sickness.

"Do you feel better?" Norm asked, rubbing her arm.

She nodded and passed the tray to the next clan member. "It passed after you left," she said. "Other women say it will fade as our baby grows."

"It should," Norm agreed, smiling at her. "Just try not to push yourself, okay? I don't want to sound overprotective and I know how much you're enjoying playing baseball, but—"

She placed two fingers over his lips and shushed him. "I want this child too much to put it in danger, my Norm. I will be careful." She kissed him and then she selected more food from the next tray that came around.

Norm resisted the urge to say more. It was hard to keep his concerns to himself, but he had to practice some restraint if he didn't want to look like an overbearing jackass. Norm began to eat and he kept half of his attention on Jake, waiting for the inevitable moment when his friend would either confront he and Tom for their prank, or pull one of his own. Tom likewise seemed to be keeping an eye on his brother as he ate.

Tanhi was in the Ikran encampment, holding a clan council. Norm wondered what she would think of her new mate pulling such a stunt on a clan leader, brother or not. She didn't strike him as a humorous person, but he didn't know her the way Tom did.

Norm was just about to ask Tom whether he thought Tanhi would find it funny when Jake got up from the other side of the fire pit and walked over to them. Norm froze with a hunk of meat halfway to his lips, watching warily as Jake hunkered down beside Tom and gave him a smile that didn't bode well.

"Ass rider, huh?"

Tom swallowed the bite of food he was chewing and glanced sidelong at Norm before answering with a shrug. "Technically, the proper Na'vi term is 'rider of ass', but I'm sure you know that."

Jake sucked his teeth. "Damn, you're smug. I've got a reputation to hold up, you know."

"Don't tell me you're mad about it," Tom chuckled.

"I don't get mad, remember? I get even." Jake looked at Norm. "So whose idea was it, yours or his?"

Norm started to speak but Tom answered before he could. "Mine. Norm was answering the call of nature when I did it."

Jake's eyes held Norm's and the latter narrowly avoided squirming in place. Ni'nat watched curiously, having no idea what the men were talking about. "So Norm, you didn't know he was doing it but you never said anything when you saw the clown paint on my face? You can't say you didn't notice it; I _know_ you were laughing."

"Okay, I noticed it," Norm admitted. "I even got the berries for him so he could paint you up. Maybe I thought you deserved it."

Jake gave him a crooked grin, his eyes lighting up with the easy-going amusement Norm was used to. "All right, you're off the hook...just because I think I deserved something from you too." He looked at Tom and raised his eyebrows. "You're still up shit creek, though."

"Bring it on," Tom dared.

Norm shook his head and whispered to Ni'nat that he would explain later when she gave him a questioning look. As different as their personalities were, Jake and Tom still shared some traits and a fondness for picking on one another was one of them.

* * *

"Jake, you are being a child," Neytiri warned as she followed her mate the next morning.

The sun was just rising and he told her he was going to get Tom back good for his prank. She secured little Tommy in the baby carrier and followed him, putting up a nice show of trying to talk him out of it but more curious to see what he had planned than anything.

"Hey, he's the one that painted '_rider of ass_' on my back and made me scare my own kid," Jake shot back over his shoulder before returning his attention to the ground. "I'm just settling the score."

"And then he will want to settle the score with _you_ again, and it will start over like a circle," Neytiri sighed. "You are both too old to be playing these games, my Jake."

Jake turned to look at her and he smiled crookedly. "Yeah? I remember a certain gorgeous lady who thought it would be cute to snatch my loincloth off in mid-flight, not so long ago. Maybe you ought to lecture her a little."

Neytiri lowered her eyes and chuckled softly, remembering the event and the look on Jake's face all too well. "I was...not myself," she excused. "My urges made me do inappropriate things."

Jake snorted. "You say that a lot. Baby, sooner or later, that excuse isn't going to work anymore. Face it, you're a playful little nymph and you like it."

Neytiri put on a dignified front but her eyes smiled at him. "Play is good, but we must also set a good example for our people."

"I know." Jake walked over to her and stroked her face, looking into her eyes with a wistful little smile. "But some day soon, Tom is going to leave with the Ikran clan. Maybe they'll travel back to their old village and rebuild or maybe they'll pick a closer location, but we're not going to be able to do this stuff to each other when he's gone."

Neytiri's expression softened and she reached up to lay one palm against his chest. Not long ago, she exchanged friendly rivalry with a sibling herself. "Then have your fun together."

Jake's smile widened and he leaned down to kiss her softly on the mouth. "I knew you'd understand."

Neytiri returned his smile. "What are you planning to do?"

Jake resumed walking the trail, searching for something in the bushes and on the mossy forest floor. "A time-honored, classic prank," he announced as she continued to follow him. He sniffed the air and paused before moving off the trail to the right. "All I need is the right...ingredients."

He stopped and squatted down, apparently finding what he was after. Neytiri came up behind him and looked over his shoulder with interest, wondering what it was. Jake laid down a piece of plant fiber cloth he'd brought with him and he started poking at something on the ground with a stick he picked up. The pungent smell hit Neytiri's nostrils and the baby sneezed.

"Jake, is that dung?"

He nodded and rolled the turd of some unknown animal over the cloth, using the stick. "That's right. It's nice and fresh, too." He coughed and wrinkled his nose as he positioned the waste onto the cloth. "Just what I need."

Neytiri had time to identify it as droppings from a viperwolf before she had to step away. The smell was upsetting Tommy and the infant began to complain with increasing volume. "What are you going to do with _that_? Not paint him with it?"

Jake laughed. "Ew, no...I'm not _that _evil. I'm just going to leave a little surprise on his doorstep. When Tom walks out of his tent this morning, he'll step right on it. The 'flaming bag of poo' is legendary."

Neytiri found the explanation confusing but she understood the part about flames and she frowned. "You want to set it on fire in the Ikran encampment?"

"No," Jake assured her. "I wouldn't do that and even if I did, Tom would figure it out and douse it with water instead of falling for it. I'm just going to put this where I know he's most likely to step on it when he comes out."

Neytiri had seen similar pranks pulled by Na'vi boys before. For some reason, they were fond of mud, animal droppings, bugs and worms for use with their pranks. Female pranks tended to be less messy and more sophisticated. Sprinkling hot spices on someone's food when they weren't looking, stealing someone's clothes while they were bathing, painting their faces...

Neytiri tilted her head and grinned. "I know why your brother gets so much female attention."

Jake paused in the task of wrapping his surprise up and he looked up at her. "Yeah, he was born with a woman magnet inside of him."

She shook her head. "No. Tomsully attracts women because he hears his female side."

Jake raised his eyebrows. "Pardon?"

Neytiri kept her distance as she explained. "Each person has a male and female half inside, Jake. This is what balances us and lets us understand one another. Your brother _listens_ to his female half."

Jake stared dumbly at her for a moment. "Are you accusing my brother of being girlish?"

Neytiri frowned at him. "He is male, like you. I never said he is womanly."

"But you said he _thinks_ like a woman. I'm going to tell him you called him a girl. He'll _love_ that."

She eyed him challengingly. "Is there something bad about girls, Jake?"

"Uh, no." Jake quickly realized his mistake and tried to backpedal. "Women are great, it's just...you know, guys are um...different and—"

Neytiri snorted. "_Skxawng_. Enjoy your 'poo bag'."

"W-wait," Jake called, but Neytiri turned on her heel and walked back down the trail without another glance.

He sighed when she was out of sight and he looked down at the bag he had knotted. "Outstanding." He had managed to put his foot in his mouth twice in as many days, both times with people he respected and cared for. This time he couldn't even blame a lack of sleep for his lapse and Jake wondered if he would ever stop saying stupid things.

"I'll make it up to her," he decided softly. He wrapped Tom's 'gift' in a layer of hide and got to his feet. "Just as soon as I make my delivery and get cleaned up."

As he walked back to the village, a little voice asked Jake what made him think his mate would want him touching her after he basically played with shit and announced that girls suck. Jake stopped and groaned. Maybe there was something to Tom's alleged ability to think like a woman, after all.

"Lucky for me there's no such thing as divorce in the Na'vi culture. Hmph...if Tom can think like a woman, why the hell is he always complaining that he can't understand them?"

* * *

Tom was sleeping blissfully when an outraged shriek rudely awoke him. He sat bolt upright and his eyes popped open wide. He recognized the voice as Tanhi's and he stumbled to his feet and lurched toward the exit of the tent without pausing. He yanked aside the hide covering and squinted in the morning light at his mate.

"What is it? Are you hurt?"

Tanhi stood rigid by the entrance and people stopped what they were doing and stared as she lifted her left foot and scowled down at it. Tom's eyes dropped to it immediately, his first thought being that she had stepped on an arrowhead or some other sharp object. He frowned and looked closer when he saw the greenish-brown smear coating the bottom of her foot. Beneath the hovering limb was a thin cloth bag of some sort, split open and full of the substance. The smell reached his nostrils and he grimaced.

"Oh, shit." He could guess what had happened.

"Yes, that is what the Sky People call it," Tanhi growled. "Someone put this here on purpose!"

Tom cleared his throat. "Tanhi, I think—"

"Who challenges me," she called out angrily. "Speak to my face!"

"Wait," Tom pleaded, "it wasn't meant for you. It was meant for me."

Tanhi looked at him and if anything, her eyes grew brighter with anger. "They disrespect my mate? I will find who did this and—"

"No, no," Tom hastily interrupted. He smiled at her and shook his head. "It's not a show of disrespect. It's just a prank."

"A prank." Tanhi didn't look amused. "The boys in this clan must learn some respect. You know who did this?"

"I'm afraid so," Tom answered, painfully aware of the stares they were getting from curious onlookers. He lowered his voice. "It wasn't any of your clan members. It was my brother. He was just getting back at me for the prank I pulled on him yesterday."

Tanhi's angry expression turned to puzzlement. "You play children's games with the _Toruk Makto_?"

"He _is_ my brother," Tom excused uncomfortably. "What can I say? Some things linger from childhood."

Tanhi sighed and she looked down at her foot in disgust. "And now I have made a great display of it."

Tom tried to salvage her pride. "Think of it this way: anyone considering trying something similar is going to have second thoughts, if they know what's good for them."

Tanhi gave him a bare smile and her eyes swept over him. "Go back inside, Tom."

He became immediately annoyed and he responded under his breath, so others couldn't hear. "You're doing it again. You can't just order me around."

"You are naked. I think the women are more interested in your display than mine."

Tom looked down at himself, becoming aware for the first time that he'd burst out of the tent without a stitch of clothing.

"Oh."

He practically dove back through the tent cover and he heard Tanhi's husky laugh behind him as he snatched his pants and started putting them on. She poked her head in and Tom hastily moved to the side to hide himself from outside view, though everyone had already seen him.

"I am going to bathe," Tanhi announced, still smiling cattily as her eyes roved over him. "Afterwards, I will speak with your brother."

Tom finished pulling his pants up. "Wait, Tanhi," he called, but she had already withdrawn and the tent flap was shut again.

Tom muttered a curse and looked for his shirt. "Fine, you do that," he said to his absent mate. "I'll go and warn him...if I can gather the courage to show my face outside this tent."

* * *

Tom found his brother treating his bow outside the den, checking it for flaws and oiling the wood to keep it strong. He approached his twin and stopped before him, not bothering to give him a morning greeting.

"You're in trouble."

Jake tossed a smug grin Tom's way. "I told you I'd get even."

"I'm not the one you 'got', Jake."

Jake stopped oiling his bow and he tilted his head. "Something tells me I'm not going to like where this is going."

Tom shook his head and leaned against the trunk of Hometree. "Not unless you like the thought of Tanhi coming after you for a 'talk'. I woke up to the sound of her yelling for vengeance, with her foot covered in shit."

Jake set his oilcloth down and slapped his thigh. "I should have known. These things always happen in threes. First with Norm, then with Neytiri and now with Tanhi. What the hell was she doing there anyway? She's supposed to be up and about by this hour and _you_ were supposed to step on that bag! You really _are_ a jinx, Tommy."

"We had a late night," Tom answered. "Otherwise your plan probably would have worked out. I just came to warn you. I'm going to try to talk to her some more and maybe she'll calm down after she finishes bathing. In the meantime, you'd better be prepared to explain why you thought it was a good idea to put a bag of crap outside the tent of a visiting _Olo'eyktan's_ sleeping tent. She didn't seem very impressed when I told her you did it to get at me."

"I'm really scoring points as a leader this week," Jake sighed. "Maybe I should start keeping score of how many people I can piss off in one day. If I try hard enough, maybe they'll fire me and Norm can take over."

Tom chuckled and pushed away from the tree trunk. "Maybe people are just expecting more out of you than they should. It seems to me that the leaders aren't allowed to have the same flaws as everyone else."

"Is that why you turned down the offer to be the Ikran clan's next _Tsahik?_"

Tom shook his head. "No. I turned it down because I'd be horrible at it and it's not my place. I'm a doctor, not a holy man. I also cause trouble wherever I go."

Jake laughed. "You and me both, bro."

* * *

Tom's theory that Tanhi would be in a better mood after getting cleaned up proved to be right. He heard the sound of other females talking as he approached the lake and he waited out of sight for Tanhi, respecting their privacy. When he saw Tanhi leaving the growth of trees and plants surrounding the lake, he approached her and asked her to let Jake's prank go.

"Why should I do this? His actions may have been meant for you, but my clan knows that the leader of the Omaticaya placed that dung outside my tent. It was disrespectful."

"It was an accident," Tom assured her. "Jake thought you would be out of the tent when he put it there. He expected you to be starting on your morning routine. He didn't know you slept in or he would have found some other way to get back at me."

"Why did he do something so public at all?" Tanhi demanded. "It is not appropriate. It looks bad."

"He's still learning," Tom excused. "Tanhi, you were raised to be a leader some day. Jake wasn't. He's new to diplomacy and he grew up on a different world. You've fought at his side, twice. You've seen how he gets things done."

"He is a great warrior," she admitted grudgingly.

"And his other leadership qualities are improving," Tom pressed, "but he's going to make mistakes."

Tanhi looked up at him thoughtfully. "How do you know he did not do this prank to get back at _me_, Tom?"

He frowned at her. "I...don't understand. What does he have to get back at you for?"

"Taking his brother away. He does not want you to leave his village. I heard some of your conversation with him the day you spoke to him. I was passing by to get water and I heard him arguing with you."

Tom was surprised. "Okay, but you obviously only heard part of it. He understands now and there's something I think he wants to talk to you about."

"And what is that?"

"I'll let him tell you," Tom decided. "It's between leaders. My task right now is to finish my trials and join the Ikran people."

Tanhi relaxed and slipped her hands over his shoulders. "I will listen to what he has to say and for you, I won't confront him about his prank."

Tom smiled and pressed his forehead against hers. "Thank you."

* * *

-To be continued

**Translations:**

**_Ayvitrayä Ramunong _**= Tree of Souls

**_Sa'nok_** = Mother

**_Nikt'chey _**= Various food items wrapped in edible leaves. The mixture can be composed of a combination of fruits, vegetables, nuts or meat and flavored with spices.

**_Pa'li_** = Direhorse

**_Sempu_** = Daddy


	33. Chapter 33

"Between worlds"

Chapter 33

* * *

**_Author's note: See footnotes at the end of the chapter for Na'vi/English translations. Poor E'quath; when people aren't throwing fish or baseballs at him, they're tackling him.  
_**

*Disclaimer: I do not own Pandora and I make no profit from writing fanfiction based on the "Avatar" film.

* * *

Jake checked on his son before settling into the hammock with Neytiri for the night. After pulling the hammock closed around them, he embraced her from behind and nuzzled her hair.

"Are you still mad at me?"

Neytiri smiled to herself and she stroked his arm with her fingertips. He sounded almost boyish in his guilt. "I was not 'mad' before. I was annoyed. You say things sometimes that seem so foolish to me."

"I know. I guess that's a flaw of mine that won't ever fully go away." He kissed her shoulder and sighed. "You know I love women, right? I mean, I respect them. I don't mean I love them like objects."

Neytiri chuckled under her breath. The harder Jake tried to explain himself, the more he got mired. "I know what you are trying to say, my Jake. You have never treated me as less than your equal. Your good traits make up for your flaws."

She lifted her head and turned it, seeking out a kiss. He obliged her, his lips moving against hers with unhurried affection.

"I'm glad I didn't bury myself completely," Jake murmured when the kiss ended. "I was worried you'd make me sleep by myself tonight."

Neytiri smiled with amusement. "_Skxawng_. You are my mate and I would not turn you away over a stupid comment. We would never sleep together, if I did."

"Ouch."

* * *

The Ikran clan chose their next _Tsahik_ two nights later. It didn't come as much of a surprise to anyone that the person selected for the honor was a male in his late thirties by the name of Meuia. He was known for his easy patience and devotion to Eywa and the clan. He had visions on a regular basis and it was unanimously decided that he was best suited to interpret the will of the Great Mother for his people. There was much celebration over a span of several days and the clans grew even closer in the bond of friendship.

Tom and Norm honed their techniques for a further two weeks before Jake was satisfied that they were ready to climb the Hallelujah mountains for their ikrans. When Tom joined them in the meadow, he was wearing a loincloth for the first time. It was newly tailored—most likely by Tanhi—and he looked distinctly uncomfortable in it. He had his bow with him and he wore a harness for his quiver and hunting knife. If it weren't for the grimace on his face, he looked like a born and raised Na'vi hunter.

"Not one word," Tom warned as he picked out a direhorse and approached it.

Jake and Norm grinned at each other and wisely kept their mouths shut as they mounted up as well. Once they rode out of the territory, Jake came up with the idea of having a baseball game outside Hell's Gate in celebration, after Tom completed his initiation ceremony.

"How can you be so sure I'm going to succeed?" Tom asked as he rode alongside Jake on his direhorse. "I think you might be getting ahead of yourself, Jake."

"Don't think that way," Jake demanded, glancing at his brother. "You'll make it."

"If I can do it, so can you," Norm added, coming up beside Tom. "You just have to stay alert and make the bond as quickly as possible."

Tom shrugged. "I'm just being realistic. Hey Jake, have you spoken with Tanhi about what you wanted to ask her yet?"

"I'm going to wait until you've gotten your banshee and been initiated." Jake squinted against the sunlight as he looked up at the floating mountains. "Tanhi should be in a good mood then. Maybe she'll be more open to the idea."

"What idea?" Norm asked, raising his voice to be heard over the sound of falling water and wind.

"I'm going to ask her not to leave Hometree," answered Jake.

Norm was dubious. "I don't know, Jake. Even if she went for it, Tanhi's clan might not like the idea of their leader giving up her authority to you."

"Who said anything about that?" Jake smirked at him. "All I'm going to suggest is that they stay. Her people would still answer to her and we can work together to sort out any issues that come up. I'm just inviting them to stay permanently."

"So it wouldn't really be a clan merge after all," reasoned Norm. "Just two tribes living in the same territory?"

Jake nodded. "Yeah. I was originally thinking of inviting them to become Omaticaya but I nixed that idea, for the same reasons you mentioned. I don't want the Ikran people to give up their ways. I just think it would be easier on everyone if they lived close by, since people on both sides have mated with each other in the time they've been here."

Norm looked at Tom, who shrugged. It was obvious that Jake's primary motivation was to avoid being separated from his brother, but he did make a good point. Some of the births expected within a few months were going to be the result of Omaticaya, Ikran and Kilvan people mating. The River clan had already agreed to stay, since their numbers were so low. If the Ikran clan decided to move on, both they and the Omaticaya stood to lose members. Families would be separated as well.

"Maybe it's not such a crazy idea after all," Norm conceded.

Jake called for a stop when they reached the ideal location to begin climbing. He looked overhead to be sure his ikran had followed them before dismounting and giving his horse a pat on the rear to send him off. He would have brought Shadow but he didn't want the toruk attacking any of the wild banshees.

"We're letting them go?" Tom asked in surprise as Norm did the same.

"They know their way home," Jake said. "And we'll be riding back on our banshees."

"You hope," Tom muttered under his breath.

Norm was close enough to hear him and he nudged Tom. "You'll do fine. Even when things don't go the way you want them to, you've got an uncanny knack for landing on your feet."

Tom smiled a little wistfully. "I guess that's why Trudy always called me a tomcat."

Norm gave him a sympathetic look. Maybe someday, Tom would stop missing Trudy but until then, at least he was handling it well and giving Tanhi his full devotion. Jake had already begun to climb and he called down to them, reminding them both that they were there for a reason. Tom gestured courteously to the nearest vine and Norm began to climb first.

When Norm started to slip, Tom reached out and supported him before he could slide past him. Norm was humbled to realize that while he was taller than the Sully brothers, they were both more athletic than he was. Norm suspected Tom of purposely choosing to climb up behind him for just that reason. He supposed he should have felt a little embarrassed for needing help from someone with less experience than him, but one look down changed Norm's mind. It was better to be humble and safe than proud and dead.

"You guys still with me?" Jake called from above.

"Yeah, we're fine," answered Norm. He grunted with effort as he tried to speed up the process and he noticed that Tom was deliberately climbing up beside him on another vine, keeping pace with him.

"Go ahead," Norm told him. "I'm always slower than everyone else."

Tom didn't say anything; he just gave him a faintly concerned look.

"I won't fall," Norm promised. "If I could do this before, I can do it again."

The other man hesitated for a moment longer before nodding and resuming at his own pace. Jake was the fastest climber of the three of them but Tom wasn't far behind. The twins reached the first summit and they caught their breath as they waited for Norm. He didn't push himself, knowing he had a lot more climbing to do before they made it to the nesting grounds. Jake helped him up when he reached the top and Norm thanked him.

"Have a drink and sit down for a minute," Jake suggested to his companions. "Don't drink too much and get cramps, though."

Norm and Tom both gladly took his advice and drank from the waterfall cascading down from the landmass floating above. Jake waited until they satisfied their thirst before moving in to have a drink himself. He sat down with them and Tom studied him, obviously impressed.

"So do we credit the military training or the Na'vi training for your stamina, Jake? We're sweating bullets and panting like dogs but you're barely winded."

Jake shrugged. "Both. Believe me, I didn't do much better than you when I did this the first time. This is why it was so important for you to build up your stamina, and why I rode you so hard."

"I can see that now," agreed Tom. "If I had tried this a few weeks ago, I'd probably be passing out by now."

"It's going to get harder, the higher we climb," Norm warned. "The air gets thinner so you've got to practice your breathing techniques."

"Thanks for reminding me," Tom said. "I forgot about that."

"Okay, are you guys ready to keep going?" Jake asked. "We should keep the breaks short or we'll lose daylight."

Norm smirked at Tom, who sighed and got to his feet. "The drill sergeant returns."

Jake grinned. "If you sit for too long your muscles are going to start stiffening up. We're all going to be feeling this in the morning."

Tom looked up at the various sized landmasses and waterfalls above them and he nodded. "Let's get going, then."

* * *

Jake allowed another rest break when they reached the nesting mountain. He watched his brother and Norm quietly as they again drank from a waterfall and sat down to recover their energy. Norm was actually holding up better than he expected, though he shouldn't be surprised after the report he was given the last time his friend completed _Iknimaya_. Tom was doing a little better but he was beginning to look nervous.

"Which of you wants to go first?" Jake asked when they both looked recovered enough. He glanced over his shoulder at the ledge beneath the waterfall, hearing the cries of the wild ikrans on the other side.

Tom took a deep breath and stood up. "I guess I will."

Norm looked at him and then shook his head. "Wait, let me go first. I'm not an expert but at least I've done this before. It'll give you an idea of what to expect."

Tom thought about it for a moment and nodded. "All right, if that's what you want."

Jake took Norm's bow for him and patted him on the shoulder for good luck. He and Tom followed the anthropologist beneath the waterfall, hugging the wall above the narrow ledge. Jake whispered to Tom while they watched Norm wade through the various banshees, testing each of them for reactions.

"You see how he's lunging at them? You've got to be aggressive and when you find the right ikran, it's going to accept your challenge. When that happens you've got to be quick, before it can kill you or lose interest and fly off."

"I know, Jake," Tom sighed. "I've been researching this for a while now and you've beaten it into my head."

Jake glanced at him from the corner of his eye. "I just want to make sure you're prepared."

Tom looked at him and shook his head, but a thin smile was on his lips. "Some day, you're going to have to trust me to take care of myself."

"I do," objected Jake. "I just trust you to get yourself in trouble, too."

Tom snorted, but didn't say anything else. He turned his full attention back to Norm and Jake did the same. The lanky scientist was mid-way through the crowd of banshees and so far, five of the animals had refused his challenge. Jake was about to say something to his brother when Norm found his ikran. A mighty screech bounced off the walls of the surrounding mountainside and Norm hastily dodged aside as a powder blue, yellow-mottled male banshee struck out at him.

"Here we go," Jake muttered, narrowing his eyes. He set Norm's bow down and reached for his own, just in case. Beside him, Tom watched as Norm circled the beast and looked for an opening.

Jake's eyebrows went up as he watched Norm in action. He thought that Ni'nat must have exaggerated a little when she told him about Norm's tricks when he captured his first ikran. Now he saw that she was being completely truthful. Norm avoided the animal's swipes and lunges and instead of moving in right away, he distracted it with slaps from his banshee catcher. It went on for several minutes, until Jake was ready to shout for him to hurry up and rope the ikran before he ran out of time. By the time Norm's bola wrapped around the ikran's snout, the creature was too frustrated and confused to react quickly. Norm jumped up between the animal's shoulders and he immediately connected his queue and established the bond.

"I'll be damned," Jake said with a low whistle. He might have been slow to mount but once he did, the bond was sealed tight before the ikran could even attempt to buck him off. "Way to go, Norm!"

Tom hollered as well, grinning at his friend as Norm situated himself firmly and directed his new banshee to the edge of the cliff. He gave the twins a modest little smile and took flight to seal the bond. Jake watched him fly away and circle around overhead. It started out a bit wobbly as expected, but Norm soon synchronized with his mount and they soared with easy grace. Smiling with pride for his friend, Jake turned to Tom and held his hands out for his bow.

"Okay, it's your turn now. Just remember what you've been taught and keep your focus."

Tom handed over the weapon and took a deep breath as he freed his banshee catcher and started forward. Jake set his bow down and watched quietly, ready to come to his aid if needed. Tom followed the same path Norm had taken and he paused at the first ikran he came to. The female was dark blue, with violet markings. He stared at her and she stared back. Suddenly and without any warning, she snapped at Tom and challenged him with a shriek.

Jake was almost as surprised as his brother, having expected him to go through at least a couple of potential mounts before one of them chose him. This one immediately decided Tom was for her and the younger Sully brother barely rolled aside in time to avoid a nasty bite. Jake sprinted over the rocks and shouted out to his twin, urging him to move fast. Tom's ikran was more aggressive and quick than Norm's had been. Tom obviously wasn't prepared for such immediate results and Jake could hear him swearing and grunting as he fought to gain some kind of advantage without getting bitten or clawed.

Tom's battle with his potential mount took him closer and closer to the edge of the plateau and Jake's tension mounted. One wrong move could send his brother over the side.

"Come on, Tommy! Keep on your toes!" Jake shouted it without consciously meaning to. "You're too close to the edge! She's driving you!"

The situation wasn't like a ball game. The sudden holler of encouragement from his brother served to break Tom's already shaken concentration further and he impulsively turned to look Jake's way.

"Don't look at me," Jake called out in alarm as the ikran's tail swept toward his brother, "look at the—"

The banshee's tail struck Tom in the back of the knees, whip-like. It hit with enough force to knock him off balance. Jake bounded toward his brother desperately, waving his arms and shouting to scatter the wild ikrans as he raced to get to Tom and catch him. He wasn't fast enough. Tom fell over the side of the floating land mass and Jake shouted his name in terror. The ikran that chose Tom evidently wasn't satisfied with simply knocking him off; she lunged over the side and dove after him.

Knowing that the banshee would make Tom her dinner if she caught him, Jake hollered to Norm and pointed at his falling brother. Norm apparently saw the whole thing and he was already directing his mount to dive after the younger twin. Jake whistled for his ikran and clenched his jaw as he waited for the animal to come to him. Tom had seconds, at best. Jake had seen to it that he knew how to break his fall using the gigantic foliage of the jungle but there was no guarantee that he would get lucky, and his would-be mount was swiftly closing in on him. Jake leaped onto his ikran's back and dove after Tom, pushing his mount for speed.

Jake shouted a warning when Tom's banshee closed in on him. "Tom, look out!"

Tom looked over his shoulder at the animal and he did his best to avoid the attack. Free-falling as he was, there was little he could do by way of maneuvering. He caught hold of the ikran's snout with both hands and bared his teeth with effort as he struggled to ward off its bite. He no longer had his banshee catcher on his person to muzzle the creature with and he swore loudly as he wrapped his left arm around his attacker's snout. Tom couldn't defend himself and break his fall at the same time. Norm was closing in on him and Jake wasn't far behind, but the odds of them reaching their target in time weren't good.

Tom's exceedingly odd luck worked in his favor, this time. His attacker shook free of his embrace and when she came in for another strike, Tom hugged her around her sinuous neck. He somehow managed to maneuver his body so that he was straddling her shoulders and he swore violently the entire time. Just as Norm was closing in on him, Tom hastily grabbed one of the ikran's antennae and linked his queue to it. There was a moment of further confusion as the bond was sealed and the ikran's struggles halted abruptly.

"Fly, dammit!" Tom yelled, seeing the canopy below looming closer and closer.

The animal snapped her wings out and caught the air currents, while her rider clung to her tightly. Jake breathed a sigh of relief as Tom pulled out of his dive and soared over the trees on a shaky course. Norm hollered after the other scientist, smiling broadly in relief as well.

"I've got it," Tom called as Jake came up beside him.

Jake took note of his brother's position and the hold he had on the animal's antennae. "Scoot up a little and put your feet where I've got mine."

The pallor on Tom's face suggested that he was too shaken by the close call to be offended. He followed the older twin's advice and did as he was told, relaxing a little as he settled into the more comfortable riding position. He flew beside Jake over an open area, avoiding the floating mountains. Norm came up on Tom's other side and gave him a thumbs-up with one hand, clearly pleased with the way he was handling himself.

When Jake thought Tom had the hang of it and was calm enough to land, he whistled to his companions and pointed out a clearing in the forest below. Tom and Norm followed him and when the ikrans landed on the mossy earth, Tom nearly collapsed on top of his mount. He patted her neck soothingly, probably sensing that his own anxiety was making her jumpy.

"Good girl," Tom gasped, swallowing visibly. "It wasn't the best start but we did it, didn't we?"

Jake dismounted and crossed his arms over his chest, shaking his head and grinning at Tom. "You always attract the fierce ladies, bro; even the ikrans."

Tom gave him a strained grin back and he slid off his new mount's back. "I'm sure Eywa's having a good laugh at my expense, right now."

Jake exchanged a look with Norm. "Sounds almost like you really believe in her, Tommy."

Tom considered him for a moment before glancing at Norm and then looking up at the canopy overhead. "It's a little hard not to, these days. I can't deny everything I've seen and I can't pretend the vision I had wasn't real, Jake."

Jake nodded, feeling a surge of pride as he reached out and patted his sibling on the shoulder. "I think that's good enough for her. Good work, turning that disaster around to work for you like that."

Tom chuckled. "I thought I was a goner. I guess you guys aren't wrong about my luck."

Norm looked around and he spotted a mushroom close to the ground. He went over to it and had a seat, twisting his small provisions pouch around to rifle through it. "Let's have something to eat before we fly back to Hometree," he suggested. "I don't know about you two but I'm starving."

Jake smirked at the lanky anthropologist. "I don't know where you put all of it, Norm."

"I've got a fast metabolism—which is probably a good thing, since I eat when I'm nervous. Tom really had me scared for a minute."

"Yeah, me too." Jake spared his twin another proud little grin before going through his pouch for his food wrap. Tom took a seat on the mushroom beside Norm's and did the same.

"I might as well enjoy this now," Tom sighed as he unwrapped the protective outer leaf layer of his food. "I won't be allowed to eat again until after the ceremony. Why do so many Na'vi practices involve fasting?"

Jake chuckled and swallowed the bite of food he'd taken. "It's all part of the process. At least you get to skip the Dream Hunt."

* * *

"_Olo'eyktan_, your mate is returning on the back of an ikran!"

Tanhi stopped her conversation with Peyla and she couldn't quite hide the slight smile of relief that tugged at her lips. She followed the male who made the announcement and Peyla went with her, just as eager to see what kind of mount Tom Sully had tamed for himself. She hardly noticed that a handful of other curious Ikran clan members followed behind her as she jogged to the outskirts of the village and looked to the skies.

She recognized Jake's ikran in the lead but it was difficult to tell which of the two other riders was Norm and which was her mate, from the distance. The one on the right was riding a light blue ikran with yellow markings. The rider on the left rode the wind on the back of a rather large animal with deep blue skin and violet markings. At first, she assumed the larger banshee was Norm Spellman's, because he was taller than average and it made sense for him to have a larger mount. As the trio came in for a landing, she realized that her assumption was wrong. She approached her mate as he hopped off of his ikran and she smiled when his eyes met hers.

"I see you," Tanhi murmured as she placed her hands on Tom's forearms and he did the same. Her eyes went to the impressive specimen of banshee he had brought home with him. Noting the gender, she smirked subtly. "She is mighty. Her name?"

"_Nawm_," answered Tom with a crooked smile of his own. "She almost got me killed."

Tanhi examined the creature and her smile grew. She nodded. "A fitting name for a fine animal. You must tell me the details, later."

Her gaze went back to her mate and she drank in the sight of him. She was aware that Tom wasn't comfortable in native garb but he wore it well, regardless. Remembering her manners, she addressed Jake and Norm—who seemed to be covertly amused by her fixation on Tom. "Welcome home, _Toruk Makto_ and Normspellman. You did my people honor by accompanying my mate on his _Iknimaya_."

Jake gave her a respectful nod. "It was an honor to be at my brother's side. He handled himself well and I think you would have been proud to see it."

It took her a moment to respond because she was a bit surprised by the formal, dignified answer. Jake was normally so relaxed and casual with his words. She could only assume that Neytiri must have schooled him a bit in Na'vi politics. She gave him a proud, respectful nod back. "I _am_ proud. I had no doubts."

Tom was clearly becoming embarrassed with all of the praise and the audience. "It was luck, more than anything. I think I would like a bath and a change of clothes."

Tanhi scanned him with her eyes again, thinking it would be a shame for him to change back into his usual layers of clothing so soon. There was no help for it, though. Mating before initiation wasn't wise, as it drained energy. She found Tom unreasonably more appealing than other males in tribal clothing, so perhaps it was better that he cover his body with his human garb.

* * *

"Not tonight, my Tom," Tanhi insisted softly, even as her eyes fluttered shut with pleasure and desire. Refusing his gentle advances was difficult; particularly when his lips teasingly glided over her neck. She hadn't removed her scant clothing for bed and she could feel his desire pressing against her backside as he spooned up against her.

"That's a first," Tom observed huskily. The frustration in his voice was evident but being a gentleman, he stopped his exploration of her body. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No, you did not," Tanhi assured him, turning her head to give him an amused look. "But it is traditional for Na'vi to take mates _after_ they become hunters and if that fails, they are not to mate the night before initiation."

Tom sighed but he smiled good-naturedly. "You didn't tell me that before. I wouldn't want to disrespect your people, though. So, is touching out of the question, too?" His fingertips glided over her ribcage enticingly and he pressed closer to her.

Tanhi shivered with desire. "If we can touch without mating, yes."

Tom looked uncertain and Tanhi couldn't blame him. Though separated from her by his track pants and her loincloth, his arousal was quite evident. "I think I can manage that."

Hearing the doubt in his voice as he hand drifted further up her ribcage toward her breasts, Tanhi experienced a moment of smug satisfaction. "Can you?" She turned her head and twisted a little to brush her mouth against his. Her tail wrapped around his thigh of its own volition.

A low, instinctive growl rumbled in Tom's throat and he kissed her, his tongue lancing into her mouth with masculine insistence. Delighted by the response, Tanhi reciprocated and she laid her hand over his larger one, unconsciously urging it further up her body. When it slipped beneath her necklace and palmed a breast, she purred and rubbed up against him.

"For someone that says we shouldn't be mating," Tom murmured between kisses, "You're being awfully aggressive."

"You are the one who growled," she argued, fighting an uncommon urge to laugh. She was practically giddy. Tom would soon be a member of her tribe and they would be together in every way. No matter her uncertainties about the future, she at least knew that she wanted to be with him, now.

"I growled?" Tom sounded faintly surprised. "I don't remember growling."

"You did," she insisted. She gasped as he gently fondled her breast. "It is not unusual, for an aroused male."

"Well, I'm definitely that," he grumbled, flushing a little. His hand continued its attentive motions and he nibbled her ear, drawing a sigh from her. "I suppose we should stop while we can."

Tanhi tried to hide her disappointment. "If you think it is best."

A slow smile curved his mouth. "Do you want me to stop?"

Remembering a word that she had heard Tom's brother use before, she grimaced in frustration. "Geek. You know better."

Tom chuckled softly. "Do I?" He appeared to consider things as his golden eyes swept over her reclined form. He nodded after a moment and he resumed kissing her neck. "There's no rule against me giving you pleasure, is there?"

Tanhi shook her head and her vision lost focus as his lips and hands worked their magic on her. "It is...acceptable. Not fair to you, though."

"It is if we form _tsahaylu_ while I'm doing it," he reminded her gently. "And even without that, I get satisfaction from your reactions."

Tanhi could relate. She often touched him in ways that she knew gave him pleasure, simply for the sake of watching his reactions and enjoying the sounds he made. As she contemplated this, Tom stealthily attached their queues together and Tanhi's eyes went blank as the bond was sealed. She moaned his name softly before his lips met hers again to muffle the sound. Before she could regain her bearings, Tom coaxed her onto her back. The chieftess was soon writhing and gasping his name as he demonstrated how attentive he could be to her body's needs. His low groans and purrs soon joined hers as the bliss fed through their link.

Outside Tanhi's tent, passing clan members gave each other knowing grins as their leader's breathless calls reached their ears. They began to speculate over how soon they could expect their beloved chieftess to be expecting her first child with her new mate. None of them questioned why those sounds were coming from her tent, despite her concerns over propriety.

* * *

The next day, Tom bathed with his mate in the dark, early hours of morning. The rest of the Ikran tribe and the other clans elected to stay away from the bathing pond until they were finished, out of respect for the ceremony Tom was readying for. While he was finishing up, Tanhi put together the mixture that she would paint over his body for the initiation. He dressed in traditional Na'vi garb and he allowed her to weave some beads and feathers into his braid before marking him with tribal whorls and symbols. Her fingers moved with skilled care over his skin as she painted it and her eyes occasionally met his during the process.

"You are ready," Tanhi finally declared in satisfaction when she completed the last symbol. She surveyed her handiwork and she nodded. "I could not ask for better, my Tom."

His face heated beneath the markings and he knew his smile was boyishly shy. "Neither could I." The affection shared between he and Tanhi seemed to grow more with each day, and she no longer stumbled over calling him "hers". He considered that a good sign for the future.

He meant it, even though his thoughts briefly strayed to Trudy. He couldn't help but wonder what she would think if she saw him like this, or if she would even recognize him. A glance at his reflection in the water made his eyebrows go up. He hardly recognized himself. He supposed it was all part of being "born again". This would technically be the second time he had done it, since he gave up his human body to live permanently in his avatar one.

Tanhi took his hands in hers and gazed into his eyes. "You need say nothing, Tom. Just face the clan with confidence. They will accept you with pride."

He lowered his gaze and took a deep breath. "I'll do everything in my power to be worthy of their acceptance, Tanhi."

It wasn't a traditional response, but by the warmth in her eyes, it was more than sufficient. "I know you will."

* * *

"Can you believe this? I'm actually _nervous_." Jake resisted the urge to fidget as he waited for his brother to make his appearance. "It's like watching my little brother getting married."

All of the clans were gathered in the den and the morning light slanted in from natural openings in outer trunk. Jake stood beside Mo'at and Neytiri and he held his infant son in his arms. On his other side was the young hunter who had taken up the task of leading the River clan when their _Olo'eyktan_ passed from the disease. Though he had willingly relinquished his leadership when his tribe chose to join the Omaticaya, Kiwah gave Jake a remonstrating look when he kept muttering under his breath.

"Shh, _Toruk Makto_," chastised Kiwah in a whisper, "the ceremony is about to begin!"

Jake fell silent, abashed by the reminder. He noticed that other Na'vi were watching him from the corner of their eyes and their expressions ranged from patiently amused to slightly annoyed. He cleared his throat and gave Mo'at an apologetic look. This was no way for a clan leader to act; particularly one who had united various tribes to fight against incursion. Mo'at smiled tolerantly at him and her eyes twinkled with fond, subtle amusement.

"He comes," Neytiri whispered when the crowd began to part.

Jake watched as his twin approached the base of the winding stairway, with Tanhi and Peyla escorting him. They came to a stop and Tom turned to face his mate as she addressed him.

"You have earned your place among the People," Tanhi said, loudly enough for all to hear. "You are a hunter now; a warrior of the Na'vi and a member of the Ikran clan. What harm comes to you, comes to us all. Take your place among the People, forever."

Tom nodded and he smiled as people crowded closer to complete the link. Hands rested on shoulders in a group bond as the united tribes welcomed Tom to their fold. Jake grinned broadly at his twin as their eyes met and it took effort for him to resist hooting out loud. He noticed that something silent and personal seemed to pass between Tom and Neytiri as their eyes met and he guessed that she had imparted words of wisdom on him before. The respectful smile Tom gave her reinforced the impression and Jake knew with jarring certainty that his brother had finally found his place in life.

* * *

Two days after Tom's initiation, the baseball teams and those who wanted to watch the game traveled to Hell's gate. Celebrating with their human allies was something none of them would have expected to happen, and yet they were eager to enjoy the traditional human sport and share it with their allies.

"A Na'vi baseball game. This should be interesting." Max watched the gathering clans from the window of his office. He scratched at his jaw, faintly irritated by the absence of his customary facial hair. He had gone clean-shaven on a whim, after Trudy made a remark about wondering what he looked like under his beard. He wasn't used to shaving and he wondered if he was going to end up with a rash from the skin irritation.

"Stop picking at it," Trudy scolded with a chuckle, nudging him. "Damn, why'd you shave it off anyhow?"

Max shrugged, again wishing his beard was still there to hide the blush he felt surfacing. "I haven't done it in a while and you said you wanted to see what my face looked like."

"So you did this for me?" She smirked and her dark eyes lit up. "You're too damned sweet, Maxi."

He shrugged self-consciously and looked out the window at the gathered Na'vi clans, just outside the gates. "So do I pass the Chacón inspection or not?"

Trudy regarded him silently for a moment and his anxiety increased. He still wasn't sure how she felt about him kissing her that day when they retrieved the sick Na'vi from the village. They hadn't spoken about it since then and though they grew even closer, Max was uncertain over whether he should make another move on her or let her take initiative, if she chose to.

"I think you'll do."

Max raised his eyebrows. "I suppose that's better than you running away screaming."

Trudy laughed. "Give yourself some credit, Max. You're cute."

"Am I?" His tone was wistful, despite his best effort to be breezy.

Trudy tilted her head and stared at him for a moment. "You don't think so?"

"I don't know," he answered honestly, feeling a little flustered. "Women don't really pay attention to—"

His words were abruptly cut off as Trudy cupped the back of his head and kissed him full on the lips. Max was so startled by the move that he dropped his holopad without ceremony. Her lips were so soft and plump against his, he even forgot his name and where he was. He stood there stunned into stupidity as she kissed his thoughts right out of his head. Trudy pulled away after a few moments and looked at him expectantly.

"Um...er...that was...wow." Max tried to find the power of speech but his garbled fabrication of a sentence was the best he could manage.

"So do I kiss good or what?" A spark of mischief lit Trudy's eyes.

Max nodded enthusiastically. "You certainly take a man's breath away...um...Trudy, does this mean you...I mean, could we have something?"

Trudy grinned. "I'm not saying I'm ready to jump in the sack with you, but..." She paused and bit her lip in an uncommon moment of bashfulness. "You've been here for me, through thick and thin. You _know_ me; probably better than anyone else on this rock. You know I'm always going to miss Tom, right?" Her eyes went to the gathering outside, where the man in question was instructing the teams and helping to set up the field for the game.

Max nodded, feeling a combination of hope and jealousy. "I know. I understand that. I just want a chance." He swallowed and willed himself to speak the question he feared the most out loud. "Trudy, are you really attracted to me, or am I just someone to fall back on?"

"You know I think you're great."

Max smiled ruefully and shook his head. "That isn't what I asked."

Trudy's smile faded and she _really_ looked at him. He found it encouraging. "If I didn't think you were cute, I wouldn't have kissed you in the first place and you would have been flat on your ass when you did it to me."

He laughed softly and combed his fingers through his hair. "I know I took a risk with that. This is good enough for me, for now." He reached out and took her hand, squeezing it.

She returned the pressure and smiled at him. "Sorry to be such a pain in the ass."

"You aren't," he insisted.

Trudy shrugged. "If you say so. Hey, Max?"

"Yes?"

"You don't have to keep shaving, if you don't want to. I like your face with or without the beard."

Max smiled.

* * *

The personnel at Hell's Gate set up the security cameras to monitor the field and they had the progress airing on a big screen in one of the former briefing rooms. Most of the science team were watching from in there, while a lot of the military forces simply put on exopacks and watched outside. Ramona was in the observation room with her fellow scientists, watching the screen with interest.

"Mmm, Na'vi men in baseball jerseys," Ramona murmured with a smirk, leaning toward Katherine. "How cute is that?"

"Uncomfortable, if the expressions on their faces are any indication," answered Katherine softly. "I'm amazed they managed to convince them to wear the uniforms."

"After Corporal Sully's wedgie incident, I imagine convincing them became easier," Sebastian interjected, his eyes on the screen. "Have they named their teams or are they just going by team one and team two?"

"Jake's team is the Titanotheres," explained Ramona. "Tom's team is called the Thanators."

"Fitting choices," Sebastian said with a grin.

"They're just so _cute_," Ramona gushed.

"Ahem. Boyfriend behind you, remember?"

Ramona turned around and grinned at Lee. "Awww, you know you're cute too."

He yelped as she shamelessly pinched his bottom and the other scientists and avatar operators laughed. "'Mona," he said in a chastising tone.

"Why don't you suit up in your avatar and go join them?" Ramona suggested. "I'll bet you'd look great in one of those uniforms, babe."

"I haven't been invited to play," he reminded her dubiously, "and there's more to baseball than getting perved on by a horny zoologist."

Ramona laughed and put her arms around his waist. "I'll bet they'd let you play if you asked. You said you used to play all the time before you came to Pandora. Go and have some fun, already."

Lee looked to his other coworkers questioningly. "What do you guys think? Would it be rude for me to go out there and ask to join?"

"Not at all," Sebastian assured him. "The worst they can do is turn you down. I doubt they would be offended, seeing as their team captains are basically avatars themselves."

"I didn't think of it that way." Lee studied the screen again thoughtfully. In a few minutes, the game would start and he'd lose his opportunity.

"Come on, sweetie. I'll go down with you," Ramona urged. "Let's get you in your avatar and into a uniform."

"You just want to see him in a baseball jersey," guessed Katherine with a smirk.

Ramona shrugged. "That would be a plus for me, yeah. I want him to have fun, though. Come on, hot stuff. Let's get going."

* * *

"Does she mind you talking to me?" Trudy looked meaningfully at Tanhi, who was in the field helping the others set things up.

Tom followed her gaze and he shook his head. "No. She understands and she knows we aren't going to run off together."

Trudy smiled wryly. "So you're an official Na'vi now, huh?"

Tom smiled down at the pilot and he wished the familiar ache didn't stab at his heart. "That's right."

"How much trouble did you get into when you roped your banshee?" Trudy peered up at him from behind the breathing mask with a cheeky grin.

Tom blew a sigh and turned his attention to the efforts of the team as they finished setting the field up with Jake's instruction. "Well, she threw me over the cliff and then tried to make a meal out of me as I was free-falling. I managed to climb onto her back on the way down and finish making the bond."

Trudy shook her head and snorted. "I knew it. Leave it to you to make something even more dangerous than it already is." She scanned him with her eyes. "You aren't hurt or anything, are you?"

"No, just a few healing bruises," Tom assured her, touched that she still cared enough to be concerned. "It just gave me a fright, more than anything."

Trudy seemed satisfied with the answer and she watched the activity on the field as well. "So you think these guys are up for a real game, now?"

"They've been practicing," answered Tom. "I think they've gotten the hang of it. The worst part was convincing them to wear the uniforms and explaining the function of each piece. Do you have any idea how hard it is to keep a straight face when trying to explain to someone that the groin cup isn't a bola?"

Trudy blurted a laugh. "You serious?"

Tom nodded in E'quath's direction. "I'm serious. He thought it was meant to be used to tag opposing team members before they could make it to a base. I had to pull him aside before he threw it at someone and explain what its real purpose was."

"Oh man," Trudy giggled, "I can just picture some guy twirling a groin cup over his head and chucking it at someone! I've gotta give you props for not laughing at him, Tomcat."

Tom was grinning broadly and he hastily looked away when E'quath glanced over at them suspiciously. "It's not his fault. As a hunter, he was just making the most logical assumption about an unfamiliar device. I can't really blame him for thinking that way and he was embarrassed enough when I explained what it was supposed to be used for."

"Right, right," Trudy said, containing her mirth with effort. "Ahem. So, has Neytiri clocked anyone upside the head lately?"

"No, just the one time. She felt really bad about that and she's been careful not to get too aggressive, ever since then."

"Hey Sully," called a female voice from the direction of the gate, "Do either of your teams have room for one more?"

Tom and Trudy looked to see Ramona approaching with Lee—who was in his avatar body and dressed to play. He looked a bit embarrassed but his small companion only looked determined. "Lee here is a player and he never gets the chance to enjoy it," Ramona finished as they closed the distance.

"Actually, that would work out perfectly," Tom agreed with a welcoming smile. "Jake's team is short a player, so Lee could fill in."

"You're sure it's no trouble?" Lee questioned uncertainly.

"Positive," Tom assured him. "We're here to have fun and there's no reason you can't join in. I'll just go and tell Jake."

When Tom jogged away to find his brother, Trudy noticed his mate glancing her way. Despite his assurances that Tanhi understood and wasn't jealous, Trudy could see the wary look in her eyes. Deciding she had visited with Tom enough, Trudy called after him and waved before taking her leave. She didn't want to be the cause of any arguments and she didn't want the Na'vi chieftess getting the wrong impression. She couldn't say she would handle it any better, if their situations were reversed.

* * *

Once the game started, Neytiri quickly noticed that something was off with Jake. He wasn't giving her the usual cocky grin, for one thing. He also wasn't as loud as usual and his hand signals weren't as abrupt as usual. At first, she wondered if he was feeling ill but she began to suspect differently when it was her team's turn to bat and Jake raced to the bases faster than usual.

When Tom hooted in victory after tagging one of her team members out, Neytiri understood what was going on. It wasn't easy to tell at first, because the caps they both wore on their heads disguised the difference in hairstyles. Their mannerisms gave it away more than anything. She chose not to say anything out loud, but waited until they called a break between innings. When "Jake" approached her and sat down on the tree stump beside her, she leaned toward him.

"You are not my Jake," she whispered into his ear.

He looked as though he would try to deny it at first, but upon meeting her eyes, he grimaced instead. "It was his idea," Tom defended. "Don't say anything, okay?"

Neytiri felt like clucking her tongue, but she refrained. There was something endearing about the twins pulling a switch on everyone and she supposed there was no real harm in it. "Tanhi will be able to tell the difference," she whispered with certainty.

"She's already figured it out too," Tom agreed, his eyes going to his mate. Tanhi was walking by with Peyla and she rolled her eyes at him like an adult putting up with a child's antics.

"What is the purpose of doing this?" Neytiri asked.

Tom shrugged, looking a bit mortified. "Just to see how long it takes everyone to figure it out. It's just for fun."

Neytiri smiled at him, though she wondered if her people would take offense at being fooled or not. She guessed they would take it in stride, seeing as they were fond of the Sully twins and grateful for everything they had done for the Na'vi.

"I will keep it to myself."

* * *

"Peyla, tag him!" Tom shouted, tossing the ball to the huntress.

Peyla caught it and she grinned as she saw E'quath running toward her base. "Gladly."

Usually E'quath was on her team but since a couple of people bowed out of the game, they had to redistribute players and now he was playing against the Thanators. Peyla gathered herself for a pounce, falling victim to her persistent instincts.

E'quath didn't know what hit him. Peyla's polyester-clad body collided with his and the next thing he knew, he was on his back in the dirt with a grinning huntress on top of him. Onlookers gave them both a hairy eyeball before snickering behind their hands.

"Uh, I said 'tag' him, not 'tackle' him," Tom said as he jogged over to the two of them. He helped Peyla up and then offered his hand to the hapless tracker she had knocked over. "You okay, E'quath?"

Ever stoic, the tall hunter nodded and he gave Peyla a curious, confused look as he brushed himself off. "I am out."

"For now," she agreed, biting back a smile.

* * *

The Titanotheres won the game by two points. It was a close one and everyone was pleased by the skills their teams demonstrated on the field. Ni'nat scored the final run that won her team the game and Norm cheered for her with uncommon enthusiasm. Jake took his baseball cap off after congratulating his real team for the win and Tom took off his. It took a moment for the other players and watching clan members to realize which twin was which.

"What is this?" Demanded one of the males. "You have been pretending to be each other through the entire game?"

"I'm afraid so," Tom admitted. He didn't share Jake's confident grin; he was worried that they would take it the wrong way.

"It was just a little fun," Jake assured them. "Tom and I both gave it our best, so the outcome of the game didn't have anything to do with this."

Peyla sighed and exchanged a little smirk with Tanhi. "Your ways are strange, _Toruk Makto_."

"Hey, we all had fun, didn't we?"

There were grudging nods of agreement all around.

"Then let's relax and enjoy the rest of the day," Jake suggested as he put an arm around Neytiri. "There's plenty of lodging for everyone, so we can stay the night here and head back to Hometree in the morning."

They were all too worn out enough from the game to argue with the suggestion and they began to clean up the field. Jake patted Lee on the shoulder and congratulated him on his batting skills before he left. Lee thanked him for allowing him to play and he spoke briefly to Norm before heading back through the gate.

* * *

When the field was clear and everyone began to leave to bathe the dirt from their bodies and change back into traditional clothing, Tanhi approached Peyla and took her aside.

"Is there something you wish to tell me, sister?"

Peyla shrugged, her gaze flitting to E'quath briefly. "What makes you ask?"

"That look you just gave him and the way you pounced on him during the game," Tanhi answered with a reserved chuckle. "You are not so good at hiding your interests."

Peyla grinned and squatted down to unlace the shoes on her feet. "I was not trying to hide them."

"When did this begin?"

Peyla looked up at her and bit her lip. "I am not sure. I have just been noticing him more each day. When he ran towards me I just...reacted."

Tanhi hid a smile behind her hand and she cleared her throat. "I think you got his attention."

Peyla visibly winced. "Was I too aggressive?"

"No more than the next female," Tanhi assured her, amused.

Peyla resumed taking off the ungainly shoes and she sighed. "I could not tell if he was pleased or annoyed."

"You have chosen a difficult male to read," agreed Tanhi. "I think you will have your answer eventually. Perhaps you should be more subtle."

Peyla thought of the Omaticaya tribe's stunning singer and the way she had only to sway her hips and cast a glance at her mate to signal him. She didn't have Ni'nat's grace of movement or curves, though. Peyla was built more like Tanhi—slender and deceptively petite for a Na'vi.

"Maybe I am not the kind of woman he would want."

"Don't be stupid," Tanhi snorted. "Males have asked me about you before. Be confident, like you were on the field."

"I was impulsive," argued the other woman with a chuckle. "Not confident. I acted without thinking."

"Sometimes, that is the best thing to do." Tanhi smiled encouragingly at her. "Especially when trying to attract a male."

"Then you approve?"

Tanhi glanced over her shoulder and her eyes went to her own mate, who had a bag of supplies slung over his shoulder and was chatting with Jake and Neytiri. "I cannot disapprove, after what I myself have done. I only wish you had chosen a male from our own clan."

"Because we will leave Omaticaya lands eventually?" Guessed Peyla.

Tanhi nodded. "Our people will want to return to the Eastern Sea, one day. When that day comes, some must choose to stay behind while others will bring their Omaticaya mates with them." She gazed into her friend's eyes and sighed. "I would miss you, Peyla."

"I am not mated to him yet," reminded the other woman with a little smile.

"But with your kind of determination, you soon will be," Tanhi answered with certainty.

Peyla shrugged, not entirely convinced but encouraged by her leader's confidence, nonetheless.

* * *

"Wait," Jake urged his mate as she started toward the gate. "Not just yet."

"But you said you wanted to use the showers," she protested, eager to see how they worked in spite of herself. Jake made the suggestion so that they could have some privacy, since so many of the Na'vi guests were making use of the small lake nearby for their bathing needs.

"I do," he agreed, "but first I just want to look at you a little."

Neytiri was puzzled. "Why?"

Jake grinned and the rim of his hat cast a shadow over his eyes. "Because you look really cute in that getup. Come here." He reached out for her and put his arms around her, drawing her into his embrace.

"I think I look foolish," Neytiri muttered, pouting a little. The hat was pressing down on her ears and her forehead was beginning to itch. She was sweaty and grungy from the game, too.

Jake grasped the lip of her cap and twisted the headgear around backwards to get the rim out of the way. "You don't look foolish," he assured her, tracing her features with his fingertips. "You're the cutest little pitcher on Pandora."

"'Little'?" she repeated with a smirk.

He shrugged. "Well, maybe not 'little' but still cute."

Neytiri couldn't imagine herself to be remotely cute at the moment, but she took his word for it and she grinned as his mouth descended to hers for a kiss. As usual, it only took a moment for the motions of his lips and tongue to put her into a state of need. She put her arms around his neck and pressed closer to him, ignoring the way the rim of his baseball cap got in the way. She hastily pulled the hat off and dropped it absently on the ground as Jake lifted her against him.

"Mmph, wait," Neytiri murmured against his lips as he started to carry her into the nearest copse of trees. "Jake, we are both filthy."

"We're about to get filthier," he assured her huskily.

"But we should bathe first," she protested.

"And then we'll get sweaty and grungy again," he reasoned, not pausing. "Might as well kill two birds with one stone."

"Birds? What are you—"

Neytiri's question was cut off by another kiss and she laughed into her mate's mouth, giving up on her protests.

* * *

The next day, they returned to Hometree and Jake decided it was time to speak with Tanhi about the possibility of her clan staying in Omaticaya territory. He arranged a private council with her in the forest, just outside the village boundaries. She had a wary look on her face when she met up with him and he wondered if she was always suspicious of people.

"First, I want to apologize for the prank I pulled last week," Jake said. "I know Tom must have convinced you not to tear me a new one over that."

Tanhi frowned at him. "Tear you a new what?"

"It's just an expression," Jake sighed, "It means punish, basically."

Tanhi shrugged and caught a drifting leaf. She examined it before blowing it off of her palm. "Yes, your brother convinced me not to say anything." Her eyes narrowed on him. "I almost refused his request. It was disrespectful of you, _Toruk Makto_."

"I know. You weren't supposed to be the target, though." Jake grimaced.

"Tom explained it to me," she told him. "Is that what you wished to speak with me about?"

"No, I was just trying to break the ice."

"I don't understand most of what you say." She was becoming irritated.

"Never mind," Jake said, shaking his head. "It's not important. What I wanted to talk to you about is more serious than my stupid prank. We've got tribal affairs to think of, Tanhi. I'm sure you've noticed how many of our people have partnered up. What's going to happen when your clan moves on?"

"Some will go with us and others will stay with you," she reasoned. "I am prepared for this, as you should be." It was ironic that she'd had a conversation about this very thing with Peyla, the day before.

"But that's just it," Jake insisted, "Who will go where? It isn't just the mated couples involved in this, but their parents and siblings. When your people move, families are going to be broken up."

"Including yours," guessed Tanhi. She leaned against a tree trunk and crossed her arms over her chest. "What is it you want me to do, Jakesully? Stay here forever?"

"Well, now that you mention it," Jake said with a tight little smirk.

Tanhi shook her head. "We cannot do this. You have my people's gratitude for all that you have done for us, but we cannot impose upon the Omaticaya for the rest of our days."

"Who's imposing? I'm inviting you to stay. Our numbers are down and everyone's happy here, right?"

"For now," she agreed, "but some of my people miss the sea and they will never accept it if I step down and hand my leadership over to you. We have also just chosen our new _Tsahik_. This will cause conflicts."

"I'm not asking you to step down," Jake explained patiently. "The clans will still be separate, you'll still be _Olo'eyktan_ of the Ikran people and your _Tsahik_ can conduct his duties without any interference from my mate or anyone else."

Tanhi studied him dubiously. "You want two separate tribes living in one village?"

"It's worked so far, hasn't it?"

"Because we had to _make_ it work," she said. "What will happen when there are important tribal decisions to make?"

"Like I said, you'll decide what's best for your clan and I'll decide what's best for mine." Jake stepped closer to her and held her eyes. "You know this isn't just about me and my brother, Tanhi. I'm not going to lie to you; I'd love it if he stayed here but that isn't the only reason I'm making this suggestion."

"I understand your concerns," she answered. "But my people must rebuild our lives and become independent again. I will speak of this to the council but I warn you, expect the answer to be 'no'."

Jake sighed and nodded. "Well, it was worth a try. As long as you think about it and consider the benefits it could bring, I can't complain."

* * *

-To be continued

**Translations:**

**_Meuia_** = honor

**_Nawm_** = great, noble

**_Iknimaya_** = The final test of taming an Ikran, to earn one's place as a hunter of the Na'vi.


	34. Chapter 34

"Between worlds"

Chapter 34

_**Author's note: See footnotes at the end of the chapter for Na'vi/English translations. Expect some cavity-inducing Norm/Ni'nat attention in this chapter. Things will move faster after this. Thank you everyone for the feedback!**_

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* * *

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*Disclaimer: I do not own Pandora and I make no profit from writing fanfiction based on the "Avatar" film.

* * *

"She's putting it off, I'm sure of it."

Neytiri finished changing Tommy's wrap and she looked at her mate as she cradled the child. "What are you talking about, my Jake?" Lately, Jake seemed to mutter to himself a lot and she was beginning to worry about him.

"Tanhi. She's procrastinating." Jake looked over the side of the branch, down at the ground. Neytiri followed her gaze and she could see the chieftess in question walking beneath them, heading for the den. She had a basket of food to share with the Omaticaya, as usual.

"Perhaps she is only waiting for the right time," suggested Neytiri softly. She grunted a little as she stood up and lifted her son with her. A month had passed since Jake's brother completed his initiation and his namesake was getting heavier each day.

"The right time for what, though?" Jake asked, frowning down at the woman. "To talk to her people about it or just move out?"

"You must be patient," Neytiri advised as she walked over the branch to him. "Tanhi will lose people too, if her clan leaves. It cannot be an easy decision."

"Then why won't she just make it easier and agree to stay?" Jake sighed with annoyance and his tail flicked. "It isn't like we've had any trouble with the arrangement so far."

"She must balance what is easy with what is right for her people," Neytiri explained, smiling up at him sympathetically. "Such a thing is not always so clear. You know this, Jake."

He grimaced. "I'm being a brat, aren't I?"

"No. You are being protective. There is more to this than missing your brother, isn't there?"

Jake nodded, looking into her eyes before stroking their son's hair. "I can't hide much from you, can I? I guess...I just want him close. We've beaten the Sky People back again but according to Max's schedule, we can expect another transport to come within a year...maybe two if we're lucky. Then it's going to start all over again."

"Have you told her this?"

Jake shook his head. "I don't think it would make a difference."

"It might," Neytiri suggested. "If we must fight again, being united is best."

He smiled at her. "Maybe you should speak to her, then. I think she respects you more than she does me."

Neytiri lowered her gaze and shifted Tommy in her arms. Her mate had a good point. It wasn't that Tanhi didn't respect him but he wasn't born and raised among the People. She might be more receptive to someone that was. "I will speak to her about it, but I will not try to influence her decision. It must be her choice, my Jake."

* * *

E'quath could have cheerfully throttled Ni'nat when she invited Peyla to join their hunt without asking him first. He didn't know how to act around the Ikran huntress. She toyed with him as if she was interested but then she practically ignored him. The mixed messages made him want to tear his queue out in frustration. None of this showed on his face as he waited beside Norm for the two women to join them.

"I think you have met your match in tracking skills," Ni'nat said teasingly to E'quath as she and Peyla trotted over on their direhorses. "Peyla is very good."

E'quath gave Peyla a respectful nod. "She _is_ very good." He silently added that she was much noisier than he was, too. He wondered if she was really giving him such a smug look or if he was simply imagining it.

"We might as well get started," suggested Norm with a glance at the sky. "The days are shorter now." The quiet concern in his eyes as he looked at Ni'nat suggested that he worried over her pushing herself too hard, but he knew better than to say it in front of other people.

The others nodded their consent and they left Hometree for the day. As they traveled, E'quath kept glancing sidelong at Peyla and a couple of times he noticed her doing the same to him. He had been in casual courtships with other females before, but they never worked out. He was accused of being too stern and humorless. Maybe they were right...maybe he should learn to laugh more. Women liked men with a good sense of humor, didn't they?

Ni'nat said something that E'quath didn't quite catch, but when Norm and Peyla chuckled he decided to go with it. E'quath tossed his head back and let loose a boisterous laugh, startling all three of them. Evidently, whatever Ni'nat said wasn't _that_ funny and they regarded him with a mixture of bemusement and concern.

"Are you feeling unwell, E'quath?" Ni'nat asked.

Humiliated, E'quath stopped laughing and he cleared his throat. "I feel fine. I was only amused by what you were saying."

Ni'nat exchanged a look with Norm and the two of them shrugged. E'quath wished that he could disappear as Peyla stared at him curiously and his face heated. There was such a thing as overdoing it.

* * *

"What do you think that was all about?" Norm whispered to his mate when they took a break. E'quath was off relieving his bladder and Peyla was scouting ahead to make sure the trail stayed hot.

"What do you mean?"

"That fit of laughter earlier," elaborated Norm. "When he _does_ laugh at all, it's usually a lot quieter than that. Maybe something really is wrong with him."

Ni'nat glanced toward the bushes where the hunter in question went. "I don't think anything is wrong. I think he was trying to impress Peyla."

Norm's eyebrows went up. "Why would he want to impress Peyla?" Then the reason for it dawned on him. "Oh. Oooh, I get it now."

Ni'nat chuckled softly, amused at his naivety. "Why do you think I invited her to come?"

"To be nice," Norm shrugged. "I've just never noticed E'quath showing an interest in her."

"He is...not so good with women," Ni'nat muttered. "I help him, when I can."

Norm smirked. "I can relate to being bad with women. I never thought I'd get one like you in a million years."

Ni'nat laid her head on his shoulder and covered her mouth on a giggle. "He is worse than you are, my Norm. He does not know when to relax."

"So that's why he laughed like that? To look more relaxed?" Norm was fighting not to laugh himself.

"As I said, he does not know how to do it." Ni'nat grinned up at him. "Here in the forest, doing what he is best at, he may do better at other things, too."

"Clever," Norm complimented. He kissed her on the cheek. "He's lucky to have you watching out for him."

"Or meddling," she sighed. "That is what he would call it."

They both quieted as E'quath bounded back into the clearing. "I have found a better trail," he explained in a rush. "Hurry, we must follow it now."

"I will get Peyla," offered Ni'nat as she mounted her _pa'li_. "We will follow."

Norm nodded and he and E'quath mounted up while Ni'nat went in the direction where Peyla had gone. When Ni'nat found the other huntress, she was surprised to find her squatting over a fresh kill. Ni'nat dismounted and went to her side, smiling with delight as she examined the size of the hexapede.

"A good kill. It was that close to us?"

"Luck," answered Peyla as she drew her hunting knife. "I crossed paths with it before I could go far. This was not the animal I was tracking."

"Still, an impressive find," complimented Ni'nat. "The men will be surprised."

"Or jealous," Peyla smirked.

She murmured the hunter's blessing and drove the knife in. Ni'nat was too close and when the animal kicked in its death throes, one of its hind hooves struck the singer in the side. She gasped and pulled away, covering the area with both hands. Peyla stopped tugging her knife free and she looked at Ni'nat with concern.

"Are you hurt, sister?"

Ni'nat looked down at the spot where the hoof imprint was already beginning to leave a bruise. The hexapede had kicked her hard but at least it wasn't a direct hit against her abdomen. Still, she felt as though she might be sick from the dull ache and sharper pain towards the surface.

"I will be fine," Ni'nat assured the other woman with a grimace. "I must be more careful, from now on."

Peyla's concern didn't fade. "I think you should stay here while I go and find your mate. That kick was too close to the womb, Ni'nat."

"No, it was in my side," protested Ni'nat, though she chewed her lower lip in worry. "That is not close enough to hurt my baby, is it?"

"I cannot say," Peyla answered, "I have not born children of my own yet. We should get you back to the Keltural and have your _Tsahik_ look at you, to be safe. Sit down and wait here while I fetch the men."

* * *

Peyla was grim-faced and urgent when she came galloping up behind them. E'quath almost chastised her for being so noisy and reckless, but one look at her expression changed his mind.

"What is wrong?"

"I took down a hexapede while I was scouting," she explained in a rush. "It kicked Ni'nat when I finished it off. I think we should take her home to be cared for by the _Tsahik_ or a healer."

Norm went pale. Without saying a word, he turned his mount around and urged it into a run, heading back the way Peyla had come from. She followed him and E'quath took up the rear. Peyla guided Norm to her kill and he barely pulled his mount to a halt before jumping down off of it and rushing to his mate's side.

"Where did it kick you?"

Ni'nat turned her body gingerly and presented her left side. "It missed my ribs. I think I will only bruise from it."

He examined the area attentively and after a moment, he sighed with relief. "It looks superficial, but I want you to take it easy and let us watch over you for the next couple of days. If it had struck you a couple of inches to the right..." He trailed off, leaving the sentence unfinished.

Ni'nat could guess what her mate was suggesting and her stomach clenched. "Norm, did I hurt our baby?"

He looked into her eyes and shook his head. "Of course you didn't. You were in the wrong place at the wrong time and it doesn't look like it kicked close enough to hurt the baby. We've just got to be careful over the next few days, okay? Ride double with me back to Hometree and we'll strap Peyla's kill to your mount. E'quath, will you help with that while I get Ni'nat onto my _Pa'li_?"

E'quath nodded, casting a quietly worried look at his childhood friend before kneeling down to lift the hexapede. While he and Peyla worked together to drape the carcass over the direhorse's back and secure it, Norm scooped his mate into his arms and lifted her with hardly a grunt. His adrenaline was spiked and all he could think of was getting Ni'nat home and settled into a pallet or hammock.

"Norm, I can walk—"

"Just humor me," he interrupted, giving her a strained little smile.

She sensed his fear and her ears laid back with answering anxiety. "I don't want to lose it."

Norm carefully helped her onto his mount and he climbed up behind her, putting his arms around her after establishing the bond with the animal. "I'm sure the baby would let you know if something was wrong. Do you sense any distress?"

Ni'nat went still for a moment, listening with all of her senses. She shook her head. "No, all seems well, for now."

He kissed her on the temple. "Then everything should be okay. We just need to make sure you're okay. Trust me?"

"I do." She placed a hand on his thigh and laid her head back against his shoulder.

Norm turned his mount around and glanced over his shoulder at their companions. "We're going to start heading back. Can you two handle the rest?"

"Go," urged E'quath with a nod. "We will follow when we finish here."

* * *

"She was fortunate," Mo'at informed Norm after she, Neytiri and Tom examined Ni'nat to be on the safe side. "A blow like that would have ended her pregnancy, if it had struck any closer."

Norm shut his eyes briefly and nodded. "Will she and the baby be okay?"

"We believe so," soothed the former _Tsahik_. "She must rest. This early in a pregnancy, many things could go wrong. Na'vi women are taught this but the knowledge does not help when one loses an unborn child."

"I know," Norm murmured. "It's the same for human women. I...I don't want her hunting anymore, Mo'at. Not until the baby is born. I know that makes me sound overbearing and I know Na'vi women usually hunt until its their time to give birth, but she's _my_ mate. It's hard to be open-minded when I'm so worried about her."

Mo'at smiled faintly. "That is not for you to decide, but I think your mate is less stubborn than most of our women. She may honor your request, after such an experience." She leaned in closer to him and affixed him with her intelligent gaze. "Do nothing to make her feel guilty, Normspellman. She is punishing herself enough."

"Of course," he agreed. He knew that if anything happened to this baby, Ni'nat would never forgive herself—regardless of whether she was remotely at fault or not. Self-blame rarely made way for logic, after all.

Neytiri stepped out of the cubby and Tom followed her. "She is resting," informed Neytiri. "You may be with her, now. Try not to upset her, Norm. This is an emotional time for any woman, with her body changing and her hopes for the future. She needs her mate's support."

Norm nodded convulsively, though inwardly he wondered how many lectures he was going to get before he could see his mate. Tom merely patted him on the shoulder and gave him an encouraging smile. He had snapped at Norm earlier when the anthropologist hovered over Ni'nat, ordering him out of the cubby. Norm understood his logic. In his state of anxiety, he had only been making things worse and getting in their way.

Without further conversation, Norm ducked unto the cubby and pulled the hide cover shut behind him. He approached his reclining mate and knelt at her side, reaching out to smooth a wayward braid away from her forehead. "How are you feeling?"

"Foolish," Ni'nat answered in a tired, guilty voice. "It would have been my fault, if anything happened to our child."

"No," denied Norm firmly, "It wouldn't have been. You've been doing what any other Na'vi woman would do—live your life according to your customs. Sometimes things just happen, Ni'nat. You can't predict it."

"But I can be more careful," she murmured, laying her hand over his.

Norm's hope rose, but he remained cautious. He loved and respected her too much to try and restrict her. "Maybe you could fish with me or gather, until the baby is born."

He half expected her to decline, but she nodded. "Yes. I think that is a good idea. I don't want anything to happen to this baby, so I will not do things that push my body. I am not as strong in spirit as other women. I...cannot bear the thought of our child coming to harm for my activities."

Norm's heart clenched and he leaned down to kiss her on the lips. "You are _very_ strong in spirit, Ni'nat. I think you're doing the right thing and I'm thankful that you're choosing to be careful."

She finally gave him a smile. "You have been very tolerant, my Norm. I know how you worry."

He shrugged and averted his eyes. "I just want both of you healthy and safe."

Ni'nat pulled the blanket aside and patted her pallet invitingly. "Then hold us close."

He smiled at her and gladly lay down beside her. Norm pulled the blanket over both of them before embracing her and he rubbed her back as she cuddled up to him. "Are you hungry at all? I could make some stew for you."

Ni'nat shook her head. "For now, I just want to be near you. I promise to eat later."

* * *

The next day, Norm told Jake and Tom that Ni'nat wouldn't be participating in further baseball games; at least until their child was born.

"I expected as much," Tom said with a nod. "A scare like that would make anyone want to be careful."

"No problem," Jake said agreeably. "She'll be welcome to join the team again when she's ready to."

There support made Norm feel a little better, but his anxiety still ate at him. Maternal health wasn't a large part of his education but he knew how delicate pregnancy could be in the early stages. The angry swelling and bruise on his mate's side had him worried. Even without a direct hit, the blow could have still jarred the developing fetus.

"Something tells me you're not totally satisfied with her avoiding strenuous activity," Tom observed thoughtfully. He began to roll the sleeves of his shirt up on his forearms absently. "Has she been having any problems since yesterday, Norm?"

"Just some soreness and the usual morning nausea," he answered hesitantly, "but sometimes problems don't start right away, you know? I'm thinking of taking her to Hell's Gate to have some scans done, just to be safe."

Jake nodded. "I can't say I blame you. I'd want to have it checked out to if I were you."

"You don't have to travel to Hell's Gate," Tom interjected. "We've got some scanning equipment in the research trailer. You and I could do a basic holoscan on her uterus and save her the strain of traveling. If we find anything unusual, then you can plan from there."

Norm breathed a little easier. "I didn't know you had scanning equipment in there. That's a good idea."

"I've got most of the basics," Tom answered. "Enough to provide a decent diagnosis for common health problems, anyway."

"Then I'll talk to Ni'nat about it and get back to you. I'll explain what we're going to be doing, so we don't scare her."

Tom nodded. "I'll let you handle the actual scanning part while I operate the computer. I'm sure she'll feel better with you doing it, anyway. Just don't get panicky like you did when we were trying to examine her yesterday."

Norm gave him a strained smile. "Yeah, my bedside manner went right out the window, didn't it?"

"Hey, she's your mate," Jake excused with a pat on the shoulder for Norm. "Any guy would panic a little, if he gives a damn."

* * *

"This will let you see inside of me?" Ni'nat lay down on the bunk as instructed and her body was visibly tense as she gazed up at Norm with wide eyes.

"Yes," answered Norm in a soft voice. "Don't worry, it won't hurt at all. The gel might be a little cold but that's about as uncomfortable as it's going to get, okay?"

"And it won't hurt our child?"

Norm smiled down at her and stroked her hair, shaking his head. "Absolutely not. We're only having a look at it to make sure everything is okay. We can both rest easier when this is finished."

"If you start feeling scared at any time, we'll stop," Tom assured her from behind Norm.

Ni'nat nodded and took a deep breath, laying her head back against the pillow. She kept her eyes on Norm as he slipped on a pair of sterile gloves sized for avatar hands and took the bottle of gel from the nearby metal cart. She could hear the strange machine Tom was working on making beeping noises in the background as he readied it. Ni'nat usually considered herself a brave woman, but she had never done anything like this before and human technology was a mystery to her. Norm squeezed some of the clear gel onto his palm and put the bottle aside before rubbing his hands together. She tried to hold still but she jumped a little when he began to rub the viscous fluid into the skin over her lower abdomen.

"It isn't burning or anything, is it?" Norm asked, pausing as he looked into her eyes.

She shook her head. "It is just cold, as you said it would be."

He nodded and continued. "If you feel any soreness, let me know. It might hurt a little when I press close to the injury, okay?"

"I understand." She winced when his slick fingers lightly pressed near her bruised side and she shook her head when he paused again and gave her a worried glance. "It is all right."

Norm finished applying the gel and he took the gloves off, disposing of them in a small trash bin. "Biodegradable," he promised her with a little smile.

"I do not know what that means."

"It means it will decay over time, like animal or plant parts," he looked a little sheepish. "Sorry. I always go into science geek mode when I do things like this."

Ni'nat smiled fondly at him and reached out to stroke his forearm. "I don't mind. I always learn something when you are being a 'science geek'."

Tom snorted softly, his shoulders shaking with silent laughter. "Boy, did you get lucky with her, Norm. Here, the paddle is ready."

"Paddle?" Ni'nat's eyes went wide again. If the word meant what she thought it did, they were discussing an item that was commonly used for laundry churning, beating hides or spanking badly misbehaving children.

"It's not what you think," Norm assured her, evidently guessing what was on her mind. He held up a white, smooth object that was paddle-like in shape with a metal panel on the bottom of it. A cord ran from the handle of it into the machine that Tom was hunched over. "It's not used to hit anything. I'm just going to rest it on your belly and move it around until we get an image of our baby, okay? Here, I'll warm it up a little so it won't be so chilly."

Ni'nat forced herself to relax again, trusting her mate not to lie to her. She bit her lip and clutched the sheets beneath her when he finished huffing on the metal part of the object and gently laid it over her stomach. His reassuring smile eased her anxiety further as he began to slide the paddle over her gelled abdomen.

After a few moments, Tom spoke up. "Stop. Right there."

Norm looked over his shoulder at the screen and he moved the paddle slowly, adjusting the position until he was satisfied. "What do you think, Tom? I don't see anything but I can't really be objective about this."

Ni'nat lifted her head, trying to see what was on the glowing screen without moving her body and interfering with the examination. Tom was peering at it intently and after a moment, he shook his head and turned around to smile at both of them.

"Everything looks okay. I can see where the swelling is on the left but it's just a little mild flesh trauma, and it's nowhere near the womb." He moved aside and pulled at the desk, wheeling it a little closer to the bunk. "There's your baby, Ni'nat."

She propped herself up on her elbows and stared at the screen. Tom was pointing at a small, floating creature nestled inside of a triangular-shaped sac on the screen. He pointed out an area that was darker than the rest and explained to her that it was the edge of the swelling, just outside her uterus. Ni'nat hardly noticed it. Her eyes stayed glued on the tiny thing that he said was her baby. It was shaped almost like a teylu at this stage of development, but she could see the Na'vi features on its miniscule face and she recognized little hands and little feet at the ends of the curled up limbs.

"Wow," Norm breathed. "I mean, I've seen this kind of thing before but it's different when I know it's mine."

Before she realized she was doing it, Ni'nat made a gesture of greeting at the image of her baby and she whispered to it.

"It...um...can't really see you," Tom began, but he left it at that and just smiled.

Norm began to explain what they were seeing. "That's your womb surrounding it. See those tubes that look almost like flowers? Those are the fallopian tubes. The 'buds' on the end of them are your ovaries and that's where your eggs are stored."

Ni'nat listened patiently, though she only understood half of what he was telling her. She was much more interested in the little Na'vi developing inside of her. Tom busied himself with something on the other side of the trailer while Norm enthusiastically gave Ni'nat a biology lesson.

"Can you see if it is male or female?" Ni'nat squinted at the screen, unable to discern whether their child had even developed genitalia yet.

"Not this early," Norm said. His eyes went to the monitor again and he smiled broadly. "We can do this again in another month or so, if you want. By then we should be able to tell."

"I want to be surprised," she insisted.

He leaned down and kissed her on the forehead. "Then we won't peek again unless we need to."

* * *

Tom wondered if he'd be struck dumb when and if he ever saw his own developing unborn on a holoscan. He couldn't imagine himself in such a state of awe over it, but he supposed if Norm could be affected so strongly, it was possible for him too. He listened to the couple as they softly exclaimed their wonder and he grinned to himself, deciding to go outside for a few minutes and give them some privacy. As soon as he opened the door, he nearly stumbled into Tanhi before he could take so much as a step out. She had her hand poised as if to knock. Neytiri and Peyla were crowded behind her and a few feet behind them stood Jake.

"Uh, ladies," Tom greeted.

"I tried to tell them to wait but they insisted on checking in themselves," Jake apologized with a wry smirk.

"Everything is fine," Tom assured them. "Ni'nat and her baby are in good condition. We just finished with the scan."

The women looked at one another and nodded. Tom could see the curiosity in their eyes and he guessed they wanted to know how a machine could look into the female womb. He stepped back into the trailer and looked to the expecting couple at the far end of it.

"Norm, Ni'nat, would you mind if some friends have a look, too?"

They shared a quiet look between them before Ni'nat smiled and nodded. Tom gestured for their guests to come in and he stepped aside to make room. While the trailer was designed for Na'vi-sized operators, it was a narrow fit for so many and Tom hung back so as not to crowd the couple as the women filed in. Jake came in last and he waited by the door, watching his mate and the others with amusement.

"We really take this stuff for granted," Jake whispered as Norm explained to the women what they were seeing.

Tom nodded. "I can't see myself being so excited over a holoscan, even if it were my fetus."

Jake shrugged. "Technology is new to them. Besides, you can't predict how you're going to react when it's your own. I didn't care much either way about parenthood until I found out I was going to be a Dad."

At the other side of the room, Peyla peered at the monitor and crinkled her nose. "_That_ is a baby? It looks nothing like us. Ah!"

Tanhi pinched her and gave her a warning look. "Does a sapling look like a tree when it sprouts?"

Norm smiled, un-offended by the Ikran huntress' blunt statement. "It's still in the early stages of development. In a couple of months, it will look more like a baby."

"I can see the little toes," Neytiri remarked softly, smiling. "You must both be so proud."

"We are, _Tsahik_," Ni'nat assured her. The serene smile of relief on her pretty face backed her response. "I cannot wait to welcome our child into the world, with Eywa's grace."

"Let's step outside," Jake suggested in a whisper as the women continued to chat amongst themselves.

Tom nodded and followed him out the door, shutting it behind him. "I take it I wasn't the only one feeling a little boxed in," he suggested once they were alone. He noticed other Na'vi watching the trailer curiously as they went about their daily business.

"I think Neytiri's getting baby fever again," Jake admitted with a chuckle. "It might not be long before we start working on number two."

"It makes sense," Tom reasoned. "Na'vi women are more receptive when new life is being born or on the way, unless the population is growing too big."

"Then you should probably start gearing up for fatherhood too," Jake said in a satisfied tone. "I'll bet you and Tanhi are going to be making a cousin for our kid soon."

Tom kept his expression neutral and he looked out at the village, his eyes scanning the great trunk of Hometree. "Maybe."

"What do you mean, 'maybe'?" Jake frowned. "A woman as feisty as Tanhi's got to be fertile, right?"

"That isn't the issue." Tom sighed and decided he could confide in his brother. "I have no doubts concerning her ability to conceive and carry, when the time is right. It's her mental and emotional readiness for it that bothers me. I haven't said anything to her but every time we link, I can feel a barrier. There's fear under there, Jake. Even if Tanhi's body is ready for conception soon, I don't think her mind is going to follow-up."

"I can't imagine someone like her being afraid of childbirth, as wild as she is in a fight," Jake said.

"No, but she lost a son to the plague."

Jake's expression darkened and he nodded with understanding. "And she doesn't feel right about 'replacing him', is that it?"

"That's my best guess," Tom agreed. "It took her this long to allow herself to open up to me and accept me as more than a fling. Even if I were in a hurry to start a family, I wouldn't put any pressure on her. She needs to take it at her own pace."

"But that's just it," reminded Jake, "When Na'vi women are ready to have kids, it's not something they can just ignore. At least, that's how Norm explained it to me."

"True, it's hard for a Na'vi woman to ignore her body's demands when the time is right," agreed Tom, "but physical fertility isn't the only factor. If the woman's not emotionally ready, her body isn't going to easily contradict that. Knowing Tanhi, she'd torture herself and hold back from me if it started happening now."

"I guess all you can do is be supportive and try to show her that having kids with you isn't a betrayal to her first son," Jake mused, scratching his chin. His eyes went to the trailer and a shadow of pity darkened them. "I don't think anyone can know what it's really like, until it happens to them."

"Agreed," sighed Tom. "She's a complicated woman but who can blame her? I've just got to be patient."

Jake nodded. "You're a good guy, Tom. I'm not just saying that because you're my brother, either."

Tom smirked. "No, you'd be calling me a pain in the ass, if you were going by brotherly opinion."

"Damn straight."

* * *

The next morning, Neytiri asked to speak with Tanhi alone for a while, as she promised to her mate. The two of them went into the forest together to gather nuts and fruits for the clans and they discussed tribal matters as they moved.

"I know that my mate has already discussed this with you once," Neytiri said, "but he did not mention part of the reason he is so determined to see your clan stay here."

"And what reason is that?"

"The Sky People," answered Neytiri. "Our friends in the human territory have promised that no more enemies will easily come without them knowing about it, but we cannot know what they will bring with them the next time. Jake wants to be prepared and the closer we all are, the sooner we may drive them off if they attempt to invade again."

Tanhi bent over to pluck some berries from a wild bush. "Why did he not say this to me himself?"

Neytiri smiled. "My Jake is not always good at explaining things, unless there is a crisis."

Tanhi nodded. "I remember how inspiring his call to battle was when we went against the Sky People. He is a man of action, not politics." She finished collecting the ripest berries and she straightened up to regard Neytiri. "I understand what you are saying, sister. It is not a bad idea, but where does it end? Will our clans spend each moment looking over our shoulders, now? Will we blend our tribal traditions and change the way things have been since the beginning of our people?"

Neytiri lowered her eyes. "You speak wisely, _Olo'eyktan_. We cannot live in fear and each clan has its own ways. I would not wish the Ikran people to lose touch with theirs for the sake of the _Tawtute _threat."

"They win, if we do," agreed Tanhi. "_Toruk Makto_ is a fine leader and a good man, but he is still a dreamer."

Neytiri smiled again, thinking of Jake's enthusiasm, quick actions and confident smile. "That is not always a bad thing."

* * *

"So you see _Toruk Makto_, my people are better off returning to our village and rebuilding. There is no way for the Sky People to return to that base we destroyed, we have ways to communicate between tribes quickly and my clan wishes to preserve our way of living."

Jake couldn't quite hide his disappointment, but one of the things he had learned in both the military and on Pandora was to adapt to things he couldn't change. He glanced at his mate, who stood beside him in the clearing. Neytiri was being silently supportive, leaving the conversation up to him. She gave him a warm, sympathetic look but offered no input beyond that.

"Well, I've tried my best to change your mind," Jake sighed with a good-natured shrug. "People can decide for themselves who stays and who goes. At least let the Omaticaya help your people rebuild, Tanhi."

She blinked with obvious surprise. "We...would be honored for your help, though the Omaticaya have already done so much for the Ikran people."

Jake hid a smirk. "You thought I'd keep pushing you or get angry, didn't you?"

Tanhi glanced at Neytiri, who was smiling softly at Jake. "You have been very persistent, brother. I expected more arguments from you."

"I know when I'm beat," Jake said with a grin. "The only thing I could do now is hold my breath and kick my feet. Something tells me that wouldn't budge you, though."

Tanhi huffed briefly with amusement before she could control it and she looked away, her mouth twitching suspiciously. "No, it would not have changed my mind, but it would have been...amusing."

"I could still do it, if you want."

Tanhi shook her head and gave Neytiri a look that said she didn't know how she put up with such a big child. "That is not necessary."

Jake sobered and he reached out and clasped her forearms in his hands in a traditional gesture of respect between leaders. "You have our support. When you're ready, we will send warriors with you for the journey to be sure your clan makes it safely and we'll help you rebuild."

Tanhi returned the gesture and her face relaxed into a dignified, faint smile. "The Ikran people will always call the Omaticaya people 'friend', _Toruk Makto_."

* * *

As days passed into weeks, the Ikran clan prepared to return to their old village and rebuild. Tanhi didn't want to wait too long, because some of the women in her clan were expecting offspring and would soon be too heavy with child to make the journey before their time came. Tom was supportive of his mate and he made arrangements with the people at Hell's Gate to have his laboratory trailer air-lifted to the Ikran destination. In the meantime, he and Jake enjoyed their brotherly affection in the form of pranks and baseball games.

Neytiri and Tanhi both put up with the youthful antics of their mates, understanding that the twins would no longer have the opportunity to pick on one another each day, once miles separated them. Ni'nat stayed true to her promise and she rarely strayed far from Hometree. Several of the women in her clan thought she was being overly cautious, but because she was such a kind, gentle person they couldn't bring themselves to criticize her. After the events their people had endured, nobody could truly blame Ni'nat for protecting her unborn as much as possible.

Norm was even more attentive to his mate's needs than before, now that she had confined herself to a limited area of the territory. He went out hunting with Jake and Tom often, though he rarely managed to make a kill. Each time they hunted, he always found something special to bring home to Ni'nat—whether it was one of her favorite fruits, a shiny river pebble or a favorite fish. One day at the end of the month, Jake and Tom watched in bemusement as the anthropologist dug out a whole flower bush and wrapped the roots carefully in a wetted hide sack.

"Okay, I give up," Jake said. "What the hell are you doing now, Norm?"

Norm didn't look up from his task as he dribbled some water from his supply over the soil surrounding the roots and wrapped the base of the plant with gentle care. "Just bringing Ni'nat some flowers."

"No, you're bringing her a whole bush," Jake countered, shaking his head.

Norm looked up at the chieftain and shrugged. "They'll just wilt if I pick them. This way, Ni'nat can look at the flowers anytime she wants."

Jake exchanged a wry look with his brother and smirked. "Way to make the rest of us look bad, Norm."

Norm frowned as he tied the hide bag shut around the base of the plant. "What do you mean?" He looked up at Jake again. "When Neytiri had her pregnancy cravings, you went out gathering eggs for her at least three times a week."

Jake nodded. "Yeah, you got me there. I wanted to keep her happy."

"Flowers make Ni'nat happy, so I'm bringing them to her." Norm turned his attention back to preserving the plant for transport. "She's giving up a lot of her favorite activities for this pregnancy. I don't have to give up anything. Bringing this to her is just a small gesture, really."

Tom chuckled behind his hand and Norm sighed and gave him a frustrated look. "What, you too?"

"Sorry," Tom apologized. "I'm just trying to get used to you showing the same dedication to a woman as you do to science. You're starting to remind me of a Hallmark card."

"Just wait until Tanhi's expecting your first," Norm grumbled. "You're not immune, Tom."

Tom shrugged. "We'll see."

* * *

_Two weeks later:_

"Well, here we go."

Max looked over at Trudy searchingly. "Are you sure you're ready for this? We could have another pilot take over."

She shook her head and checked the switches on the console. "I'm cool. Part of me is kind of glad that he's moving even further away, you know?"

Max nodded and tentatively reached out to lay his hand over hers as she placed it on the control stick. He liked Tom but he couldn't pretend he wasn't glad he was moving further away. He was ashamed to admit that part of the reason he was so happy to help Tom move his remote lab trailer to Ikran territory was because it would take him further away from Trudy.

"I understand. Are you sure you want _me_ flying in the copilot seat though? I can't guarantee I can take over if something goes wrong."

Trudy smiled at him and turned her hand over to grasp his. "I'm sure, Maxi. We've got Wilson riding with Harris in the back, so he can take over if something goes wrong. Let's just get this over and done with." She leaned closer to him. "Besides, I'd rather have a doc riding up front with me than one of those meatheads."

She finished up with a brief kiss on the cheek that had Max blushing to the roots of his hair. Seeing the reaction, Trudy took it a little further and kissed him on the mouth. Max responded despite his reserved nature and just as the exchange got interesting, someone knocked on the pilot-side window and startled them both.

"Hey lovebirds, are we going or what?" Wilson's stubble-shadowed face peered into the window through his exopack and he was smirking at them.

"Leave them alone," Harris advised from somewhere out of sight.

Trudy grimaced and shooed her flying partner irritably. "Go on, you pest! Get your ass into the cabin so we can go."

"You're the boss," Harris grinned.

There was a ruckus as the cabin doors on both sides slid open and the Samson shifted a bit as the two soldiers climbed in. The weight settled a little more on Harris' side, due to his greater size and height.

"Shut the door, man. We've got to get going." Wilson's voice was impatient.

"I'm trying. The damned thing doesn't want to move!"

Trudy growled with annoyance and undid her seatbelt. "Hold up, Max. This won't take long." She grabbed her exopack from overhead and slipped it on before exiting the cockpick quickly.

"What the hell's going on back here?"

"The door is jammed, Lieutenant Chacón," Harris explained respectfully.

"It's not jammed," Trudy grumbled. "You're just not pulling on it right. Here, I'll get it."

"Where did we get this guy?" Wilson asked rudely.

"Tom recommended him, so shut your pie hole."

Max listened to the banter as Trudy showed the Avatar soldier how to operate the fussy door. He hid a chuckle behind his hand when Wilson started to pick on Harris again and Trudy told him to shut up before she put her boot up his butt. He cleared his throat when the door slammed shut and Trudy came back to the front. She glanced at him after securing the pilot door and removing her exopack.

"Sorry about that. I hate to admit it, but my baby needs a little maintenance." She patted the ceiling of the Samson lovingly. "I'll take care of the squeaks and dents when we get back."

"I'll help you," Max offered without thinking.

Trudy seemed to find the offer amusing. "Yeah? Okay, you're on."

Max lapsed into silence as she started the engines up and he wondered what he had gotten himself into.

* * *

-To be continued

**Translations:**

_**Tawtute **_= Sky Person/people


	35. Chapter 35

"Between worlds"

Chapter 35

* * *

**_Author's note: See footnotes at the end of the chapter for Na'vi/English translations. I think I've been watching too much "Master Chef". There's a bit of time skipping near the end of this chapter to move things along. _**

* * *

*Disclaimer: I do not own Pandora and I make no profit from writing fanfiction based on the "Avatar" film.

* * *

"Okay Trudy, we're ready to go." Tom's voice came through the transmission over the noise of the rotary blades and wind.

Trudy checked through the window as best she could to be sure he really had all of the cables properly attached. With his luck and the way the two of them always managed to get into trouble together, the lines would snap and Tom would end up tumbling to the ground. When she was satisfied with his job, she spoke into the mouthpiece.

"All right, hang on Tomcat. We'll take her up nice and easy. You better have that bird of yours ready to get you if something screws up."

"I've already got her waiting," Tom said dryly in response. "Let's go."

Trudy looked sidelong at Max. "Well, here goes nothing."

She eased the stick back and slowly ascended. A slight shudder coursed through the aircraft as the weight of the trailer strained the engines, but the Samson tiltrotors were stronger than they looked. Max held onto his seat as the chopper listed a bit and there was some swearing from the back from Harris and Wilson. The trailer steadily rose from the ground and the cables held securely.

In the distance, Jake hovered on his Toruk with E'quath and Peyla flanking him. Tanhi and the rest of her tribe had already begun the journey, with some of the Omaticaya warriors traveling with them for additional protection. Hell's Gate had offered transport services to make the trip faster and safer, but Tanhi politely refused, not wanting her people to become too dependant on the convenience of human technology.

Trudy supposed it was better this way. The Na'vi couldn't rely on her people to come running every time they had a problem and vice-versa. Both sides needed to be able to handle themselves without the intervention of the other, while still maintaining an alliance when it really counted. She checked out the window once more to be sure Tom was still safe. His shirt was billowing with the wind and his queue was whipping around as he clung to the cable and kept his position on top of the trailer.

With two soldiers manning the Samson's guns, there was little chance of the chopper's occupants facing a major airborn threat but Tom was out in the open, unprotected. He was riding on top of the trailer to keep an eye on the cables during the trip. He would contact Trudy through the transmitter he wore if he saw anything coming loose, so that she could land and he could correct the problem. Considering the valuable lab equipment and cultures he could lose if the trailer crashed, Trudy understood his reasoning. Still, it made her mighty nervous to have the big jinx in such a vulnerable position.

"Man, I wish he'd just ride in here with us or take his banshee," Trudy muttered as she set her course.

"It looks like you aren't the only one," Max remarked with a nod out his window.

Jake and the others took formation around the helicopter—not so much to protect the passengers in the Samson as to ensure Tom's safety. Tom's ikran followed behind the aircraft gamely, though she was wary of the human vehicle and she kept her distance. Trudy winced as she hit some turbulence and Max quickly spoke into the communication unit to check on Tom.

"Are you okay down there, Tom?"

It took a moment for him to answer. "I'm fine. I'll let you know if I start having any trouble."

"Okay. Just be careful." Max ended the transmission and gave Trudy a comforting look. "See? He's all right."

"I'm being paranoid, aren't I?" Trudy suddenly felt awful, worrying so much about Tom Sully in front of Max.

Ever stoic and understanding, Max only shrugged and smiled. "Who could blame you, after some of the fixes you've been in with him? It isn't as though you don't have a reason to worry."

Trudy shrugged. It sounded perfectly reasonable, but she still felt uncomfortable. Maybe eventually, she could feel perfectly valid concern for Tom without feeling guilty about it. At least Max didn't seem to take it badly.

* * *

It took most of the day to get to the eastern sea village and set the trailer safely set down on the outskirts. The clans were busy putting up temporary shelter for everyone and Jake's group went to help them, leaving Tom to finish up with Trudy, Max and the two soldiers that came with them. It took another hour to get the trailer balanced and back online. When Tom and Max were satisfied with its functionality, they had something to eat near the Samson.

"You guys are lifesavers." Tom smiled at the small team gratefully after washing down his last bite of food with a drink of water. The sun was beginning to set and he glanced over his shoulder at the horizon. The smell of campfires and roasting food drifted in on the crisp sea breeze, accompanied by the sound of voices talking, laughing and singing.

"It was our pleasure to help," Max assured him, offering a hand.

Tom shook Max's comparatively smaller hand. "You probably shouldn't travel back at this hour. I can see about a couple of spare tents for you to sleep in."

"Thanks, but we'll just crash in the Samson," Trudy said. "It'll be easier to sleep with the air filters on and the exopacks off, you know?"

Tom nodded and his gaze swept her up and down before he could stop himself. He hastily looked away, hoping he hadn't been staring too blatantly. "I understand. At least let me bring you some blankets from the supplies. Tanhi says it can get chilly here at night, this time of the year."

"Sure, why not?" Trudy shrugged. She was likewise avoiding looking directly at him for too long.

"Hey Wilson, let's go and check the cargo hold," Private Harris suggested, bending over to mutter in the human's ear.

"Uh, sure." For once, Wilson didn't argue with the avatar soldier and the two of them made themselves scarce.

Tom flushed, realizing their withdrawal had to do with the tension now present between himself, Trudy and Max. "Maybe I should—"

"This is ridiculous," Max sighed, startling both Tom and Trudy with the impatient tone of his voice. "For God's sake, _look_ at each other. You two are always perfectly natural around one another until Tanhi or I come in range, and then it turns into this awkward guilt marathon. Personally, it's beginning to annoy me."

Trudy's cheeks darkened in an uncommon blush and she shared a grimace with Tom. "Just don't want you two to think we're eye-humping each other, Maxi."

"I don't think that and I'm sure Tom's mate would agree with me. You two have a history together, however brief. It's reasonable to expect some lingering looks and your guilt is far more uncomfortable to me than the occasional exchange of fond glances. Unless the two of you have managed to somehow conduct an affair behind everyone's backs, you have nothing to be ashamed of."

Tom heaved a sigh and looked down for a minute, sticking his hands in the pockets of his cargo pants. "He's right. Leave it to Max to be logical in awkward situations." He grinned and looked into Trudy's eyes. "So, let's look at each other."

Trudy looked back up at him, her face still ruddy with embarrassment. "You scienceoids and your crazy logic."

* * *

The next day, the Hell's Gate team said their goodbyes to everyone and left. Tanhi exchanged a brief nod of respect with Trudy before the pilot boarded and started up the engines, leaving Tom again wondering if he'd ever completely understand women. When they were gone, the chieftess looked at him searchingly, as if trying to work out a puzzle she saw in his face.

"What is it?" Tom asked.

"I am trying to decide if you are being truthful, when you say you agree to live here."

Rather than be offended, Tom reminded himself that Tanhi was not a woman who easily trusted others at their word. His human brethren were largely at fault for that, teaching the Na'vi lessons in betrayal and lies. He held her gaze and placed his hands on her shoulders, admiring her delicate features and strong spirit.

"Then I'm just going to have to prove it to you with my actions, instead of words." He smiled and stroked his palms over her arms, leaning down to kiss her on the mouth.

Tanhi seemed pacified by the response. She took his hand in hers and urged him to come with her down the path. "Come. I will cook breakfast for you, and perhaps teach you more about wrapping _nikt'chey_."

Tom winced dramatically. "I'm afraid I'm going to keep disappointing you as a student. I never mastered sushi rolls and I doubt I'll master _nikt'chey_."

Tanhi shrugged. "I do not know what 'sooshee rrolls' are, but even a child can eventually learn to make a basic food wrap. You will improve, with time."

Tom smiled, enjoying the way she rolled her R's when she repeated human words. "If you say so."

They walked back to the village together, down the foot-worn path between rock outcroppings. Jake was already eating his breakfast at the community fire pit and chatting easily with nearby Na'vi. A young couple saw Tanhi returning and they approached her with an offering of freshly filleted fish.

"For you, _Olo'eyktan_," offered the woman. "My mate caught one of your favorite fish early this morning and we wish for you to have it. We did not cook it because we know you like it a certain way."

Tanhi smiled at the pair with warmth she rarely allowed to show. "You have my thanks. I have not eaten rim fish since the attack."

They smiled, pleased by her gratitude. The couple wished them a good morning and went about their business, leaving Tom and Tanhi with their gift.

"So that's your favorite fish, is it?" Tom examined the pale pink meat and the blue, black-striped skin surrounding it. The flesh reminded him of salmon and he wondered if it would taste similar.

Tanhi nodded and lifted the leaf plate for an experimental sniff. "Since the first time I tasted it, yes. It is not usually a breakfast meal, but I prefer it fresh. I will show you how I prepare it, my Tom. You can make the fruit wraps."

"Or fruit disasters," Tom mumbled under his breath.

Tanhi pretended not to hear his last remark.

* * *

A short time later, Tom was preparing breakfast with Tanhi under the thatched shelter that served as an open "kitchen" for preparation of small meals. It was hastily built near the center of the village, not far from the community fire pit. The clan would improve it with time but for now, it was sufficient to protect cooking food from rainfall and any sand scattered in the breeze. There were dark clouds on the horizon over the sea but their movement suggested they were moving away from the village.

Tom looked at Tanhi's grilled fish and his mouth watered. She had stuffed it with a mixture of herbs and mashed nuts, tied the flesh shut with sinew twine and basted the fish with a sort of butter made from a species of squash. It was now cooling on a leaf plate and she added finishing touches of fresh seasoning sprigs and small, soft berries. It smelled divine.

He looked at his contribution to the meal and grimaced. The food wrap he had tried to prepare looked more like a salad that had been attacked by a drunk samurai. The leaf tore as usual when he tried to wrap it around the fruit and vegetable mixture. The juices from several pieces of fruit had leaked from accidental squishing and they had blended together to create a dishwater colored broth in the bottom of the leaf. He thought the blue peppers would add a colorful garnish but now they looked more like wilted slugs resting on mulch.

"Blah."

Tanhi regarded him with a puzzled expression. "What is 'blah'?"

"This." Tom gestured at the mangled salad he had created. "This is blah. It means '_meyp_'."

She examined the mess and he saw her mouth twitch, though she was too disciplined to laugh aloud. "I would not say it is weak. Are those _som ki'ong_ you have put on top?" She pointed at the blue peppers that resembled chilies.

"Yes. Is that bad?" Suddenly it occurred to him that something that resembled a hot pepper and translated to "hot fruit" in English might not be a good addition to a breakfast wrap. He could have kicked himself.

Tanhi spotted something behind Tom and she smirked. "It depends. There is your brother. You should share with him."

Tom looked over his shoulder at Jake, who was heading towards the beach. "He's probably full, by now."

Tanhi didn't answer. Instead, she called out to the older Sully twin. "_Toruk Makto_, your brother wishes to share his _nikt'chey _with you." She quickly scooped some of the mixture up on a wooden eating utensil that was similar to a flat spoon. She stealthily arranged the portion so that the rest of the mixture covered the pepper.

Tom glanced at his brother and then looked at Tanhi, on the verge of warning Jake against trying his concoction. She met his eyes and he saw the conspiring, subtle twinkle in her gaze. She had never repaid Jake for the poo bag incident and she obviously intended to now. Against his better judgment, Tom kept his mouth shut as Jake approached. The older twin looked over Tom's shoulder at the mess on the rock he was using as a table and he frowned.

"That's a food wrap? Damn Tommy, even I can do better than that."

Tom suddenly didn't feel so bad about what they were about to do to him. "I'm still learning. Cut me some slack."

"Looks are only part of making _nikt'chey_, Jakesully," Tanhi reminded. "Here. Try some." She held out the eating utensil to him and Tom had to give her credit for keeping such a straight face.

Jake looked instantly suspicious, with good reason. "I'm not going to find a turd when I bite down on this, am I?"

Tanhi evidently understood what a "turd" was, well enough. "I am not childish enough to trick someone into eating droppings, _Toruk Makto_. I leave vulgar games like that up to boys. Are you afraid?"

Tom smirked at his brother. If there was one way to get Jake to try something weird, accusing him of cowardice was it. Predictably, Jake cocked his head, grinned smugly and took the eating utensil from the Ikran chieftess.

"Thought you knew me better, Tanhi." Jake spared one glance at the bite of food before lifting it to his mouth and stuffing the whole thing in.

At first, he grinned challengingly at Tanhi as he chewed; then his expression began to change and the grin turned into a grimace. "Tom."

Tom kept his expression innocent. "Yes?"

"I've eaten mud that tastes better than this." Jake's words came out distorted around the food.

"I'm sure you have," agreed Tom stoically, though he was inwardly wondering when and if the pepper would get a reaction.

Jake could have spit the mixture out and nobody would fault him for it, but he kept chewing until it was pulverized sufficiently and he swallowed. He smacked his lips and gave his brother another grimace. "Thanks for a horrible after-breakfast snack, bro. I'm going to go for a swim. Tanhi, make sure he doesn't burn your cooking hut down."

Tom and Tanhi both blinked in disappointed surprise as Jake sauntered off. Tom leaned closer to his mate and spoke in a low voice. "There was a _som ki'ong _in that bite, wasn't there?"

Tanhi nodded. "I made sure to hide it beneath the other pieces. Your twin must have a very strong resilience to spice."

Tom didn't recall Jake having a palate _that_ strong. He picked one of the peppers out of the mixture and gingerly bit off the tip. It was subtle at first, pleasing to the taste buds until the heat kicked in and caused him to reach for the water pitcher hanging from the thatch. He took a hefty drink to cool his mouth, though it didn't help for long.

"He's bluffing," Tom coughed, wiping his mouth. "If he ate one of these whole, he must be feeling it."

"Here," offered Tanhi with a reserved smile of amusement, lifting an eating paddle coated with leftover squash butter, "this will ease the sting."

Tom gratefully took her offering and licked the butter from the spoon, coating his tongue liberally with it. The smooth texture and somewhat nutty flavor was appealing to him and he licked the utensil clean before handing it back to her. "Thank you, that's much better."

"Now that you have cleansed the sting away, try my fish." Tanhi separated a small chunk from her stuffed fillet and picked it up with her fingers, offering it to him with a faintly anticipating smile.

Tom parted his lips and accepted the morsel, though his thoughts were no longer on food. His surprise must have shown on his face as the fish crumbled delightfully in his mouth, followed by a burst of flavor from the stuffing and seasoning. His ears perked up and his tail swished.

"Good?" Tanhi prompted. She almost sounded shy.

Tom nodded enthusiastically and swallowed. "Probably the best fish I've ever tasted! Now I feel even worse for my contribution."

Tanhi chuckled softly, hiding it behind her hand. "We will share the fish. Fruit is just as good outside a wrap, my Tom."

"What about this?" Tom grimaced at his failed wrap, knowing the Na'vi people didn't like to waste food.

"We will place it outside the village, after we eat," Tanhi assured him. "The creatures of the forest will finish it and Eywa will reclaim the rest, to nourish the plants."

Tom nodded in agreement. At least his mess could serve as fertilizer.

* * *

E'quath was walking along the shoreline with Peyla, enjoying her company even though he was terrible at coming up with interesting conversation topics. She made up for it, chatting about the sky, the shape of the clouds and the waves washing up on the shore. She found a seashell and she picked it up, brushing the sand off with delight and holding it up for his inspection.

"This will make a fine piece for a necklace, don't you think?"

E'quath shrugged, having no eye for jewelry making. It was a pretty find, aqua blue on the inside and green on the outside. "I think it would suit you." He almost winced as soon as the words left his mouth.

Despite the awkwardness of the compliment, Peyla smiled and turned the shell over in her hands. "I was thinking the same thing about you." She stopped and when he followed suite, she dug her toes into the sand and bit her lip. "I will make a necklace for you to take with you, E'quath. From...one hunter to another."

He was staring at her. He knew he should quit but she was so delicately pretty, like a perky little flower. Looking at her, he never would have guessed she was such a strong hunter if he hadn't seen her in action. He made himself stop staring at her lips and he nodded, hoping his smile wasn't lopsided or toothy.

"I would like that."

For a moment, they gazed at one another and E'quath entertained thoughts of caressing her face. The precious moment was broken by the sound of Jake Sully's voice swearing up a storm, drawing closer with each second. E'quath and Peyla tore their attention away from each other to watch as Jake jogged over to them. He had a strained look on his face and his eyes were watering.

"E'quath, do you have your waterskin with you?" Jake panted as he came to a stop before them and he fidgeted in place like he had a full bladder.

E'quath exchanged a puzzled look with Peyla before shaking his head. "No, _Olo'eyktan_. My supplies are in my tent."

"Dammit!" Jake's eyes flashed over Peyla for a moment and upon seeing that she had no waterskin on her person either, he looked desperately at the sea.

"What is the matter?" Peyla asked the question that was on both of their minds.

"I ate a hot pepper," Jake answered, sucking in sharp breaths. "Shit, I can't stand it!"

"There is milk back at the—" Peyla began to suggest, but Jake was in no condition to listen to the rest of it.

"No time, I'm taking a dive!"

"Wait, _Olo'eyktan_!" E'quath called to his leader as Jake raced for the water, "Sea water will only make it worse!"

Jake either didn't hear him or didn't care. He took a running dive into the shallows and he came up sputtering a few moments later. At first, he laughed in relief and then he shouted a slew of human curses so loudly that they echoed off the sea cliff walls. E'quath couldn't be certain of what the words meant but he was positive that they were the some of the rudest ones in Sky People vocabulary.

"We should go," proposed Peyla with wide eyes, watching the great toruk rider flounder in the waves. "He could turn his anger to us, brother."

Knowing his chieftain as an easygoing man, E'quath almost disagreed with her. Jakesully would never blame them for his own mistake, would he?

Then Jake shouted something that changed the tracker's mind: "Tommy, I swear I'm gonna kick your ass!"

His English was spotty, but E'quath understood the basic meaning behind the words and the tone in the shout. "Do we hunt?"

Peyla nodded, grabbing E'quath's arm and tugging it while keeping her eyes on the splashing Omaticaya leader. "We hunt."

* * *

When Jake's anger and mouth cooled enough for him to consider things, he realized that his brother wasn't necessarily the culprit. He thought about the flash of mischief he had detected behind the challenge in Tanhi's gaze and he revised his opinion of who was to blame. He considered paying her back but remembering that she had suffered the brunt of his poop prank by accident, he chose a different approach. His mouth still felt like he had rinsed it with acid by the time he recovered enough to approach his tormenters. The Omaticaya guests were helping their Ikran allies cook lunch, when Jake approached his brother and Tanhi.

The couple was constructing leaf plates for a communal lunch together, near the firepit. Jake approached them and squatted down beside Tanhi, noting the covert glance she shot his way and the brief smirk on Tom's lips.

"We're even, sister. You got me back good."

Tanhi paused in her weaving and looked at him sidelong. "Oh?"

Jake resisted the urge to laugh. Tanhi could have made a good actress on Earth. "I wasn't about to give you both the satisfaction of seeing me fall apart. Let's just say I know you're the fox in the henhouse."

Tanhi regarded him with an openly bemused look. "You speak puzzles."

Tom chuckled low in his throat and adjusted her queue so that it was resting over his crossed legs, instead of in the sand. "He means he knows it was your idea."

Tanhi absorbed the information and shrugged. "How do you know this, Jakesully?"

"Because you were the one pushing me to try that crap my brother made."

Tom scowled at Jake. "Hey, tell me _you_ did much better in the beginning."

Jake reached out and roughed up Tom's hair playfully. "I did better than _that_."

Tanhi's lips curved up briefly as she addressed Jake. "You deserved it."

"I thought you said you were too good for those games," Jake reminded her.

She smirked openly. "I said that I would not trick someone into eating droppings. I said nothing about _som ki'ong_."

Jake inhaled and let it out in a soft huff, tilting his head. "You're good. Watch out for her, Tom." He offered his hand to Tanhi and gave her one of his charismatic grins. "Truce?"

Tanhi considered the gesture and then nodded. She participated in the handshaking that she and her people found so strange. "Truce."

Jake let go of her hand and speared Tom with his gaze. "I'm not done with _you_ yet."

"I'll give as good as I get," promised Tom with a grin of his own.

Tanhi rolled her eyes and returned her attention to weaving.

* * *

While Jake and Tom were trading pranks, Max was proving that his scientific expertise did not encompass aircraft mechanics. He kept his word to help Trudy give her Samson a tune-up, but he feared he would make a complete ass of himself before the end of the day.

"Max, hand me the socket wrench, will ya?"

He stared down at the selection of tools and tried to determine which one fit the description of what she was asking for. It was a simple item—that much he knew. He also knew that he himself had used it many times before, but under circumstances that didn't include a view of Lt. Chacón's pert little khaki-clad butt sticking up from the open door of an aircraft.

"Right...socket wrench." His eyes flicked over the selection of tools laid out on the metal table and he almost smacked himself in the head for clarity.

He had done so well, disguising his interest in Trudy. Now that he knew she was receptive to his attraction, his thoughts were full of her. He glanced at her when he heard her soft grunt and he hastily looked away again. He had to mentally punish himself in order to take his mind's focus off the sight of her bottom. It wasn't as if she were naked, after all. She was fully and appropriately dressed for the job, from sleeveless shirt to combat-boot-dressed foot. However, Max was having traditional male thoughts concerning Trudy's bottom and his hand that were sure to land him in trouble, if he acted on them.

"Yo Max, you still with me?" Trudy's distorted voice reached his ears, snapping him out of daydreams that were better left unsaid. She squeezed out of her position and peered over her shoulder at him. "I need that wrench."

Wrench? The word had lost all meaning to Max. He was sure he stared like a slack-jawed yokel as a tendril of dark hair fell over Trudy's questioning face.

Trudy turned around completely and clapped her hands once. "MAX! Are you having a stroke or what?"

Max came to his senses and he wondered if his facial stubble would catch fire from the force of his embarrassment. "Sorry. Socket wrench, right?" He again looked at the tools and he sighed with relief when his distracted brain pointed out the right one. He picked it up and handed it to her, hoping his thoughts weren't broadcasted on his face.

"Thanks." Trudy took the tool and she gave him a suspicious, brown-eyed stare before returning her attention to the cabin door. "You sure you're up for this? I know it's boring for ya, when you could be dissecting stuff or some shit."

Max hid a laugh behind his hand. Trudy always spoke exactly what was on her mind, regardless of diplomacy. "I promise you, I would say something if I didn't enjoy helping you."

Trudy grinned. "You're a champ, Max." She returned her attention to the door.

Max listened to her grunts and soft swearing as she made adjustments. "Is there anything else I can do?"

"Nah, I've got this."

Max shrugged helplessly and wished he had taken the time to learn more about aircraft mechanics. He supposed being the tool handler was better than nothing. His thoughts fixated on the words "tool handler" and he snorted with amusement before he could stop himself.

"Sounds like you're keeping yourself entertained." Trudy's voice floated out from the confines of the chopper. "I'm almost finished here. We can try making a pizza and watch some movies after this."

Max nodded, ridiculously pleased at the thought. Given Trudy's inventiveness he imagined she could put together a fine pizza, even without the traditional ingredients. After several moments, Trudy finally completed her work and she slid the door open and shut experimentally.

"That ought to do it." She nodded in satisfaction and stepped out before shutting the door completely. "I still want to do a little tuning with the engine later, but it can wait."

"Are you sure? I promise, I'm not bored." Indeed, watching Trudy bending over and making use of her mechanical skills was anything but boring, to Max.

"I'm sure. I've just got to get cleaned up and then we can see about making that pizza." Trudy wiped her hands with a cloth and smirked. "I can't promise I'll succeed. You'd better be ready to taste something nasty."

Max chuckled and shook his head. "I think if anyone here can pull off a decent tasting pizza, it's you."

Trudy chewed her lower lip before responding. "You've got a lot of faith in me, Maxi. Hope I don't let you down."

"I doubt you will." Max boldly put an arm around her waist and drew her close for a half-embrace. She allowed it and she gave him a kiss on the jaw that sent his heart into rapid tempo.

"I'll meet you in the kitchen after I get cleaned up," Trudy said.

Max nodded. Even if she didn't succeed in making the pizza, he knew he was going to enjoy the night. He always had fun whenever he and Trudy did things together.

* * *

A couple of hours later, Trudy was lifting her second slice of pizza to her mouth. She stared at it with a bemused expression on her face and she scooted further back on the bunk. "I've got to say, I didn't think it would turn out this good."

Max smiled and he waited until he swallowed his bite before answering. "I had faith in you. You're inventive and I knew the absence of real cheese wouldn't stop you from pulling it off."

She chuckled, her eyes going to the movie that was playing on the monitor. "I wonder if they'll ever send farm animals to us? It's not like we don't have the space to raise them."

"But you're talking about a rather greedy company," Max answered. "It's not in their budget to go through the trouble and cows are very expensive. Besides, we aren't exactly on speaking terms with the RDA anymore."

"Yeah." Trudy sighed. "Think it's always going to be like this?"

"I wish I knew. It would be better for everyone if the RDA could just get over the desire to conquer Pandora and work with us, instead of against us. Dr. Sully has already developed two vaccines to treat major diseases back on Earth, but it's of no use to anyone if the RDA won't negotiate long enough to take the shipment."

Trudy nodded and bit into her pizza slice. It sucked to treat their own people like the enemy but until they settled down and listened to reason, that was how it had to be. They were lucky the last time. Jake wanted to trust foreman Jackson but his prediction that things would go sour were right on the mark. Even anticipating a takeover attempt, the base didn't react fast enough to stop them when the RDA military forces moved in. It was only because the Na'vi mobilized so quickly that they were able to beat the invaders.

"If they ever take this base, we're screwed," Trudy predicted. "All they have to do is get a good foothold and everything starts all over again."

Max put an arm around her. "We'll just have to make sure that doesn't happen. They can't use their satellite scrambling trick anymore, so unless they come up with some sort of cloaking device, we'll see them coming."

Trudy smirked. "As determined as those guys are, it wouldn't surprise me to see some Star Trek technology pop up in the future."

"We're a long way from making any of that a reality," Max assured her with a chuckle. "The physics behind it aren't impossible, but very improbable; at least in our lifetime."

"Damn good thing," Trudy muttered. 

* * *

Over the next several days, the Ikran clan and their Omaticaya helpers produced enough shelter for the entire tribe. There was still work to do before the village was back to its former condition but at least it was fully inhabitable again. They held a burial ceremony for those who died in the raid—which thankfully was only a handful. The Na'vi reverently consigned the remains of the victims to the earth, returning them to Eywa with prayers for the souls that once inhabited them.

When their help was no longer required, most of the Omaticaya hunters began the journey back to their Hometree. Jake and E'quath stayed for another week; not only so that Jake could spend more time with his brother before leaving, but also for the sake of E'quath. He and Peyla had been sending signals back and forth since the day she tackled him on the field, so Jake wanted to give them the opportunity he thought they were both seeking.

In the meantime, he got his first lesson in fishing from the ocean. Some of the villagers were kind enough to explain that the wooden structures sticking out of the shallows on the shoreline were posts to sit on. Jake waded over to one as instructed and had only minimal difficulty climbing onto it and perching, but Tom toppled right over and fell into the frothy water. The villagers accompanying them were polite enough not to laugh too uproariously, seeing as Tom was mated to their leader. With a little help and encouragement, Tom got situated and before long, he and Jake were casting fishing lines into the sea.

Tanhi watched it all quietly, smiling faintly as the two of them traded mock insults and competed against each other. She could have joined them but she refrained, giving them as much time together as she could before Jake returned home to his clan and family. Being a leader was hard and she reminded herself often that Jake was still learning. She could see by the distant expression in his eyes when he looked out at the horizon that he was thinking of his beautiful _Tsahik_ and small son, but he wanted to be with his brother, too. It was because of this that Tanhi found herself further endeared to Jake and more forgiving of his social mistakes.

While Jake and Tom enjoyed their last few days together, Peyla decided that she had better stake her claim before E'quath left. He wasn't cooperating with her subtle hints, so she chose to be a little more aggressive. When she completed his necklace, she asked him to walk along the beach with her. He readily complied and as usual, he let her lead the conversations.

Peyla glanced sidelong at her male companion, secretly admiring his strong profile. He was a tall man, with features and a muscle build that was appealing to the eye. Peyla wondered how he could have made it past his teen years without women vying for his attention. True, he was a quiet person, usually stern and disciplined. It only took a little effort to get to know him before one saw beneath the stoic exterior, though. Peyla thought the Omaticaya women were either blind or foolish, but she admitted that if it weren't for that blindness, she probably wouldn't have the opportunity she was ready to take advantage of.

"I made something for you."

E'quath looked at her curiously and Peyla reached into the pouch at her hip to retrieve the seashell necklace she had put together. "I told you I would make one."

He studied the piece of jewelry she held up for his inspection. She had chosen shells that shared the same color pattern and there were colored beads strung with them. The necklace wasn't gaudy or feminine, but perfect for a male Na'vi to wear. He took the offering and immediately tied it around his neck.

"This is a fine gift," E'quath complimented, giving her a smile. "I did not expect it."

She returned his smile. "You thought I was teasing you. Now you know that I was not."

He hesitated, staring at her as if he wanted to say something. Having gotten to know him well enough to understand he didn't have a way with words, Peyla took the initiative. "Remember me, when a woman of your clan tries to catch your eye."

She put her hands on his shoulders and rose to her tiptoes to kiss him on the lips. She could feel his surprise in his tense stance and just as she was wondering if she had misread him completely, he returned the kiss. His arms went around her to draw her closer and the next thing she knew, he lifted her against him and held her tight. Peyla's pulse hammered in her veins as their lips moved against each other and his tongue gently sought entry to her mouth. So, this was what it felt like to find the person one wanted to be mated with. She had always been of the opinion that other women exaggerated the breathless feeling and the primal desire.

The kiss seemed to go on and on, until both of them were breathing heavily and weak in the knees. Peyla nearly told E'quath to carry her off to one of the small caves dotting the sea cliff, but common sense reminded her that it was better to wait until she knew he was hers. After a few more heart-pounding moments, E'quath lowered her back to her feet and broke the kiss. He looked as dazed as she felt as he stared into her eyes and brushed his fingertips over her features.

"I will think of you when I look at your necklace," he promised her. "I must make a gift for you in return."

She smiled with pleasure. "Then you will come and visit us again?"

"Whenever I can." He smiled his quiet smile, his eyes roving over her face.

"It is a long distance to travel," she said hesitantly, testing him. "Are you sure it would not be easier to have a courtship with a woman of your own clan?"

"We have many fine women in my clan," he answered, and her heart plummeted for a moment, until he finished his sentence. "But, I do not want any of them."

Peyla put her arms around his neck and embraced him again, laying her head against his chest. She felt like she could fly, she was so happy. He held her gently and nuzzled her hair. It wasn't the most convenient arrangement and she couldn't say what the future held for them, but the thought of being in his arms like this each night was wonderful. If things continued to go this way, joining the Omaticaya wouldn't be as difficult as she thought. Perhaps E'quath would eventually join her tribe and she wouldn't have to make the decision. For now, she was content to enjoy his company whenever possible and get to know him better.

* * *

"Well, this is it." Jake frowned unhappily as he approached Shadow with Tom, E'quath, Tanhi and Peyla. "I guess we won't be pulling more pranks on each other again for a few months."

"I guess not," Tom agreed, subdued. "You'll contact me through the transmitter when you make it back to Hometree, won't you?

Jake nodded and he patted his Toruk fondly. "Yeah, I won't leave you worrying. The odds of anything attacking us when I'm riding Shadow aren't high, though."

"I still wish you'd told a couple of the other Omaticaya to wait so you'd have more than two people flying back in your travel party." Tom sighed. "But I guess you'll be all right."

"E'quath here can smell trouble coming a mile away," Jake assured with a grin at the taller hunter. "He'll give a shout if anything decides we look tasty."

Tanhi looked out at the horizon, where the rising sun was partially obscured by cloud cover. "You may encounter a storm on your way home, _Toruk Makto_. I hope that you will have the sense to stop and seek shelter if that happens, even if it means waiting until tomorrow to finish your journey."

"What are you two, my parents?" Jake snorted. "I know when I'm in over my head. We're going to be fine."

He noticed that E'quath was holding hands with Peyla and Jake wondered why the man wasn't giving her a goodbye kiss. It was obvious by the way they looked at each other that they were moving past the "associate" stage and into the "lover" stage. The new piece of jewelry around his neck was testament to that.

"Well, Hometree isn't going to come to us," Jake said after a few moments of silence. He hugged his brother and patted his back. "Don't have too much fun without me, Tommy. You ready, E'quath?"

The tracker released his love interest's hands with visible reluctance and he nodded. "I am ready, _Olo'eyktan_." He turned away from Peyla and mounted his ikran, while Jake did the same with Shadow.

"_Eywa ngahu_, _Toruk Makto_," Tanhi offered as Shadow flexed his wings for takeoff.

"_Eywa ngahu_, _Olo'eyktan_," Jake answered respectfully, nodding at her. "Keep this guy out of trouble, will you?" He gestured at his brother, who smirked ruefully.

"I will try," she promised with a sidelong glance at her mate. "It is not an easy thing to do, though."

Jake laughed as Tom gave her an offended look. "She's got your number, bro."

Tom sighed. "Whatever. Have a safe trip, you two."

He and Tanhi turned around and began to walk back to the village. After a moment's hesitation, Peyla followed. Jake looked at E'quath and took note of the smitten way he stared after the retreating female. He rolled his eyes and leaned over to speak to the taller man in a low voice.

"Go on and kiss her. You know you want to."

E'quath looked back at him and he hesitated, shifting restlessly on top of his ikran. Jake grinned, guessing that he didn't want to conduct such a display of affection in front of others. "This is going to be the last time you'll have the chance to lay a wet one on her for a while, E'quath. Go for it."

The reminder gave him the incentive he needed. E'quath hopped down and loped across the distance to Peyla. She was visibly surprised as he caught her in his arms and turned her around. Tom and Tanhi paused and looked over their shoulders as E'quath threw manners into the wind and kissed Peyla with passionate enthusiasm. Jake tossed a grin and a wink at his brother when Tom's eyebrows shot up. Beside him, Tanhi only smiled at the couple.

When he was satisfied, E'quath released Peyla and returned to his banshee. His face was flushed—either from embarrassment or passion. Jake refrained from cracking a joke, knowing it had taken guts for such a reserved person to plant a movie-style smooch on his girl in public.

"I am ready," E'quath informed his chieftain after clearing his throat.

"All right then. Let's get going." Jake waved at the others before instructing Shadow to take off. E'quath followed and together they flew off to the west.

* * *

Later that evening, Jake was back home safe and sound. He contacted Tom on the transmitter to let him know they had made it safely back and then he joined Neytiri for dinner. As tired as he was from traveling, he was looking forward to being intimate with his lovely mate. He watched her as they ate, admiring her beautiful features and the sound of her voice. Norm and Ni'nat welcomed him back and then they became absorbed in one another again. Jake had to admit, they were probably the most devoted pair of mates he had ever seen.

After dinner, Jake retired to the hammock he shared with Neytiri and she went with him.

"I have missed you, my Jake. So has Tommy."

The baby lay between the couple in the hammock, surrounded on both sides by those who loved him. Jake smiled and gave his finger to his son, allowing him to squeeze it. "I missed you both too," he said, closing the distance between his and Neytiri's faces. He kissed her with loving enthusiasm. "Did anything interesting happen while I was away?"

"We had one birth," she answered. "Mother and child both came through safely. We will have many little ones born this year."

"That's great." Jake stroked her arm and then settled his hand on her hip. A yawn broke free and he quickly covered his mouth. Neytiri reacted to the yawn and mimicked him unwillingly, making him chuckle. "Looks like I'm not the only one beat."

She nodded. "It has been a long day. Being _Tsahik_ is busy work."

He kissed her again, understanding. "We'll have to make some time for ourselves this week, just the two of us. I think we've earned it."

"We have," she agreed with a smile, reaching out to lay her palm against his chest. "I look forward to it. I am sure Mother would watch our son for us."

"Thank Eywa for Mo'at," Jake sighed with a smile. "I wonder if she ever gets tired of us asking her to watch Tommy."

"Not likely," Neytiri chuckled. "She is too proud to be a grandmother to complain. I hope we can provide her with more grandchildren, soon."

Jake smirked. He _knew_ she'd been getting that look in her eyes lately. "You know I'm up for it." His body agreed with him and the evidence of that was making his loincloth start to tent. Another yawn assaulted him and he swore softly and covered his mouth. He was on the verge of placing their son in his sling so that they could get started on the business of baby-making, but his eyelids were growing heavier with each moment.

"We have plenty of time, my Jake," Neytiri said with an amused quirk of her lips. "You are tired. There are other things we can do that will not disturb Tommy or require effort." She reached for her queue and held it up meaningfully.

Jake smiled. _Tsahaylu _was almost as good as sex and he had to admit, he was exhausted. The intimacy of a queue bond was good enough for him. He picked up his own braid and held the tip out. Neytiri connected hers to his and they both shut their eyes and sighed with pleasure as the shared sensations coursed through them. Jake relaxed and reached across to lay his hand on her hip. She in turn put her hand on his waist and they shared a lover's smile. Tommy cooed as if in approval and Jake chuckled softly and kissed him on his chubby little cheek.

"Yes, _Sa'nok _and _Sempul_ love each other very much," Jake whispered. "And we love our _'evi_ too. You'd like a little sister or brother, wouldn't you?"

Tommy opened his mouth and spoke his first word ever. "_Sempu._"

Jake's eyes went wide and he forgot all about the sensations caused by his link with his mate. "Did...did he just say what I think he said?"

Neytiri grinned broadly. "He has said it before while you were away. I would have told you, but I hoped he would say it for you instead. I told you he missed his _Sempul_."

Jake was ridiculously flattered and happy. "I thought for sure his first word would be '_Sa'nok_'.

"He loves his father." Neytiri stroked the child's cheek. "He will speak my name when he is ready."

Jake began to imagine Tommy's first steps, first baseball game and first kill. His throat tightened a little and he swallowed. "Kids really do grow up too fast."

Neytiri smiled tenderly at him. "They cannot stay small and helpless forever."

"I know." He sighed. "It's too bad, though. You know, one day we're going to watch him tame his own ikran and take a mate."

"You are getting ahead of yourself," Neytiri chuckled. "We will have years before that happens."

Jake shrugged. "Yeah, he says his first word and suddenly I'm picturing him with a family of his own. I guess I'm just being a moron again."

Neytiri leaned in for a kiss, her lips grinning against his. "You are being a loving parent. I could not ask for a better partner to raise children with."

"You're going to make me blush, beautiful." He wasn't entirely joking; he could feel the warmth in his cheeks. Jake had never pictured himself as a model father and he could sense the sincerity behind her words.

Neytiri stroked his side and laid her head down. "I only speak truly, Jake. You will be a strong role model for our children."

"And you'll teach them to think before acting," he returned with a smirk. "Something I'm not so good at."

She laughed softly, her eyes shining with mirth. "We are a good team."

* * *

Days passed into weeks and weeks passed into months. E'quath visited the Ikran tribe each month—sometimes twice per month. He always spent a week with them and his relationship with Peyla continued to grow. Meanwhile, Max and Trudy were officially in a steady relationship and Ni'nat's stomach began to expand with her pregnancy. Norm doted on her endlessly, which the clan found both amusing and sweet. He carried home two more flowering bushes for her pleasure and carefully planted them around the base of the _Keltural._ Jake thought that if he rolled his eyes any more, they would fall out of his head.

While Norm was preparing for fatherhood, Tom struggled with a related conundrum. He noticed the covert looks of envy his mate flashed at the new mothers in the clan. He would have taken it as a good sign if it weren't for the fact that the intimacy between the two of them began to drop rather dramatically. Tanhi often found reasons to touch him and the admiration in her eyes when he undressed for sleep was hard to miss. However, she stopped bonding with him in _Tsahaylu_ and she began to find reasons to avoid mating at night.

Tom went over everything in his head, trying to pinpoint where he might have gone wrong. Asking her if she was annoyed with him resulted in amused denial, yet the normally sultry huntress was fast becoming a cold fish. While he was well trained in Na'vi language, customs and politics, he was not so familiar with female biology. The reason for his mate's distance finally came to him one night when they lay down together and he detected a fragrance he had never smelled before. She came into his arms easily enough but he could sense her tension. He nuzzled her hair and held her closer, shutting his eyes as he inhaled.

Tanhi was in heat.

Tom lay there considering things silently, wondering what, if anything, he should say. She was obviously holding back because she didn't feel emotionally ready for a child. He guessed she had been refusing _Tsahaylu_ as well as sex because she knew he would figure things out if they linked. What could he do to ease her fears? Her body's demands would only grow stronger with time and the more she denied them, the more severe they would become. As a sexually aggressive woman, he was sure it was a kind of torture for her to deny her own needs.

"You were watching some of the new babies today," Tom murmured into her hair, testing the waters. "You like children, don't you?"

"I do." Tanhi's tension increased, if anything.

"I would like to give you some of your own, one day." Tom pulled back to look at her searchingly.

"Some day," she agreed softly, lowering her gaze. Her eyes strayed to his chest and roamed over his body with desire she couldn't quite disguise.

Tom was wearing tribal gear, having gone hunting earlier. He was aware that she had a weakness for the sight of him in a loincloth and he was inwardly glad he was wearing it. He suspected that if he linked their queues together right now, he'd feel her lust burning through like a flame. His body reacted quickly and he took a deep breath, reminding himself not to be pushy.

"Tanhi, do you _want_ to have children with me?"

She looked at him and her lips parted. "Of course I do, my Tom."

He nodded slowly. "Are you sure? You've been very distant lately."

"I have been busy," she excused, her tension mounting. "It will be better once our village is improved."

"I can understand that," Tom murmured, caressing her face, "but there's more, isn't there? I saw you look at a newborn today, Tanhi. I saw the conflict in your eyes."

She parted her lips again as if to argue, but then she shook her head and sighed. "My son," she whispered huskily, looking down. "He always wanted a sibling to play with. I never had the chance to give him one."

Tom kissed her forehead, aching for her. His suspicions were true, then. She held back from producing a child with him because she felt it would be a betrayal. He turned the problem over in his mind and he realized that she was asking him for a loophole, in her covert way. She was mired in guilt and she needed someone to toss her a lifeline before she sank in it. His ears perked as an idea came to him.

"If you think about it, when we have a child together we would be giving him the brother or sister he always wanted." Tom rubbed her back, keeping his words gentle. "They would share a mother, at least."

Tanhi blinked slowly and chewed her lower lip. "I have not thought of it that way."

Feeling like he was getting somewhere, he took her queue and linked it with his. The initial contact took his breath away before he adjusted to it and he experienced her feelings through the link. She didn't recoil or complain and she arched her back, unconsciously pressing her breasts against his chest. Her resolve was definitely weakening and he could feel her need. He ran his fingertips down her spine, drawing a shiver of delight from her.

"Just tell me what you need me to do, Tanhi," he whispered. "I'll follow your lead."

She hesitated a moment longer before her fingers began to busily work at undoing his loincloth. "I need you to remove this."

Tom was more than happy to comply.

* * *

-To be continued

**Translations:**

**_Meyp_** = weak

**_som ki'ong _**= hot fruit/vegetable

**_Eywa ngahu _**= Goodbye; Eywa be with you.

**_Sa'nok_** = Mother

**_Sempul_** = Father

**_Sempu_** = Daddy

**_'Evi_** = Kid; affectionate term for child.


	36. Chapter 36

"Between worlds"

Chapter 36

_**Author's note: See footnotes at the end of the chapter for Na'vi/English translations. Adult content warning in this chapter. I wasn't going to do another graphic scene for a while but I think this couple deserves the spotlight at least once. **__**Paragraph breaks have become a problem on this site. Sorry for the double chapter upload, folks. I'm a little stressed.  


* * *

  
**_

*Disclaimer: I do not own Pandora and I make no profit from writing fanfiction based on the "Avatar" film.

* * *

Katherine was a bit surprised when she got the test results back. She and Sebastian were playing it safe, even though they both doubted that a child could result from their couplings. When Max gave her the data, there was faint amazement behind his guarded expression. She read the data over and over again, trying to process what she was seeing.

"Do you have any questions?"

She looked up from the test results and she almost laughed at the look on Max's face. He probably wasn't even aware of how expressive he was. "I don't think any of my questions could be answered, right now."

"Probably not," agreed Max. "Do you think the two of you might decide to give it a try, some day?"

Katherine considered the question and laid a hand over her lower abdomen, self-consciously. "I really don't know. How would we know what sort of atmosphere the baby would need once it came out? How big would it be? Would I need a cesarean to deliver it? How will I feed it? There are so many confusing possibilities, Max. I was sure that Sebastian and I could never conceive and now, it looks like we could produce the first true hybrid on Pandora."

"If it helps at all, I don't think a pregnancy would be particularly dangerous for you," Max soothed. "Sebastian isn't average sized so it's likely that any offspring he sires won't be too large for a human woman to incubate."

"Thanks," Katherine said dryly, "I'll keep that in mind. I'm sure having a child with a seven foot man is easier than having one with a nine-footer."

Max chuckled. "I'm just letting you know you have options. I think Sebastian has a habit of beating himself up because he thinks he could never give you what other men can."

"He needs to get over it," Katherine sighed. "Some women don't require children in their lives to be fulfilled. I knew kids weren't on the menu when we got together...at least, I thought I knew it. There's so much we don't know and I'm not ready to go full-speed ahead with family planning."

"Who could blame you?" Max smiled. "If I were a woman, I doubt I'd be in a hurry to test it. Still, it would be a fascinating thing if you and Sebastian produced a child."

Katherine eyed him suspiciously. "You aren't thinking of sabotaging my birth control, are you?"

"Of course not!" Max looked genuinely shocked. "I just think this sets a whole new perspective on what we thought we knew about human physiology versus Na'vi. I had my suspicions, of course. If we can manufacture artificial life forms by blending our DNA with theirs, it stands to reason that we aren't totally incompatible biologically."

"You just stick with the avatar building," she warned with a smirk. "My uterus is off limits for testing."

Max chuckled. "Of course. But you _will_ tell me if you ever have a change of heart, won't you?"

Katherine sighed. "You'll be the first to know, Max. Believe me, if I ever get pregnant I'm going to want you keeping an eye on me."

* * *

A part of her didn't want to share the test results with Sebastian. Knowing his envy for all the expecting couples on the base, Katherine feared he would try to talk her into becoming the first couple to naturally produce a Na'vi/Human hybrid. However, honesty was something she prided herself on and she couldn't in good conscience keep this information from him. When she met up with him in the garden for their usual afternoon picnic, she handed the test results over to him and watched for his reaction.

Sebastian frowned at the paper in his hands, utterly failing to hide his surprise. "Is this genuine?"

"I'm afraid so," Katherine sighed. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I'm glad we started using protection after our first time together."

Sebastian glanced at her and he smiled. "I'm not offended. Unexpected pregnancy would be traumatic enough, without the added stress of knowing the father isn't human."

Seeing the unhappy frown suddenly twisting his mouth, she felt terrible. She reached out and placed a hand over his left knee. "Sebastian, you know I don't care about what body you're in, don't you?"

"I know that." He sighed and lowered the piece of paper. "I just can't help but think none of this would have been necessary, if I weren't trapped in this body. We'll have to be exceptionally careful, from now on."

Katherine nodded but her guilt wasn't dissipated entirely. "Do you want children?"

He looked at her, his amber eyes wavering uncertainly for a moment. "I always thought I would. I imagined settling down some day and having plenty of fat little babies with a loving wife. Now, I just want _you_. I'd rather be childless with a woman I love than put her at risk, Katherine."

Her eyes began to burn and she sniffled. "That has to be the sweetest thing I've ever had anyone say to me."

His lips quirked and he reached out to her, coaxing her into his embrace. She scooted over compliantly and allowed him to draw her into his lap. "Here now, don't cry," Sebastian murmured, kissing the tear that etched its way down her cheek. "You big ninny."

She gave a shaken laugh and smiled at him. "It's your fault."

"I suppose it is." He kissed her lightly and held her closer. "But I meant what I said."

* * *

While Katherine considered what the future could bring for her and her boyfriend, Trudy was gearing up to finalize things with hers. Being the tomboy that she was, her seduction skills were rusty and she wasn't sure of what she could wear that might knock Max's socks off. He seemed to like her in just about anything; even engine oil and grunge. Additionally, she had nothing traditionally feminine in her wardrobe. Anyone nosing around through her clothes would probably think it was a man's wardrobe...until they found her bra and panty drawer.

"I'm no good at this shit," she complained as she looked down at the selection of clothing articles she had laid out on her bunk. "Maybe I ought to just answer the door naked."

That might work...except with her luck she'd answer the knock she was expecting to find Wilson or someone else standing there instead of Max. People were always stopping by her quarters to drop off reports or science team requests. The last thing Trudy wanted to do was give the wrong guy an eye-full.

She finally shrugged and decided to go and get some fashion advice from one of the more girly girls. She slipped a cut-off tee over her head and pulled on a fresh pair of panties. She almost put on a pair of khakis but decided against it, figuring she would soon be changing into something else or stripping anyhow. Since the floors were chilly, she put on a pair of moccasin boots and reached for her robe, intending to try Katherine's room first. Someone knocked on her door and she paused, quickly checking her clock. She hadn't realized the time.

Trudy looked down at herself and bit her lip. Well, a pair of bikini undies and a cut-off shirt was practically negligee for her. Maybe it was good enough. To be on the safe side, she called out to make sure her visitor wasn't the wrong person. "Who's there?"

"It's Max," answered the doctor. "Am I too early?"

She grinned and dropped the robe carelessly. "Nope. I'd say you're right on time."

She walked to the door and hoped she didn't look ridiculous without any pants. She considered kicking off the boots but she figured Max wasn't going to be paying too much attention to her feet. She opened the door and when Max stared at her, she wondered for a moment if she had made a mistake. His eyes were wide behind the glasses and his gaze moved up and down her body, settling on the moccasins hugging her naked calves.

"Umm..."

Trudy winced and stepped aside, gesturing for him to come in before anyone passed by and saw her. "You don't like it. I was going to try and wear something a little nicer for you but I don't have any fashion sense."

Max stepped in and stared unblinkingly at her as she shut the door.

"Come on, say something," Trudy demanded, feeling the heat rising in her face. "I'm feeling kind of stupid here, Maxi."

"I like it," Max said with a swallow.

Trudy didn't quite believe him and she started to take the boots off, figuring he was only being polite. He reached out and stopped her quickly, shaking his head. "No, don't take those off. They look...I mean, you're...wow."

She felt unreasonably relieved. "You're not just saying that, are you?"

He took his glasses off and wiped them before replacing them and he shook his head, his eyes glued on her. "I would be more coherent, if I were making it up. Is my tongue still in my mouth?"

Trudy blurted a laugh. "Yeah, it's still inside. So you're a boot man, huh?"

"I am _now_," he agreed, his eyes sweeping her legs and calves again. "Oh...I uh, brought something for you." He reached into the bulky pocket of his lab coat and produced a book. "I found this in one of the briefing rooms while we were cleaning it out. I don't know if you've read it before but I thought you might like to have it, if not."

Trudy took the offering curiously. It was a book on aircraft mechanics, with detailed photos inside. She had one that was similar but this one looked like it was more in-depth. She gave him a smile and set it aside on her small desk. "I haven't seen this one yet. Thanks, Max. That's real sweet of you."

"I'm glad you like it." Max answered modestly, his cheeks going ruddy. "Are we...watching a movie tonight?"

Trudy almost rolled her eyes. Were all geniuses this clueless? She reached out and put her hands on his shoulders, bringing her mouth close to his. "I figured tonight we could do something different. Isn't it obvious?" She took one of his hands and boldly slapped it over her left buttock. If that didn't give him the right signal, nothing would.

He trembled slightly and took a deep breath, looking into her eyes. She moved in for a kiss and his response was a bit delayed, at first. His lips turned from clay to flesh within seconds and he responded to it with fervency that took her by surprise. Both of his hands cupped her bottom and lifted her. While she had told Max that she didn't care whether he shaved or not, she was suddenly glad he had decided to do so today, because otherwise his facial hair might have caused a rash. Trudy found herself being carried to her bunk and while his actions were unexpectedly passionate, his kiss somehow retained a question mark behind it.

Aroused by his kisses and the feel of his responses against her, Trudy hugged him around the waist with her legs and slid her fingers through his dark hair. His glasses bumped against her cheekbone and Max mumbled a complaint before hastily yanking them off. They clattered to the floor and Trudy hoped to hell he hadn't broken them.

Unfortunately for Trudy, Max was so caught up in what they were doing that he failed to calculate properly. When he lowered her onto the bunk, her head banged against the wall painfully and she yelped against his lips. He pulled back and gave her a remorseful look, rubbing the smarting spot on her skull guiltily.

"I'm so sorry," Max apologized breathlessly. "Are you okay?"

"I'm hard-headed," she assured him with a grin, wincing as his fingers pressed against the abused area. "I've lived through worse. Now, where were we?" She grabbed him by the collar of his lab coat and pulled him down for another kiss. She had to give the guy credit—he was a pistol beneath that mild exterior. He demonstrated this fact again as he returned her kiss. His lab coat soon ended up on the floor and Trudy hastily unzipped his pants, murmuring encouragement as his hand slipped beneath her shirt.

She grinned when she fondled him and his breath caught. While she had him off guard, she shifted beneath him and rolled, reversing their positions with calculated ease. Max stared up at her as she straddled him and he cooperated with her as she tugged his shirt up to pull it off. Trudy tossed it to the floor and ran her hands over his chest. The dusting of dark hair would take some getting used to, but Max kept himself in good shape. He wasn't as toned as Tom or the other Na'vi but he kept the flab off. His hands stroked her outer thighs and he eagerly lifted up into a sitting position when she coaxed him to. Their lips met in a kiss that grew steadily more enthusiastic and soon, Trudy's shirt and panties joined Max's clothing on the floor. The boots stayed on by request, which made Trudy laugh with amusement.

The rest of Max's clothes landed on the floor and he took care with her, asking her what felt best as he fondled and kissed her. She decided that humble nerds could teach a thing or two to other guys. He didn't just go for parts he liked best and he paid attention to what _she_ liked the most, instead of making assumptions. She gratefully returned the favor and before long, they were absorbed in the exchange of pleasure and she moaned when he entered her. She rocked on top of him and he held her tightly, matching her motions with care.

When she felt adjusted enough to let him have the reins for a while, Trudy arched backwards and propped herself on her hands, urging him to change positions. He eased out of his position and followed her, settling on top of her with her encouragement. His mouth covered hers in a kiss as he began to move and he threaded his fingers with hers. She squeezed his hands and shifted beneath him, lifting her knees up and back for better positioning. The action excited him further and he put a little more force behind his motions.

They writhed against one another, groaning and gasping as their efforts brought them both closer to reward. They rolled on top of the bunk again, switching positions once more so that she was straddling him. Max blurted a shaken warning that he couldn't last for much longer and Trudy breathlessly begged him to hold on for just a little longer. She arched her back and her breath caught as her tension mounted. Max caressed her breasts and watched her with a strained expression. Trudy reached her peak a moment later and her hair fell forward as she lowered her panting mouth to his for a satisfied kiss. He stroked her hair and somehow, he managed to hold on for several moments longer before finding his own release.

As they recovered, Trudy sprawled out on top of him and laid her head against his chest. He rubbed her back and nuzzled her hair. She could feel his mouth grinning against her forehead and she smirked.

"Yeah, you've earned that smug grin, pal," Trudy conceded in a whisper.

"Really? I mean, you weren't that vocal when it happened. Are you sure I satisfied you?" He sounded somewhat uncertain and the grin faltered.

Trudy lifted her head and gave him an annoyed look. "Do you think every girl's going to be a screamer? That only happens in porn."

Max blushed. "Well no, but you're a vocal person under regular circumstances. I just want to be sure you really had a...you know."

Realizing what he was trying to say, she smirked. "Max, if I was going to fake it, I would have done it sooner instead of begging you to keep going. A chick's not going to try to make it last if she's not having fun, you know?"

He relaxed and his mouth curved into a smile. "I suppose if you weren't enjoying it, you would have told me to get the hell off of you."

She chuckled and kissed his throat. "Now you're getting it. You don't ever have to worry about me lying to you or faking it, okay?"

"Got it. Pardon my attack of stupidity."

She sighed and laid her head on his chest again, closing her eyes in contentment. "I don't think there's anything stupid about caring whether your girl gets off or not. Some guys would rather be lied to."

Hell, she thought it was a whole lot sexier for a man to worry about her pleasure and ask her to be honest than to expect her to come on demand for his ego. Her last serious relationship had bombed because the guy took it as a personal insult when she didn't orgasm from his efforts and he insinuated that something was wrong with her body, rather than paying attention to what she liked the most. She refrained from telling Max this, however. Unlike a certain blue microbiologist, Trudy didn't think it was appropriate to talk about other sex partners before, during or after sleeping with someone.

* * *

Not everyone was having a smooth time. Norm was standing on the outskirts of the village with his mate when Jake and Neytiri demonstrated that misunderstandings still happened between the most devoted of partners. Norm was just discovering the delight of feeling his unborn move for the first time when Neytiri stormed past, coming from the direction of the southern mushroom grove.

He almost called after her to ask if she wanted to feel Ni'nat's tummy but the tense set of her shoulders and her stiff, angry walk made him rethink it. He shared a curious look with his mate, who shrugged with polite ignorance. Jake came into view a moment later and he jogged after Neytiri, hardly sparing the couple a glance.

"Neytiri, wait," Jake called, "It was an accident!"

She whirled around and gave him an accusing look. "It does _not_ go there," she said in a low voice, just loudly enough for Norm to pick it up. She turned back around and continued toward the trunk of Hometree, putting distance between herself and her hapless mate quickly.

Norm and Ni'nat shared another confused look as Jake heaved a sigh and dropped his hands to his sides. Sensing his audience, he turned around to look at them and the color was high in his cheeks. "I guess you two heard some of that."

"It is not our business," Ni'nat said politely, though she gave him a faintly sympathetic look before caressing the hand that Norm still had resting over her rounding belly. "I am hungry, my Norm. I will go and get something to eat, now."

"I'll join you in a minute," he answered. He gave her a brief kiss and watched her leave. When she was out of sight, he turned to Jake. "Well, something's obviously wrong. Do you want to talk about it?"

"No," Jake muttered.

Norm shrugged. "Okay. At least you two aren't arguing in front of everyone. Let me know if you change your mind, Jake."

He started to go when Jake's voice called out to him. "Wait. I guess I should probably get an opinion here, before I decide what to do."

Norm turned around again and waited, more curious than he cared to admit. "So what happened?"

Jake glanced at the huge tree that served as his clan's home and he appeared to consider his words carefully. "Okay, here's the thing. Have you ever gotten busy and then... slipped a little?"

Norm frowned. "What do you mean: 'slipped a little'?"

Jake glanced around to be sure nobody was close enough to hear and he leaned a little closer to the taller male. "I mean have you ever gotten so worked up you miscalculated and...you know...missed your target?"

Norm stared at him. At first, he thought Jake was talking about finishing off prematurely; but then Neytiri's muttered accusation loomed forefront in his mind. "Jake...you didn't."

Jake winced. "Just for a second! It isn't like I kept going or anything. You've done it before too, right?"

Norm shook his head. "No, I've heard of other guys doing it but I'm really careful not to be one of them."

"Oh, come on. You were a total klutz with women, before Ni'nat. You could barely speak to her without babbling! You're telling me your aim has _never_ been off?"

"Sorry Jake." Norm spread his hands. "I guess I've been lucky."

Jake grumbled under his breath before speaking out loud again. "Some people do it on purpose all the time, so it can't be that bad."

Norm sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Those people are generally expecting it and welcoming it," he reminded, trying to keep a straight face. "Can you imagine how you'd feel if the situation was reversed? It can't be a nice surprise."

Jake groaned softly and scratched his head. "Great. Now I really am _Txim Makto._"

Norm choked on a laugh and shook his head. "I'll bet once Neytiri gets over her initial shock, she'll accept your apology. It's not the first time it's ever happened to anyone."

"Well, I'd better make damned sure it's the last time for _me_," sighed the chieftain. "I'm surprised I'm not deaf in my right ear, after the way she yowled at me."

* * *

Just before sunset, Jake approached Neytiri with a peace offering. Neytiri looked at the drooping plant in her mate's strong hands and she couldn't fully disguise her confusion. "What is this?"

"Flowers," Jake answered, holding the plant up for her inspection. "I'm not as good at gardening as Norm, though. I don't think I did a very good job unearthing it." He tried to fluff the orange petals so that it wouldn't look so pathetic.

The roots hung down from the poor flowering bush and Neytiri could see that they needed to get it into the ground quickly, before it withered. She couldn't be annoyed with Jake. His heart was in the right place, after all.

"Come, we will plant it together." She reached out and took his free hand, urging him around to the northern side of the _Keltural_, where the ground was most fertile.

He hunkered down with her quietly as she took out her hunting knife and began to dig a hole for the plant. She paused and looked at him, seeing the guilt in his features. "This was a sweet gesture, my Jake. Please do not torture the plants of the forest from now on, though."

He grinned boyishly and looked her in the eye. "I'm really sorry about what happened, earlier today. I guess I just got a little too worked up and didn't pay enough attention. I promise you, I didn't mean that to happen."

She smiled, endeared by the sincerity in his voice and the undertone of uncertainty. "I may have had some fault in that," she admitted, lowering her eyes. "You did warn me to stop playing with your tail and I refused."

He shrugged. "I'm pretty sure that what I did was worse than you teasing my tail. Forgive me?"

She chuckled and reached out for the plant. "I forgive you. " She eased the plant into the hole she had dug and Jake helped her smooth the soil over the roots. She glanced at him and a twinkle of mischief lit her eyes. "If you ever do that again, I will find a way to do it back to you."

Jake sucked on his teeth and flinched. "I don't doubt it for a second. Believe me, I'll be more careful from now on."

* * *

As the warmest months approached, the Omaticaya clan grew larger with the birth of several babies. The population at Hell's Gate likewise grew and so did the Ikran clan and other tribal communities that were recovering from the conflict with the RDA. Tom visited the Omaticaya with Peyla, when it was her turn to travel. Jake was surprised that Tanhi wasn't with them, but he found out why as soon as he and his brother had the opportunity to take a stroll and talk.

"Tanhi is expecting."

Jake stopped immediately and grinned broadly at his twin. "I'll be damned...that happened sooner than I thought it would, after what you told me the last time we talked." Now he understood why Tom seemed to smile more often than usual.

Tom nodded and stuck his hands in his pockets. "She should be due around February, going by the earth calendar. She would have come with me but she decided the length of the journey might put a little too much strain on her body, so she stayed home."

"At least she's being careful," Jake approved. "I wouldn't have pictured Tanhi as the cautious type."

Tom plucked a juicy wild berry from a nearby bush and brushed it off. "She's already lost a son. Until the baby is born, she's not going to be quite as active. Don't get me wrong though; she hasn't hung up her hunting bow. Sometimes I wish she'd be a little more like Ni'nat but so far I've kept my mouth shut."

"That can be tough to do when you're worried," Jake said sympathetically. "Just make sure anything you say about it comes out as a suggestion. Neytiri could usually be reasoned with when she was pregnant, as long as I didn't try to boss her around."

"Neytiri is a little less temperamental than Tanhi," Tom said dryly. He examined the large berry he had picked and then he popped it into his mouth.

"Hah...you don't know her like I do," Jake countered with a grin. "But I'll bet Tanhi's going to be more reasonable than you think, seeing as she's already watching out for herself. Maybe next month I can come and visit your village. Tommy junior is big enough to travel now."

"Right. Let's get back to the village," Tom suggested, perking up. "I haven't had the chance to say hello to my nephew yet."

"Don't be too surprised when you see him," Jake cautioned. "He's grown a lot since you've been gone."

* * *

Jake wasn't kidding. Tom stared at his namesake with surprise as Neytiri turned the child around in her lap and whispered to him, pointing up at his uncle. Tommy was in the early toddler stage now and he had a proper braid growing around his developing queue. He grinned toothily up at Tom as if he recognized him—no surprise, since his father had the exact same face. When the toddler opened his mouth and spoke, he demonstrated that he could tell them apart.

"Tawm!" It was an impressive try at a simple name, for such a small child.

"He missed his uncle," Neytiri informed with a smile. "He speaks more with each day. We cannot keep him quiet."

"Kind of like his father," Tom chuckled, glancing at Jake. The other twin shrugged, smiling proudly at his son.

"Go to your uncle Tom," Neytiri urged her son, helping him into a wobbly standing position. "You can do it, my little Tommy."

Tom quickly squatted down on the earthen floor and held his arms out encouragingly to his nephew, gesturing for him to come. He wasn't sure the child could make it on his own, but Tommy gamely stumbled over to him without falling. Tom caught him up and grinned, lifting him as he stood up and bouncing him in his arms.

"Good boy! Walking _and_ talking already? I'll bet you're ahead of all the other children your age."

"He is very determined," Mo'at said, approaching Tom on the left. "Most children are able to walk and talk by this time, but not as well as Tom-ee."

"He must be hard to keep up with," Tom guessed.

"He knows to stay close to his parents or his grandmother," Neytiri assured. "Human children don't do this?"

"Not very well," Tom admitted. "Humans usually can't turn their backs on a toddler for more than a minute, without some disaster happening." He always thought the Na'vi little ones he saw following their mothers around were just very well trained. "So it's instinctive?"

"Children must stay close to their family," Mo'at answered with a nod. "A predator can attack them if they wander. The bond is formed while they are infants and it stays until they are old enough to be more independent."

"It's actually encouraging to hear that," Tom sighed, smiling at his nephew as Tommy played with the beaded choker around his throat.

"I'll bet it is, now that you've got one of your own on the way." Jake ruffled his son's hair gently. "Let's just hope your kids don't inherit your luck, Tom."

"Tanhi is pregnant?" Neytiri asked in surprise.

Tom nodded. "I haven't had the chance to tell everyone yet. We're expecting the baby to come between the late winter and early spring months."

Neytiri got to her feet and closed the distance to place a friendly hand on Tom's arm. "I am happy for you both."

Tom thought he recognized a flash of relief in her amber gaze and he ventured a guess that Neytiri had sensed Tanhi's ambiguity concerning offspring. He smiled at her and thanked her, hoping he would adjust to fatherhood as well as Jake had.

* * *

A month later, Max got word from the RDA. His surprise over who was contacting him was only surpassed by the news he got. When he gathered his wits, he called for a meeting.

"I've gotten word from the RDA concerning the transport route between Earth and Pandora," he explained when the whispers died down. "It seems there was an fault in the fusion engines in the ISV expected to arrive here after Dr. Sully's. There was an explosion on board, which resulted in collapse of the core structure and destroyed the transport."

"Holy shit," Trudy blurted, wide-eyed. Others began to talk as well, speculating over the incident.

"Were there any survivors?" Private Harris asked the rather stupid question without thinking and he looked mortified with himself when Wilson snorted and rolled his eyes.

"It's possible that some of the crew and passengers made it to emergency sectors and sealed them off before the entire thing collapsed," Max said, giving Harris a comforting look, "but ground control wasn't able to determine how quickly it happened and communications with that shuttle stopped shortly afterwards. The next incoming ISV has instructions to locate the debris, investigate for survivors and return to Earth instead of continuing its trajectory here."

"Sooo, that means we've got two transports _not_ coming in at all?" Lee guessed.

"That's right, if this information is genuine. The other transports are going to continue as scheduled. This means that we won't see another ISV coming in for another three to five years, depending on the travel speed and deployment of those still expected."

"Unless it's all a big fat lie," Trudy muttered.

Max smiled at her. "That's my biggest concern, yes. They could be trying to mislead us for a second attempt. By now, they know that we have the satellites code-locked so it's possible that they're buying time so that they can find a way around that."

"Who did you speak to?" Dr. Jacobs asked. "They must have gotten Jackson's report, if they know about the satellite security. Maybe this time they're being genuine."

"If I had spoken to Jackson himself, I would be more inclined to believe that. Parker Selfridge was the man who contacted me with this information, however." Max held a grim expression on his face.

"Selfridge?" Allen and Joyce spoke the name in unison.

"How did he get all the way back to Earth so fast?" finished Allen.

"He isn't on Earth," answered Max. "He's still on route in the Venture Star. Apparently, his transport picked up the emergency transmission from the damaged one before it collapsed. The crew took him out of cryo and relayed the distress signal to Earth for good measure. He contacted his superiors and they gave the order for him to contact us."

"Why wouldn't they just do that themselves?" Ramona asked. "Or do they think they're too good to talk to us now?"

"Selfridge claimed that the Superluminal communications on Earth are down again. If that's true, they can still communicate with rotating ISV's but not the facilities here. I have no way to confirm whether this is true or not. I haven't heard anything from Earth for a while but the communications silence could easily be deliberate."

"Great," Trudy sighed. "Don't tell me we're going to have to put up with that jackass again."

"Given the tone of his voice, Selfridge wants as much to do with us as we do with him," Max answered. "I believe his words were: 'Look, I don't care what you and the blue monkeys do on that rock. I'm just sending the info they told me to send'."

"Good imitation," approved Joyce.

"But could he have been bluffing?" Sebastian looked down at his hands, now permanently blue and striped. "I seem to recall mention of more enhanced avatar operatives being sent behind the team that arrived with Dr. Sully."

"That's right," agreed Harris. "It wasn't just us. There was another team getting prepped when we shipped out."

Max nodded. "They're likely all dead, if the information about the transport accident is remotely true. Selfridge may have been involved in the plan to get Jake Sully into the Avatar program, however loosely. Now the ISV carrying the next wave of operatives is destroyed and Selfridge was the one to tell me about it. I don't know about the rest of you but I'm suspicious."

"So the next shipment's fine and dandy and still on its way here," reasoned Trudy, "full of more operatives and god knows what else."

"That's one possibility," agreed Max. "But what if they decided to scrub the whole operation and start from scratch, after learning the first attempt was a failure?"

"So they kill their own people, after spending billions of dollars putting them in avatar bodies and shipping them out?" Ramona shook her head. "I'm sorry Dr. Patel, but I just can't see it. The RDA doesn't like to waste money."

"They don't," Trudy agreed, her eyes on her boyfriend, "but hearing about that weasel Selfridge reminds me of something else he used to worry about; bad press. What do you think would happen if word got out that the RDA lost control here, isn't bringing in the paydirt anymore and have a secret stash of supersoldiers that can live in either atmosphere? Can we say 'government conspiracy' and 'public outrage', anyone?"

"But the actual government could step in," argued Lee.

"Baby, a lot of the shareholders making money off the RDA are involved in big government," Ramona explained softly. "That's why the company doesn't have to worry much about regulation. I still don't think they'd toss all that money away but I can't put it past them. If they decide the risk of bad press would be worse for them than the loss of dollars, well..."

"All right, I have a question," Sebastian sighed, "How do we know what to believe? If this report of the destroyed ISV is the truth, then on the one hand we can relax a bit and stop worrying about another event for a couple of years, but on the other, they may have murdered an entire crew of their own people to keep the newest Avatar operation a secret. I for one don't find the latter part comforting at all. Let's not forget, if this Selfridge _is_ lying through his teeth it means we can expect another 'shitstorm', as Lt. Chacón calls it."

"I vote we just don't relax at all until we have something more than Parker's word to go by," Joyce suggested.

"I'm with her," Allen said with a nod. Roy also agreed.

Katherine was imagining all sorts of scenarios and she shared one out loud. "Let's say hypothetically, Selfridge was telling the truth about the lost transport. If it wasn't an accident, can we say for certain that the RDA is responsible?"

"Well who else would it be?" Ramona demanded. "You think the avatar crew woke up in mid-flight, decided they couldn't live in those bodies and made a suicide pact?"

"Don't be snarky," Katherine chastised. "I'm just saying there's been a lot of covert activity involved in this from the beginning. If this is a result of sabotage, the company might not even know about it. We all agree the RDA is greedy, so wouldn't they at least try to make use of those operatives before killing them off? It doesn't make sense to do it before they can even attempt to complete their objective."

"The lady's got a good point," Trudy said. "The RDA I know would try to use those bad boys to get their operation back on track before just tossing them out."

"Someone with an entirely different motive could be involved, then." Max heaved a sigh and rubbed his temples. "Are we in agreement to contact Jake Sully and let him know what we've found out?"

"Sure, if we can figure out what we found out to begin with," Trudy shrugged.

* * *

"Selfridge?" Jake's voice was disbelieving over the transmitter. "Are you kidding me?"

"I'm afraid not," Max answered. "His bitterness sounded genuine, so I'm not sure what to think."

"Don't believe a word he says, that's what you think," Jake fumed. "This whole thing sounds off."

"It's been 'off' for a long time now, Jake. Our people are working on preparations, including tightening the security on the satellite relay. I just needed you to know, in the event that they find another way to conduct a sneak attack. We don't have a way to confirm any of it."

Jake sighed. "So I guess that means you've already tried to contact the ISV that's supposed to be destroyed?"

Max went still. No, he hadn't tried that. It didn't even occur to him. He recovered quickly, remembering what kind of crew the transport in question was carrying. "If this is another attempt at covert attack, the ISV isn't likely to answer our signal if we try to communicate with them. They probably know all about the fabricated story and they'll have orders not to respond to us."

"Don't you think you should try anyhow? If Selfridge is telling you the truth, there could be survivors and they might have gotten communications working by now. They could have information about what caused it and if it was sabotage, I think we're better off knowing."

Max couldn't refute that. "I'll get on that right away, Jake."

"Good. While you're at it, you might want to try and contact the ISV Tom came out on. I think we can trust Jackson to tell us if he knows anything about this and his transport is carrying all of the operatives that chose to go back. They could be in danger, if the RDA is trying to hide this operation from the public."

Max swore softly. "I must be losing my touch. We'll get that done right away too."

"I think you'd better. Oh, and Max?"

"Yes."

"Get some rest, will you? You're no good to us if you're operating on an empty tank."

Max smirked. "Easier said than done. I'll let you know if we find anything, Jake."

* * *

The attempts to contact the Nova Cruiser met with no success. Max even had Sebastian attempt to boost the signal but dead static was all they got on the frequency the ship was supposed to be using. He tried Jackson's transport next and he got a response. The communications crewman that answered the transmission argued with Max at first when he asked to speak with the foreman.

"Sir, we operate on a clock out here and the Foreman is sleeping right now. Is this an emergency?"

Max was a little surprised to hear that Jackson wasn't in cryo with the others. "It _could_ be an emergency," he told the crewman. "I need to get some answers and I have reason to believe that your transport and everyone on it could be in danger. Now please, go and get Foreman Jackson."

There was a grumble of annoyance before the man told him to give him a few minutes. Max watched the clock impatiently. Every time they had to use interstellar communications, it burned a lot of resources. Perhaps the RDA wasn't actually experiencing technical difficulties, after all. With the unobtanium supply cut off, maybe they were rationing what they had left and were bleeding money faster than he suspected.

When Jackson finally spoke over the transmission, his voice sounded groggy. "Jackson here. What can I do for you, Dr. Patel?"

"I'm sorry to disturb your rest," Max apologized, "but yesterday afternoon, we received a broadcast from Parker Selfridge. He informed me that the ISV scheduled to arrive after yours has been in an accident. Do you have any knowledge of this?"

"Yes, I do," answered Jackson. "That's why they just woke me up from bed instead of the cryo bank. They've been relaying it to every vehicle in rotation, telling us to check the engines. There's nothing like waking up from cryo and hearing your ship could collapse."

"I suppose not," Max said, frowning. "Did your people find anything?"

"As a matter of fact, they did. There was something wrong with one of the photon coils, but they fixed it right up. They said it would have taken some pretty heavy jarring to make it bust and cause a reaction, so it must have just been an oversight."

"Heavy jarring." Max considered that carefully. "You're sure they've fixed the problem?"

"I'm sure. Nobody here wants to get crushed like a bug in a can, Dr. Patel."

"I think you should look for explosives near the engine area," Max said bluntly. "Selfridge said that the engine core reaction was triggered by a smaller explosion."

There was a moment of silence before Jackson spoke again in a hushed tone. "Are you implying that someone is trying to blow up the ISV's?"

"I'm implying that you should make sure there is nothing near those engines that could cause instability," Max said carefully, aware that Jackson might not have total privacy. "If someone could misplace something like that on the Nova, it stands to reason the same could happen on your ship. Your crew has a few things in common with theirs and it sounds like someone in the company agrees with me, if they told you to inspect your engines."

"I...see. Thank you, Dr. Patel. I'll have them go over it from top to bottom and I'll send word back to you if anything is found."

"Mr. Jackson, there's one more thing I would like to ask you." Max began to reconsider his suspicions.

"Go ahead."

"Can you tell me if any of your sister transports found any abnormalities in their engines?" Max absently tapped his fingers on the desktop.

"None that were reported to us," answered the foreman. "It looks like we're the only ones."

"Except for the Nova Cruiser," Max pointed out in a low voice.

"Yeah, except them." There was a frown in Jackson's voice. "This wouldn't have anything to do with our cargo, would it?"

"I wouldn't rule it out," Max answered. "I would suggest daily inspections until you've safely arrived on Earth."

* * *

When Jake got word back from Max, he had a clan council and explained as best as he could. The Omaticaya weren't too broken up over the demise of the incoming ISV but he reminded them that there were politics happening in the background that they didn't know about.

"If the Sky People choose to, they could use this to their advantage to gain more support on their own world." Jake looked at each council member grimly. "They don't have to tell the whole truth to the public. They can dress it up however they want and convince future transports that we are hostiles and Hell's Gate is full of betrayers. They could blame the destruction of that transport on the people at Hell's Gate if they convince people it happened _after_ leaving Pandora."

"This is what you think they would do?" questioned E'quath with a frown.

"We prepare, as we have been doing," answered Jake. "We can enjoy the years we'll have in between. We'll raise our children and we won't live in fear. But, we _cannot_ take the time of peace for granted. We'll stay sharp and we will decide on a location to evacuate, if there's ever a need. The more prepared we are, the less damage they can do."

"What if they go after _Ayvitrayä Ramunong _again?" Asked a woman near the back.

Jake nodded, thinking she had a valid concern. The RDA could decide that going straight for the base was a waste of time and eventually, they could ship out an ISV filled with their most powerful weapons. Destroying the link to the ancestors in one swift blow could cripple the Na'vi resistance once and for all. Even if they thought it was mumbo-jumbo, some people in the RDA evidently recognized how important the ancient tree was to the People. Kill that and break their spirits forever.

"We can set up an encampment there," Jake decided. "Any Na'vi from any clan willing to make _Ayvitrayä Ramunong_ their home to guard it would be doing all of the People a great honor."

"You mean, separate the clan?" One of the hunting party leaders wore a frown on his face. "We are still recovering, _Olo'eyktan_."

"And we will never recover if the Sky People kill our link to Eywa and our ancestors," Neytiri reminded, siding with her mate. "I do not think my mate is suggesting a large number of guardians."

Jake nodded. "A handful of good hunters can keep the territory under surveillance and get word to the clans quickly, with the help of transmitters. Nobody will be forced into it; this is for volunteers." As the leaders of the clan, he and Neytiri couldn't volunteer themselves.

E'quath stepped forward and nodded. "I will go."

Jake hadn't expected anyone to make such a decision so quickly; let alone a man who always carefully thought everything over before acting. The resolve in E'quath's stern features reminded him that devotion could drive away hesitation quickly. He smiled at the warrior and nodded.

"I feel like the Tree of Souls is safer all ready, brother."

More people began to volunteer, inspired by E'quath's example.

Peyla was visiting for the week and she bit her lip, looking at her love interest uncertainly for a moment. She came up beside him and took his hand. "I will go too."

Jake wasn't entirely surprised by her choice. She and E'quath had been maintaining a steady, long-distance relationship and he had been wondering when one of them would migrate to the other clan to make things easier. Making the worship site their home for a while would give them the opportunity to do something good for their People and experience life as a full-time couple.

"Just make sure you tell your _Olo'eyktan_ what you've decided, before you settle in there," Jake suggested. "I don't want the Ikran leader to come here challenging me to a fight for sending one of her best huntresses away."

There were soft chuckles all around and Peyla smiled, nodding at him. "Of course, _Toruk Makto_."

"I will go too."

Everyone fell into utter silence as Mo'at walked around from behind Jake and Neytiri to take her place with the other volunteers. She stood proud and dignified, daring anyone to contradict her.

Jake stared at his mother-in-law. He wanted to sputter a protest but he could think of nothing to say. He looked to Neytiri, who approached her mother with respect and concern on her face.

"Mother, the clan needs you," she whispered.

~_I need you~_

Mo'at smiled at her and she stroked her hair. "The clan needs the _Tsahik_, and that is you now, my daughter. I will not be far away."

"Mo'at would make a fine leader for us," E'quath suggested, touching his forehead with respect to the former _Tsahik_. "She is wise and she hears the voice of Eywa."

Jake joined his mate's side and put an arm around her. "I can't think of anyone better to lead the volunteers to protect the Tree of Souls."

Neytiri looked at him and she nodded with agreement, after a moment. "Yes." She smiled at her mother, though it trembled faintly at the edges. "Who can protect our sacred grounds better?"

Mo'at returned her daughter's smile and Jake rubbed his mate's back supportively, torn between the desire to keep Neytiri's mother beside her forever and the need to do what was best for the clan.

* * *

Tom didn't take well to the news when Jake contacted him over the communication system and explained everything. "Jake, I want you to let me know as soon as you get word that the crew and passengers on Jackson's ship made it safely back to earth. I know it's going to be at least three years before they reach orbit but I still want to be informed."

"By that time, we might all have our own problems to deal with again," Jake sighed, "but Jackson's going to keep Max updated during the journey and he said he'd let him know about any RDA news he hears."

"I don't like this," Tom said flatly. "I don't think it's just a coincidence that they found faults with their engines too. I think someone's trying to get rid of the people that underwent the new transference procedure."

"If that's true then they've at least thrown a wrench in the works and that's a good thing for the people here."

Tom compressed his lips before answering. "Jake, I don't care if this was done by the RDA, the government or environmental terrorists. I _worked_ with the people on Jackson's ship and some of them are my friends. The others were just unfortunate enough to believe the half-truths told to them and they paid for it with their lives. There's nothing 'good' about it."

"All right, calm down," Jake soothed. "I'm just saying this might be a sign that the RDA is losing ground. They could lose government sponsorship and the money they've made from strip-mining Pandora is going to dry out sooner or later."

"The colonization proposals were mandated by government," Tom pointed out. "I don't think they'll give up on that, even if they shut down the unobtanium processing operations."

"I think job one for now is just making sure they don't come back with guns blazing," Jake sighed. "Tom, I'm sure your friends are going to be okay, now that they know there could be a threat. There's still a chance that it was just a design fluke set off by an accident. It happens all the time with mechanics...Trudy would back me up on that."

"I suppose she would." Tom peeked outside the hide covering of the lodge he shared with his mate and noticed that the clan was gathering for the weekly song and storytelling. "Is there anything else I should know?"

"No, that's all I have to tell you. Just make sure you let Tanhi know that her people are welcome to volunteer for guarding the Tree of Souls too, will you? The last thing I want her to think is that we're leaving the Ikran people out of this."

"All right. Thanks for letting me know, Jake. I can get in touch with Max when I need to, so you don't have to worry about keeping me updated on the ISV situation."

"Just don't heckle the poor guy," Jake suggested. "He's got enough to juggle."

"I promise, I'll practice restraint," Tom said dryly. "I'll see you next month."

Tom ended the transmission and he imagined one of the things Max was juggling was Trudy. There was a predictable little sting of regret with that thought, but a greater sense of relief. The lingering guilt faded further with the knowledge that he could talk about Trudy and think of her with Max without being insanely jealous or lovesick. He spotted his mate adding dead wood to the fire on the beach and he smiled, admiring the sway of the queue and smaller braids hanging down her back and the sight of her slender waist and delicately curved hips.

Due to the occasion, Tom changed into tribal wear and joined the rest of the clan. They hardly noticed how he stood out in his regular human attire anymore, but he always dressed traditionally for gatherings, hunting and fishing. Tanhi saw him coming and she gave him one of those subtle smiles that touched her eyes more than her lips.

"What news did your brother have?" she asked as he sat down beside her on the sand.

"It's too complicated to discuss now," he whispered, "I'll tell you when we retire for the night."

She looked instantly suspicious. "If it is complicated, then it is important."

"Yes, but not dire," he pacified. "Trust me, it isn't good dinner conversation but it can wait until after the gathering."

"Very well." Her eyes roamed over him. "It is good to see you out of those layers again."

Tom chuckled and nodded in thanks at the man who passed one of the food trays to him. "I know I've been spending a lot of time in the lab trailer during the day. Why don't I go hunting with you tomorrow?"

"Yes, we should do that more often, before I am too heavy."

Tom glanced at her in surprise as he piled some roasted _teylu_ onto his plate. He was careful with his wording, remembering Jake's advise against telling a pregnant female what to do. "You plan to stop hunting altogether?"

She nodded and took a handful of the _teylu_ herself. "When I begin to feel clumsy. I did not carry the added weight well with my last child and I have the sense to know when to put down the bow for my own good."

Tom impulsively reached out and caressed her face with the hand he hadn't been handling food with. Tanhi _was_ a petite woman and he hoped the birth wouldn't be too hard on her, with her small hips. "You know, I expected you to hunt up until the day the baby comes. I'm glad you're putting safety before pride."

She smirked. "If you understand and accept that I will be the one to decide when it is time to put hunting aside, we will have no arguments."

He sighed, but he couldn't resist a smile. Even when she surprised him with an unexpected quality, she always fell back on the feisty huntress. Tom wouldn't have it any other way, now.

* * *

The day came for the volunteers to make their journey to the Tree of Life and set up their encampment. Many hunters accompanied them for protection, including Jake and Neytiri. Ni'nat and Norm were happy to take care of little Tommy for them until they returned. Jake paused before calling to his ikran and he gave Mo'at a curious look.

"A lady like you deserves a limo."

Mo'at exchanged a confused look with Neytiri before responding. "Speak in words I can understand, son. I have not mastered your human slang."

Jake winked at Neytiri and called out in a deep bellow, not usually reserved for his ikran. Neytiri hastily grabbed her ikran's harness and murmured soothingly to him as there was a disturbance in the trees on the nearby hillside. Moat instinctively edged closer to her adopted son as Jake's magnificent toruk burst free of the vegetation and flapped his way over to Hometree.

"Easy boy," Jake said as Shadow landed on the huge branch. He mounted the animal and held a hand out in offering to Mo'at. "Allow me."

Mo'at hesitated for a moment before taking the offer, eyeing the toruk with respect and wariness. She climbed up behind Jake and a grin burst free on her lips. Neytiri shared a smile with Jake before securing her wind visor and calling out to her clan members.

"Are you ready, Mother?" Jake looked over his shoulder at Mo'at.

She was smiling like a child. "I am ready, Son."

Jake made a squawking sound and Shadow spread his wings, diving off of the limb to follow his smaller cousins. Neytiri kept pace and she raised a fist to her mother, smiling and yelling. To Jake's surprise, Mo'at returned the gesture. The experience of riding a toruk as her grandfather did was so thrilling to her; Mo'at gave everyone a glimpse of herself in youth.

"Now I see where Neytiri gets it from," Jake called over the wind.

"Her father," insisted Mo'at stubbornly.

Neytiri edged her ikran in, nearly bumping Shadow. Jake steered the toruk aside and he glanced over his shoulder at Mo'at when he noticed the challenging grin his mate gave him.

"If it's all Eytucan, then I suppose you don't want to get her back for that."

Mo'at gave her daughter an indignant look and Neytiri kept pace, still smiling as the wind whipped her braids.

"Some may be me," Mo'at admitted. "Get her."

"You're the boss."

Jake directed his toruk into a sweeping bank, forcing Neytiri to dive away. She did a loop beneath them and came back up on their other side, giving her mother an openly shocked look.

Mo'at pointed at Jake and he laughed. "Hey, you told me to do it!" He shot a look over his shoulder at Mo'at before giving Neytiri a wink.

Up ahead, Peyla glanced back and so did E'quath. She was smiling but he had a horrified look on his face.

"He...he cannot fly with Mo'at that way!"

Peyla rolled her eyes and smirked at him, bringing her ikran as close to his as she dared. "They are having fun. She enjoys it. Listen to her!"

E'quath heard Mo'at's laughter blending in with Jake and Neytiri's. He glanced at his intended mate and smiled as calmly as possible. "Yes, that seems true."

Inwardly, he was hoping they wouldn't end up carrying Mo'at's crushed body the rest of the way to _Ayvitrayä Ramunong_.

Beside him, Peyla wondered how her leader would take it when she told her that she was leaving the tribe to guard the Tree of Souls.

* * *

-To be continued

* * *

**Translations:**

_**Txim **_= Bottom; ass

Ayvitrayä Ramunong = Tree of Souls

_**Teylu **_= Beetle grub. Similar in texture and flavor to shrimp/prawns


	37. Chapter 37

**"Between worlds"**

**Chapter 37**

* * *

_**Author's note: See footnotes at the end of the chapter for Na'vi/English translations. I appreciate all of the feedback I have been getting and I hope people won't be too disappointed if their favorite couples/characters don't get as much attention as they would like. I don't want to bog the plot down trying to do too much in each chapter. ** _

* * *

*Disclaimer: I do not own Pandora and I make no profit from writing fanfiction based on the "Avatar" film.

* * *

A few days after making her decision, Peyla was back at the Ikran village and she explained her choice to Tanhi. E'quath had accompanied her with two other Omaticaya hunters, for safety.

"I cannot forbid you from doing this," Tanhi sighed. She looked to E'quath, who waited with the others for Peyla. "_Ayvitrayä Ramunong_ is not the only reason you have chosen this path, is it?"

Peyla followed her gaze and she lowered her eyes. "No, Tanhi. I would be lying to you if I denied it."

Tanhi smiled at her and she reached out to stroke her hair. "I thought so. Your happiness is more important to me than my greed to keep you near, sister."

"I promise to visit whenever I can," Peyla swore. Moisture gathered in her eyes and she sniffed. "I want to see your baby, when it is born."

Tanhi chuckled softly and drew the other woman into a friendly embrace. "It will be months before that happens. In the meantime, you can make a list of names for me. You know how terrible I am at thinking them up, myself. My Tom is not much better."

Peyla returned her hug. "I will begin doing that right away! I can already think of several names for the child."

Tanhi looked into her eyes and smiled. "I know that if anything happens to me, you will lead our people well in my place, Peyla."

"I never want that day to happen," insisted the smaller woman, hugging her chieftess tightly. "You are the sibling I never had."

Tanhi nodded, feeling her own eyes burn warningly. "I feel the same."

* * *

Ni'nat finally convinced Norm to join her baseball team. He didn't believe he'd do a good job replacing her but he had to admit, it _was_ kind of fun. They had games twice per month, sometimes more than that when Tom came to visit. Norm was in the middle of one such game when Ni'nat's water broke. She felt the liquid dribbling down her thighs and she looked down curiously. She stood up and called out to her mate, quietly anxious.

"Norm?"

He was up to bat and he glanced her way. When he saw what the problem was, he dropped the bat carelessly and bounded over to her. His hand splayed over her rounded belly and he whistled to Jake, who was still squatted behind the home base.

"Oh crap," Jake said, standing up with wide eyes. "The baby is coming?"

"Thank you, Captain Obvious," Tom muttered, jogging over to Norm and his mate. His hand soon joined his friend's over Ni'nat's stomach and his ears twitched in concentration. "Are you having contractions yet?"

"I have been having them for more than an hour," answered Ni'nat.

Norm's eyes almost bugged out. "Why didn't you _tell_ me?"

She lowered her gaze modestly. "You were enjoying the game. I did not want to ruin it."

He sputtered a little before cupping her face in his hands. "Ni'nat, our child is more important than my game."

"It takes time for little ones to come," she argued. "There was no point in making you worry!"

Seeing how upset she was getting, he immediately calmed down and put an arm around her supportively. "Okay, I understand. It's not important now. Let's get you to the den so we can start getting ready." He linked his queue with hers immediately and began to guide her back toward the _keltural _in the distance.

Tom exchanged a smile with Neytiri as the young _Tsahik_ left her base and joined him. "It looks like I timed this visit pretty well. Just call for me if you need my help, Neytiri."

"I have helped bring many babies into this world," Neytiri whispered, "but always with my mother at my side. I am glad you are here, Tom."

He patted her on the arm, understanding that it must be a bit scary to take this on without her mother's guidance. "I'll stay close." Jake came up beside him and he exchanged an excited grin with the older twin.

A contraction struck and both Norm and Ni'nat stopped in their tracks. He held her close and sucked in a sharp breath. "Okay, that _hurt_. How many of those did you put up with before you said something?"

Ni'nat chuckled between breaths and shook her head. "Not many."

"You're lying your head off," Norm announced with a sigh. He cupped her chin and kissed her gasping lips. "You're allowed to be selfish when you're in labor, Ni'nat."

"I will try to remember that," she promised, returning his smile.

"Even in the middle of labor, you two are picture-perfect." Jake looked faintly disgusted. "How do you pull that off?

Neytiri gave her mate a warning look. "This is a special day for them, Jake. You be nice!"

He winced like a scolded child. "Right. Sorry about that, you two."

"I was not offended," Ni'nat assured with a tight smile. "I have other things to worry about."

Remembering how it felt to experience the increasingly severe contractions, Jake nodded in understanding. "So I guess I can pick on Norm all I want and you two won't care, eh?"

"I'll just get you back when your second kid is being born," promised Norm. "I think I'm handling this better than you did."

Jake shrugged. "We'll see."

* * *

Despite Jake's assurance that Norm would eventually crack under the pressure, the anthropologist was still going strong with his mate, several hours later. The sun was rising for a new day, by the time the baby came. Norm helped his mate with everything he had, aiding her when she needed to change positions and suffering through the pain with her. When it was time, Ni'nat bore down as Neytiri instructed and Norm held her close. She hissed through her teeth and he nuzzled her perspiration-dampened braids, encouraging her breathlessly.

"I'm right here. I know it hurts but we have to keep going. Not much longer, Ni'nat."

Neytiri crouched between her friend's spread thighs and she gave her a sympathetic look. The gentle-natured singer kept her complaints to a minimum through the entire ordeal. "The baby has started to crown. Bear down again when you have the strength. There is nothing wrong with screaming, if you need to."

Ni'nat followed the advice with passion. When the next contraction hit, it tore through her and Norm so violently that she couldn't stop her scream. Norm yelled with her and even in his pain, he kept his hand over her tensed abdomen and panted encouragement. Neytiri muttered softly to herself and when the baby came out, she smiled. She bathed and wrapped the newborn carefully before easing her onto her mother's heaving chest.

"It is a girl," proclaimed Neytiri. "What will you name her?"

They had already discussed it before and the couple smiled at one another, equally exhausted. "Grace," Ni'nat murmured sleepily, "We will name her Grace."

* * *

After cleaning Ni'nat up, Neytiri stepped out of the cubby and motioned for Tom. He excused himself from the group he was standing in and came to her side quickly. "How are they?"

"She lost more blood than I expected," Neytiri answered, "but she and the baby are well. I have packed between her thighs to stop the bleeding but I would like for you to look at her as well, Tom."

"Of course." He ducked into the alcove and Neytiri waited as he examined Ni'nat. Several minutes later, he came back out and nodded at her. "As long as she doesn't try to move around much, she ought to recover in a few days. Give her some rare cooked meat in her meals to help bring her blood count back up."

Neytiri relaxed and she smiled at him. "You have my thanks. I am not usually lacking confidence, this way."

"It was your first birth without your mother at your side and Ni'nat is your friend." Tom smiled encouragingly. "Nobody could blame you for wanting a second opinion."

Neytiri felt small arms embrace her leg and she looked down to find her son smiling up at her. She bent over to pick him up just as Jake crossed the den with a faintly embarrassed look on his face.

"Sorry, he got away from me. How are they doing?"

"They are resting safely," Neytiri assured him as she cuddled Tommy. "It is a girl and they have named her Grace."

Jake paused in the action of reaching out to ruffle his child's hair. "Grace, huh? That's great! Norm never told me it was on the menu."

"Were you hoping to use it yourself?" Tom asked.

Jake shrugged. "I thought about naming our first girl after Dr. Augustine, yeah. Norm's daughter is here now though, so it's cool. Do you think I can have a peek without bothering them or should I wait?"

"As long as you are quiet," Neytiri assured softly. "They are resting."

Jake tip-toed over to the hide covering and drew it aside so that he could look in. He grinned at the sight of the newborn, sleeping contentedly on her mother's breast. Norm had one arm draped over Ni'nat's waist and she had one hand resting over his, while the other lay on her daughter's back. Jake let the hide fall back into place and he muttered to his mate and brother softly.

"She really takes after Ni'nat. I hate to say it but—"

"Do _not_ say it," warned Neytiri.

"Why not? If we have a daughter, I'd rather her look like you than me."

Neytiri tried hard to maintain a straight face. "Children inherit good qualities from both parents."

"Yeah, and little Gracie's better off inheriting Norm's brainpower than his looks."

Tom averted his gaze when Neytiri looked at him expectantly. "You think this as well?"

"I don't think Norm's a bad looking guy," Tom said uncomfortably, "but Ni'nat is a complete knockout and so are you and Tanhi. Personally, I'd rather my daughters favor their mother than me."

"Yeah, what he said," agreed Jake enthusiastically. "I wouldn't wish my face on a girl."

Neytiri shook her head. "You see only what is on the surface."

"Yeah, and I'd want my daughter to have your looks on the surface," Jake insisted stubbornly. "You should take it as a compliment, gorgeous."

"I would, if it did not seem shallow."

Jake winced and Tom made the "cut" gesture with his hand, thinking his twin was getting in over his head. Not one to give up easily, Jake ignored his brother's quiet warning and smirked at Neytiri. "So you think I'm superficial?"

"I do not know what that means," she answered with a shrug.

"Shallow," he supplied, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I think that you put too much value in physical appearance," she answered him. "If women were so fickle, no babies would be born at all."

Jake blew a low whistle. "Did you just call me ugly?"

Neytiri handed Tommy over to his uncle. "Your eyes are too small."

"Yeah? Well, your head is too big!"

"That is because I do not have a tiny brain like yours!"

Tom looked between the two of them, torn. He knew Jake and Neytiri liked to pick on each other a lot, but sometimes it was hard to guess when it was for play and when it was serious. "Uh, guys..."

"My brain isn't what you're interested in," Jake shot back smugly, ignoring Tom's cautionary murmur.

"If it was, we would not be mated," countered Neytiri, compressing her lips.

Other people began to take notice of the brewing argument and they stopped as they passed by, watching their chieftain and _Tsahik_ with interest. Tom winced and bounced his namesake in his arms. "You're drawing a crowd, guys."

"I get it," Jake grumbled. "So I'm stupid _and_ ugly, is that it?"

Neytiri glared at him for half a second before her mouth split into a wide grin. Jake held his indignant expression for a moment longer before he started to laugh. The watching clan members smiled and shook their heads, used to seeing such mock arguments between the mated pair.

"Your parents are strange," Tom informed his nephew with a sigh.

Jake winked at Neytiri and reached out for Tommy, who was groping for him. "Don't listen to your Uncle Tom," he whispered as the younger twin relinquished the child to his arms. "He just doesn't understand _Sa'nok_ and _Sempul_, that's all."

"I think that goes for most sane people," Tom grumbled.

"Like you and Tanhi never pick on each other," snorted Jake. "I remember when Norm found you tied up and hiding behind a tree, bro."

Tom flushed. "He told me he would keep that to himself."

Neytiri grinned at him, her eyes twinkling. "He only told us."

Tom sighed and let the matter drop. Thinking of the way she had "owned" him that day made him smirk. Considering the complications that could occur with pregnancy, he frowned and began to worry for his mate.

"Jake, can I borrow your transmitter? I want to contact Tanhi and see how she's doing."

Jake nodded. "Getting a little homesick, eh? Next time, we'll come and visit you."

"I'd appreciate that," Tom agreed. He had already spoken with Max and told him to be ready in case anything went wrong. Odds were, he and the _Tsahik_ could handle the delivery on their own but given Tanhi's small bone structure, Tom couldn't help but feel some quiet anxiety.

* * *

Jake made good on his promise to visit his brother when Tanhi began to get heavy. He and Neytiri stopped at the Tree of Souls on their way and Mo'at came with for the visit, along with E'quath and Peyla. Tom met up with them at the edge of the village and the group walked together down the path. As soon as Jake spotted Tanhi and saw how much her belly was protruding, his eyebrows went up and he blurted his thoughts without thinking.

"Damn, she's huge! No wonder you don't want to leave her side, Tom." He shifted his son in his arms and winced when the child groped at one of the small braids dangling from his temple.

"Pregnancy makes a woman's body change," Moat murmured, squeezing his arm. "You know this by now, son."

"I know but...wow!" Jake looked somewhat shamed as his eyes went from Tanhi's waddling form to his mother in law. "Don't you think she's a little bigger than she should be right now? Tom, you said she's about six months along, right?"

"Seven," corrected the other twin. "And yes, she _is_ bigger than she should be. I'm trying to convince her to let me do a scan but she doesn't trust the machine."

Peyla pursed her lips. "She should still trust _you_. I will speak with her."

Tom opened his mouth to argue as the petite huntress marched purposely down the path into the village. He shrugged, figuring that if anyone could convince his stubborn mate to cooperate, it was her childhood friend. "Good luck, Peyla."

"She will convince her," E'quath stated in a tone of finality, his eyes following Peyla's retreating form with admiration.

Jake eyed the tracker. "So when are you two going to give it up and become an official item?"

E'quath looked at him with mild confusion. "I do now know what you mean, _Olo'eyktan_."

"He wants to know when you and Peyla will become a mated pair," Neytiri translated, more familiar with her mate's slang.

E'quath shifted uncomfortably but he was too disciplined to let his embarrassment show beyond that. "Soon, I hope. Tell Ni'nat to stop worrying so much."

Jake chuckled. "She just wants to see her best friend hitched."

"Her best friend will be 'hitched' when the time is right," insisted E'quath. His features relaxed into a smile. "I do wish to visit Hometree soon, though. I want to see her daughter."

"She favors her mother in looks," Neytiri said with a smile. "She is a beautiful baby."

E'quath nodded, unsurprised to hear it. "Normspellman must be very proud."

"He is." Neytiri nodded. "Grace loves her _Sempul_. Her cries stop quickly, whenever Norm comforts her."

"And he worried that he would not be a good parent," mused E'quath.

* * *

"Why do you frown so fiercely?" Tanhi gazed at Peyla curiously after embracing her. "You are not happy to visit?"

"You know better," Peyla said, sweeping Tanhi with her eyes. "I am not happy because you are being reckless. Tomsully told us that you won't let him use his science to look at your child!"

Tanhi's expression darkened and she urged Peyla toward the beach, out of the hearing range of other clan members. "I do not need a machine to look inside of me."

"You are bigger than you should be," Peyla argued. "What if something is wrong? Ni'nat wasn't harmed when they used the machine on her."

Tanhi bit her lip and the younger woman saw the flash of fear in her eyes. She reached out and smoothed a stray braid from her chieftess' forehead. "_Is_ something wrong, Tanhi?"

Tanhi looked at her hesitantly and laid her palm over the swell of her belly, protected by the tunic she wore over her chest. "I...do not know."

"Then why won't you let your mate perform his test?" Peyla gentled her voice, recognizing the tension in Tanhi's body. "I would want to know, if I were you."

Tanhi looked out at the frothy waves on the ocean and she squinted against the setting sunlight. "I am afraid," she admitted softly. "When I was carrying my first child, I could sense his emotions clearly. It is not the same, with this child. The feelings are confused and they make no sense to me."

"They say that no two pregnancies are alike," Peyla reminded her gently, reaching for her hand. "Tanhi, your mate is good with medicine. If anything is wrong, he might be able to fix it."

"What if he cannot?" Tanhi looked at her and she visibly tried to quell her emotions, but her lower lip trembled. "I cannot lose another child, Peyla. Not another one." Her voice broke on the final sentence and she hastily looked away.

Peyla embraced her and her throat ached as she held back sympathetic tears. "You must let Tom look," she insisted huskily. "Please, Tanhi. Please?"

Tanhi heaved a shuddering sigh and nodded.

* * *

"I know it's chilly," Tom soothed as he smeared the gel over his mate's exposed belly. She endured it silently and he thought that if they were linked in _Tsahaylu_ right now, he would feel a wave of despair and uncertainty. He didn't know how Peyla convinced her to allow this but he was thankful. Peyla was waiting by the trailer door, adding her silent support without crowding them. The others waited outside, curious and concerned.

Tom finished applying the gel and he removed his gloves before lifting the scanner paddle. He met Tanhi's eyes and he forced a confident smile on his face. "Tanhi, I'm sure it's all going to be okay. You've been taking good care of yourself, eating right and avoiding strain. I'm sure our baby is fine."

"What do you think we will find, my Tom?" She asked the question softly, with a guarded expression on her face.

Tom was stunned by the vulnerability in her gaze. He had his own suspicions about what was happening, but Na'vi incubation was still rather fresh territory for him. He impulsively set the scanning paddle aside and stroked her hair. "I think we'll find our baby, healthy and safe. I just need you to relax for me, Tanhi."

She swallowed and nodded, reaching up to lay her hand over his before he retracted it. Tom took a steadying breath and tried not to let his own anxiety show as he took the paddle and began to scan her glistening abdomen. He murmured soothingly to her when her breath caught and he had to force himself to look at the monitor. At first, the image came through too fuzzy and he had to slowly move the scanner to get a clearer picture. When he saw the results clearly enough, his breath escaped in a huff and his eyes widened.

"Tanhi, look. This is why you can't get a clear sense of what the baby feels...you're listening to two of them. We're having twins!"

Peyla vaulted across the trailer and stuck her head in the way just as Tanhi lifted hers to look at the monitor.

"MOVE, Peyla! You are in my way!"

The other woman hastily dodged aside so that Tanhi could see the image of the twin fetuses on the screen. Tanhi stared at the monitor and Tom did his best to hold the scanner steady, feeling his heart pounding in his chest.

"We have _two_ babies?" Tanhi looked as though she was torn between elation and terror.

The image shook as Tom chuckled. "I was starting to suspect as much, but I couldn't be sure, without the scan. We're both twins, after all."

Peyla gave her chieftess a relieved smile, forgiving her for snapping in her anxiety. "They are healthy, Tomsully?"

Tom nodded, helpless to stop the smile that curved his lips. "It all looks perfect." He reached out to take Tanhi's hand and he saw the soft smile of relief on her lips. So much for keeping his cool. As a man of science, he really hadn't expected to be so excited by the sight of his unborn, but the relief of knowing they were safe overpowered him.

"I will go tell the others to stop worrying," Peyla offered, guessing that the couple needed some privacy.

She left and Tom heard her speaking to Tanhi's friends and clan-mates outside. He looked down at his mate again and he squeezed her hand. "You see? Everything is fine."

"Tom, I...should have let you do this sooner," Tanhi admitted. A faint flush crept into her cheekbones as she looked at the monitor.

He considered her confession carefully, before taking the scanner away and shutting the computer down. He lowered his mouth to hers and gave her a kiss. "I think I understand. We can both relax, now."

She shook her head and looked away. "No. I lied to you."

He cocked his head curiously. "How did you lie?"

"I said that I did not trust it, but I knew that it would see. I was afraid. I did not want to know if something was wrong with our child."

Tom rubbed her shoulder. "Tanhi, sometimes it's easier not to hear bad news. It's okay."

She looked at him and the agony she always hid so well showed in her eyes. "I put our children at risk because I was afraid of bad news."

He shook his head. "You didn't put this off because you wanted something to go wrong and we both know that. Stop being so hard on yourself."

Tanhi quickly looked away and she wiped her eyes with her free hand. "You are not angry?"

Tom shook his head again. "Absolutely not. Tanhi, do you remember what I said, the day you told me about what happened to your village?"

She nodded and sniffed, clearly struggling against her emotions. "You said that I should cry."

Tom smiled. "That's the gist of it. You can cry now, too. Our babies are fine and you can let go of that fear."

She sniffed again before curling onto her side. One hand squeezed his almost painfully and the other reached up to tug insistently on his shirt. Tom leaned over her and held her close as the Ikran chieftess allowed all of her pent-up fears and emotions out. He murmured to her soothingly and brushed his lips over her hair as she cried against his chest. She released his hand and splayed hers protectively over her swollen stomach. Tom rested his hand over hers, being as supportive as he possibly could.

"Twins," Tanhi repeated in a shaken whisper when her relief died down enough for her to speak.

"A boy and a girl," confirmed Tom without thinking.

Tanhi pulled away to look up at him with wide eyes. "You know this? I...did not see it. I was too concerned with counting limbs."

He laughed softly. "I noticed the genders, yes. Maybe I should have kept it to myself."

"No." She shook her head and sniffled again, smiling a little as she rubbed her tummy. "It is good to know. We must consider the names Peyla has given us, my Tom."

"I'm partial to Kato and Karyu," admitted Tom. "But if you think—"

"Those are fine names," agreed Tanhi, surprising him. "I like them too."

Tom gave her a suspicious look. "You don't have to agree with me out of guilt."

"I am not." Tanhi shrugged and she sniffed once more. "I like those names too. You and I can agree on some things, my Tom."

"I guess we can," he agreed, brushing the remnants of a tear from her cheek.

* * *

More time passed and Max kept Jake and Tom updated on the status of the RDA transports, when he could get the information from Jackson. Jake grudgingly agreed that his brother was right about Earth. He had allowed his bitterness to flavor his opinion and in his devotion to the Na'vi, he had forgotten that most humans were not bad people. He found himself wondering exactly when he started thinking of the people of Earth so negatively. Neytiri began to notice his confusion, but she didn't speak of it right away.

One night while he sat one of the many branches of Hometree, she joined him. She quietly padded over the surface of the branch and sank down beside him, watching his profile as he looked up at the darkened sky. His comely features were pensive as he turned his head to look at her. She could see the conflict in his amber gaze and she waited in silence for him to speak.

"Tommy's asleep?"

Neytiri nodded. "He will call for us, if he wakes."

Jake returned his attention to the stars and he put one hand on her knee. He smiled, but it was strained. "You could have shot me dead the day you saw me. Do you think you would have seen something in me without Eywa sending you a sign?"

Neytiri smiled and lowered her gaze. "A part of me was curious."

Jake cupped the back of her head and drew her face closer to his. "So is a part of you curious about making a sister or brother for our son?"

Neytiri smirked and rested a hand over his chest. "A part of me is very curious about that, yes."

Her body was growing more persistent and agreeable with that fact, actually. She allowed her fingertips to glide over his chest and down his abdomen, enjoying the feel of the muscles beneath her touch. She always admired the way he was put together but now she imagined licking him all over. She rested her hand on his thigh and slowly dragged it upwards, toward his loincloth.

"I think that we should not hesitate much longer, my Jake." She kissed his throat and skimmed his inner thigh with her fingertips.

He murmured in appreciation but he paused, casting a worried glance up at the hammocks hanging above them. "Don't get me too excited or I'll forget we have a toddler to look after."

"We will see to Tommy first," she agreed.

Jake stood up and offered his hand to her and when he saw the look of confused guilt on her face, he frowned. "What's the matter?"

Neytiri took his hand and averted her eyes. "I was thinking of myself."

He scratched his head. "A lot of people do that. What's the problem?"

"But I thought of me instead of our son," she explained, flushing with humiliation.

Jake snorted, apologized and then turned his head away to cough into his fist. "Sorry, it's just...damn, I love you. You're so cute I can't stand it."

"Jake, this is not 'cute'," she protested, "Our son's needs are more important than my mating urges."

Jake put his hands on her shoulders and brought his face close to hers. "We'll just check on him and find some privacy close by, so we can be there for him if he needs us. There's nothing wrong with making a little time for ourselves."

"We could do that," Neytiri said hesitantly, not quite ready to relax. "But Tommy is only—"

Jake put a finger to her lips and shook his head. "No way. We're going to check on our son and then you're going to let me spoil you a little, got it?"

Neytiri resisted for a moment longer before breaking into a smile. She put her arms around him and leaned against his body. "One day, I will adjust to not having Mother to help watch over him," she apologized. "You have been patient with me."

Jake nuzzled her hair. "Just go easy on yourself. You're doing fine."

* * *

A couple of days later, Trudy ran into technical issues while taking her team out to gather materials. She found a safe place to land and began working on the problem. It wasn't the typical static caused by interference from a flux vortex. The temperature gauge was the only thing acting up, but she wasn't willing to keep going without being able to tell how hot the engine was running.

Trudy glared at the offending console, willing it to cooperate and give her proper readings. "All right, buddy, I wanted to do this nice and quiet-like but you're not giving me a choice." She smacked the console with her open palm.

"Uh, Lieutenant, I don't think that's going to work."

Trudy shot a glare over her shoulder at Private Harris, who hadn't seemed to learn when to keep quiet like his fellow gun-operator. She adjusted the communication piece on her head before speaking through it to him. "Okay genius. Why don't you squeeze through and convince the nice gauge to cooperate."

"I told you to keep your trap shut," warned Wilson in a mutter.

"Look, I just think we should call the base and ask for assistance." Harris spread his hands innocently. "Smacking it might make you feel better but we're out here in the wilds and nobody knows our coordinates. At least call it in so people know where to search if we need help!"

Trudy stared at him for a moment and Wilson parted his lips before changing his mind about what he wanted to say. Trudy's eyes narrowed and she shrugged. "I really hate it when rookies are right. Fine. I'll call it in. You two hop out and start checking out the rotaries in the meantime."

Neither of her companions offered any argument. They quickly opened the doors and Wilson spared a moment to pat Harris on the back as the avatar soldier coughed. Harris nodded at him and gave the "thumbs up" sign to let he know he had adjusted to the change in atmosphere. Trudy sighed and fiddled with the signal adjuster.

"Lt. Trudy Chacón here, requesting help. I'm having trouble with the temp monitor and we might need assistance."

There was a crackle of static before she got a response. "We read you, Lieutenant. Can you give your coordinates?"

"Sure," Trudy answered tiredly. She looked at her instruments, ready to comply.

A different voice came through the transmission. "Do you have contact?"

Trudy stared into space and adjusted her communication equipment. "What?"

"We're still waiting for those coordinates, Lt. Chacón."

Trudy looked around before pulling her mouthpiece closer. "Am I the only one who just heard that?"

The Hell's Gate staffmember on the other end sounded confused. "I don't understand. Can you explain, Lieutenant?"

"I'd love to." Trudy stared out at the sky and her lips compressed into a grim line. "But I don't think I have time. You tell Max Patel to get his ass in gear and buckle up on security. I mean NOW, mister!"

* * *

Max wondered if his heart would end up shooting out of his chest. He ran down the corridors shouting orders to scurrying military and staff members, expecting another event like the last one. He hadn't even gotten the chance to speak with his lover, but the communications staff spoke with her and relayed the message to him.

"Lockdown is in five minutes," Max hollered to a soldier as the other man stepped out of the control room. "We can't take chances! Make sure everyone is inside!"

The soldier nodded and took off running in a different direction. Max nearly ran over Ramona as she rounded a corner and she cussed him out for it.

"Who lit the fire under your ass?"

He hastily helped her right her balance and explained. "Trudy contacted us a few minutes ago. She's picked up a foreign frequency."

"Shit, Lee is out on assignment!" Ramona fumed, dodging aside as a pair of military personnel charged past her and Max.

Max grabbed her arm and partially hauled her along with him. "Consider him lucky. We can bring him out of his link if we have to. Just help me get everyone ready and pray to God that Jake can get people here in time, if we have a situation."

Ramona took his warning to heart. She yelled at the top of her lungs when people didn't move out of their way fast enough, clearing a path before them. While he ran, Max adjusted his transmitter unit and tried to get in touch with Jake.

* * *

He was having pleasant dreams about his children playing in fields of flowers and fan lizards when he was rudely awakened by the distress call.

"Jake? Jake! Answer the line!"

At first, Jake thought he was imagining the disembodied voice. When Tommy began to whimper and Neytiri rolled over with a complaint, he realized it was coming from the transmitter hanging on his belongings rack. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, grumbling. Max's voice still blared out from the speaker on the earphone. Jake took a moment to orient himself before rising to his feet and bracing himself on the overhead branch. He pulled the hanging transmitter down and he winced at the shouting when he put it on.

"I'm here. What's going on?"

"We've got a signal," Max answered, "It's like the last time, Jake. They're coming."

"Shit," Jake sputtered. "Hold the fort. We're on our way!" He was still half-asleep and he nearly stumbled out of his hammock. He caught his balance and squatted down, shaking his mate urgently. "They're attacking Hell's Gate."

Neytiri sat up immediately, her eyes opening wide. "You are sure?"

He gave her a strained smile. "Well, there's no visual yet but they've picked up a suspicious transmission, like the last time. We can't take chances."

Neytiri took a moment to gather her bearings and Jake helped her up. She picked up their son and gave Jake a silent, questioning look. He paused in the action of climbing onto the branch and his eyes went to Tommy, softening. "You know I would feel better if you stayed here with him, but it has to be your choice."

An infant's wail broke through the dark morning hours and Neytiri smiled. "I will be at my mate's side, Jake. As always."

Jake drew her close and Tommy was cradled between them as Neytiri pressed her forehead against Jake's. "Ni'nat and Norm will take good care of him," Neytiri murmured.

"Absolutely," agreed Jake. They had already established that their friends would be in charge of leading the Omaticaya to a safe location if there was another attack.

He pulled away from his mate and used his transmitter to contact the people at the Tree of Souls first. Once they were alerted, he patched through to Tom's communication unit and told him what was going on. Tom immediately explained to Tanhi and she began organizing to send some of her hunters to assist.

Once he was finished alerting their allies, Jake gave a loud, ululating call, rousing the clan. People began to wake up and upon hearing the urgency of his cry, some of them immediately went to the war drums. When the warning beat awoke them, those who were chosen to protect Hell's Gate made their way to their ikrans. Neytiri cradled her son and brought him over to Norm and Ni'nat's branch. She gave the couple an apologetic look as they blinked up at her and she squatted down on the branch with her child.

"I am sorry. Maxpatel says that Hell's gate is going to be under attack. Please, keep my son and yourselves safe."

Norm reached out and accepted Tommy, nodding at Neytiri. "I'll be ready to move everybody if we have to," he promised.

Beside him, Ni'nat held her infant close and she gave Neytiri a stressed smile. "You can count on us, _Tsahik_. Please, be careful._ Eywa ngahu_."

"_Eywa ngahu_ , sister," Neytiri touched her forehead and gave her child a last, lingering look before going.

Norm and Ni'nat could do nothing but watch as Neytiri got up and ran to the end of the branch to call for her Ikran. Norm embraced his mate, completely understanding and empathizing with her expression of anxiety. Jake's powerful Toruk glided over and landed, on one of the higher branches. Neytiri soon took to the skies with the rest of the warriors and Jake followed, stirring their moral with his shouts.

"I should be with them," Norm said softly as the warriors flew out of sight. Tommy complained and Norm smiled at the toddler, trying to soothe him. The drums were upsetting many of the children that were too young to understand what the noise was about.

"I would rather you be here," Ni'nat told him softly. She cooed to Grace for a moment before shifting her in her arms. "My Norm, some of us are not meant to be in this fight. We must see to the safety of our elders and children."

He nodded in agreement and he bounced Tommy on his knee. "You're right. We'd better get started on organizing things so we can move fast, if we need to."

* * *

Katherine leaned over her boyfriend's shoulder as he checked the satellite scanners. "Anything?"

Sebastian shook his head. "Nothing yet. Not so much as a blip and our security seems to be intact. I think that Lt. Chacón may have just picked up a crossed signal from one of our own field teams."

"But we went over the logs from every transmission sent or received during the time period she heard it," Max reminded. "None of them match what she said she heard."

Sebastian shook his head and spread his hands helplessly. "I'm sorry Dr. Patel, but there's just no sign of any foreign crafts out there. Either Trudy has a ghost in her machine, the logs aren't right or the RDA have found another way to cloak themselves."

Max sighed and dragged his fingers through his hair. "And there's _nothing_ near our orbit?"

"I'll check again but I really don't think—oh, wait a minute." Sebastian panned the scanner and leaned forward a little, startled. "Our Valkyrie shuttle isn't currently in flight, is it?"

Max shook his head. "It's in the hangar." He peered at the screen and saw the blip approaching from the west. "How long has that been here?"

"It just showed up a moment ago," answered Sebastian with a look of dread. "The altitude suggests it's only just arrived in our atmosphere."

"Check the orbital scanner again," Max suggested. "It couldn't have gotten here without an ISV carrying it."

Sebastian did as he was told and his mouth fell open when the scanner picked up a hulking object that could only be a transport. It literally appeared out of nowhere, blinking into existence a couple of seconds after Sebastian switched scanners. "I don't understand," he muttered, perplexed.

"We've had technical problems caused by interference from Polyphemus' other moons before," Max explained. "I think this time it really is just a glitch, instead of a deliberate attempt to interfere with the signal."

"How can you tell?" Katherine asked dubiously.

"Because the last time, we had our signals scrambled on and off for months before they attacked. They hid the transport shuttle behind Polyphemus and scrambled the satellite signals each time they sent a Valkyrie shuttle down to the surface of Pandora. This ISV isn't breaking orbit." He pointed at the screen, demonstrating that the vehicle was in a steady, slow orbit around Pandora.

"So they aren't trying to hide at all," mused Sebastian. "Somehow, I don't find that comforting."

"Switch back to atmosphere scanners, so we can see what that Valkyrie shuttle is doing."

Sebastian did so and they watched the shuttle move steadily closer. "It's not stopping," Katherine observed. "It looks to me like they're planning to land here at the base. Probably armed for a fight, if you consider our past experience with unannounced shuttles."

"Keep an eye on it," Max ordered. "I'm going to open up communications and try to talk to them."

The couple glanced at each other and the expressions on their faces said they didn't expect any good to come of that, but they didn't argue with him. Max went over to the master transmitter and checked for any signals they might have missed. He noticed one of the lights flashing and some of his anxiety faded.

"They've sent us a distress signal," Max informed his companions. "Morse code. This may not be the disaster we've all been expecting."

"Or it's just a harbinger for a bigger one," Sebastian muttered under his breath.

Max ignored him and began scanning the frequencies after entering the safety code. "This Dr. Max Patel, contacting you from the Hell's Gate colony," he said into the microphone when picked up the foreign signal. "We've located your ISV and your Valkyrie shuttle. If you do not respond, we will have no choice but to consider you hostile. Do you copy?"

There was only static and just when Max was about to try again, a male voice responded. "We copy Hell's Gate, and we understand. We've been trying to get into contact with you since arriving in orbit."

Katherine walked over to Max and gave him a questioning look. He shrugged and spoke into the transmitter again. "What are your intentions and who is in charge on your ISV?"

"Our foreman is Charles Stone," answered the crewman, "we were originally coming here to conduct research and collect raw materials. We took a detour while we were on rotation to investigate the collapse of the Nova Cruiser and we had no choice but to continue our heading afterwards."

"You found survivors?" Max pressed.

"Yes, but they weren't what we were expecting. We had to put some of them in cryo to get them here alive. We need to request the use of your facilities, sir. Our ISV doesn't have the medical resources to take care of all of these people."

"The avatar operatives," guessed Katherine in a whisper as her boyfriend came up beside her.

Curious if she was right, Max tested it. "What sort of condition are the survivors in?"

"Most are in moderate to critical condition. That isn't all of it, though. Some of them aren't even human anymore. We thought they were Na'vi but we were wrong."

"I see," Max said, nodding at his companions. "What have you been told of the situation here on Pandora?"

"We were told that the RDA isn't in control of Hell's Gate anymore and there was some confusion when the last transport got here."

"There was open hostility," Max answered grimly. "They were told that this facility was under hostile takeover and that isn't the truth."

"Sir, are you going to give us permission to land or not? You can speak with my superior but these survivors aren't going to pull through without the right medical help."

Max was torn. True, his people were better prepared for treating avatars and Na'vi patients. There were probably doctors on board that ship that were trained in Na'vi physiology but they would have never had hands-on experience. If he refused to cooperate, he'd be breaking his medical ethics and leaving patients to die. If he complied with the request, he might end up with a shuttle full of hostile, armed soldiers instead of injured patients.

"I really don't like this," Katherine said, echoing Max's silent concerns.

"No matter what we do, people could die," Max whispered. He shut his eyes and a bitter frown curved his lips. He started to speak into the transmitter again, hating himself for what he was about to do. "I'm afraid I have to look after my own people. We have no way to know what you've really got coming in on your aircraft and we've been deceived and attacked before."

"You'll be condemning these people to die if you do this," argued the man. "We haven't come for a fight, Dr. Patel."

Max was just about to refuse again, but there was a commotion of footsteps in the hall outside. Trudy came through the door, followed by Jake and Neytiri. Jake didn't duck quite low enough and he swore as he hit his head on the top of the doorway.

"They said we'd find you in here," Trudy said in a winded voice. She glanced over her shoulder at her Omaticaya companions. "Found me a nice escort home, Maxi. Jake and his cavalry spotted us on their way here."

Max was so relieved, he wondered if his knees would give out. Grateful both for the arrival of their allies and the sight of his lover safe and sound, it took him a moment to find his tongue. "How many Omaticaya do we have?"

"A hundred and thirteen warriors," Jake answered. "We had to leave some behind to guard the clan, but the ikran clan has people on the way too."

It wasn't as impressive as the last Na'vi gathering, but perhaps it was enough against a single shuttle. At least this time, they had some warning and a chance to prepare.

"Dr. Patel, do you still copy?" The man on the Valkyrie was still pressuring him to reconsider.

"What kind of firepower are we going up against?" Jake asked, tearing Max's attention away from the transmitter again.

"If we can believe what they've told us, none." Max shrugged when Jake raised his eyebrows. "They claim to have injured passengers from the Nova Cruiser and they want to bring them in for medical assistance."

"Why? The ISV's have medical facilities."

"Because they don't have sufficient medical care for the avatars. We haven't gotten around to negotiating what happens after we get the injured people transported."

"So you're actually going to do this?" Jake shook his head. "Max—"

"I'm not going to let innocent people die if I can help it," Max insisted firmly. "I know it's a risk but imagine if it was your brother, or one of the other avatars from his crew that joined up with us."

Jake sighed and looked at Neytiri. "He's got a point. We can't just assume everyone they send here is like Quaritch and Selfridge."

Max expected her to disagree but she nodded. "Some deserve the chance to earn trust."

"Guys, this is a real crapshoot," Trudy reminded. "Make the wrong call and it could really blow up in our faces. We don't have any proof they're being straight with us."

"If they _are_ here for a fight, they'll bring it no matter what we do," Katherine pointed out.

Jake scratched his chin and looked at the transmitter. He shut his own communication device off temporarily to avoid causing feedback and he spoke into the facility transmitter. "This is Jake Sully. We're going to need some proof that you're telling the truth before we can give you landing privileges."

Max frowned. "How are they supposed to do that?"

The man on the shuttle evidently wondered the same thing. "What kind of proof can we give to you, if you won't allow us to land?"

"Video feed," answered Jake. "I know you've got to have cameras in there to monitor parts of the shuttle. We'll patch you through to a secure line and you can send us the feed that way. You'll get our cooperation when we see those survivors."

The other man took a moment to answer. "All right, I'll relay your terms."

"I can't believe I didn't consider that myself," Max muttered. He looked at Sebastian expectantly, who was still standing by Katherine's side.

Trudy nudged the computer programmer. "What are you waiting for, computer wiz? You're up."

Sebastian gave a start. "Right, the feed line. I'll do that now." He looked faintly embarrassed as he hurried away. Nobody blamed him for his lapse, under the tense circumstances.

After several moments, Sebastian finished at the computer and gave the "okay" symbol with his fingers. Jake got back on the transmitter. "Valkyrie shuttle, do you copy? We have that line ready for you."

A different voice spoke. This man sounded a little older and sterner than the last. "This is Foreman Stone. Who am I speaking to?"

"Jake Sully," answered Jake. "Do you have the video feed ready, foreman?"

"I thought Jake Sully was dead."

Jake sighed. "A lot of people think that, these days. Are we going to do this or not?"

The foreman spoke to someone in the background before answering. "We're prepared to get you that video footage. What's the code for the relay line?"

Jake looked to Sebastian and the hacker called out the code for him. They waited in tense silence for something to come up on the monitor and Sebastian sighed visibly when he got the feed.

"It looks as though they're telling the truth," he said as the others gathered around to see. "There are at least a dozen visibly injured avatars on gurneys. I doubt they had time to fabricate those wounds."

Max could see that the injuries were genuine. One of the avatars stirred restlessly and a woman in a lab coat tried to soothe him. There were some military personnel visible in the cargo but not enough to cause alarm. They seemed to be crewmembers.

"I'm satisfied," Max told Jake with a nod. "Are you?"

"Yeah. That's pretty gruesome stuff to fake." Jake went back to the transmitter to speak with the foreman. "All right, Stone; here's what's going to happen. We'll give you clearance to land but the only people I want to see coming out of that shuttle are the patients, the medical staff and you. If we see a single gun, we'll open fire. We'll do what we can for the accident survivors but you have to make sure your people don't send down a single shuttle again until you hear me or Max Patel say you can."

"We'll accept your terms," answered the foreman.

Jake ended the transmission without another word to Stone. He looked at Max. "Try and contact Jackson while we're getting ready for them. Find out if he knows this guy and what he can tell us about him, if he does. It looks like we mobilized for a fight that isn't going to happen but we'd better not relax just yet."

Max nodded. "I'll get started on that now."

* * *

-To be continued

**Translations:**

**_Sa'nok _**= Mother

**_Sempul_** = Father

**_Kato_** = Rhythm

**_Kaltxi_** = Hello

**_Eywa ngahu _**= Goodbye; Eywa be with you.


	38. Chapter 38

"Between worlds"

Chapter 38

* * *

_**Author's note: See footnotes at the end of the chapter for Na'vi/English translations. There is an additional author's note at the end of this chapter, to avoid spoilers. **_

* * *

_*Disclaimer: I do not own Pandora and I make no profit from writing fanfiction based on the "Avatar" film._

* * *

"I don't know about you, but I'm wondering why they brought the survivors down on a shuttle before they could reach us on communications," Jake muttered to Max as they watched the Valkyrie touch down. The compound's floodlights beamed on the craft, providing plenty of light to see by. The Omaticaya surrounded the shuttle behind their human allies, so that their height wouldn't interfere with the soldier's targeting.

"From the severity of some of the injuries I saw, I don't think cryo would have preserved lives for much longer," Max answered softly. "I'd like to believe that Stone and his crew did it because they were making a sincere effort to get help for the patients. Since I couldn't reach Jackson for confirmation of his character, we'll just have to play it by ear."

The shuttle's ramp began to open and Jake quickly took aim with his bow, his eyes settling grimly as he waited for the passengers to come out. The clicks of automatic weapons echoed on the concrete as the soldiers trained them on the vehicle as well. Behind them, the Na'vi stood silent and proud, keeping their arrows knocked and ready.

A middle aged man with blond hair came out first, holding his hands up. He seemed fairly calm, until he looked at the natives and saw the size of their bows. Shadow was perched on one of the buildings and the blond man looked like he might wet himself when the great Toruk fanned his wings.

"Easy boy," Jake muttered under his breath, glancing up his mount with some concern. He had instructed the animal to stay there to impress but now he realized that might have been a mistake. They'd be impressed if their foreman got eaten in front of them, all right. That was a bit more extreme than Jake wanted, however. Seeing all of the weapons pointed at the man probably didn't help convince Shadow that he wasn't food.

"Foreman Stone," Jake guessed, lowering his bow and crossing the distance. He heard Neytiri whisper a protest but he kept going, confident that the shuttle's crew wouldn't be stupid enough to shoot him down. He eyed Shadow again when he stopped before the foreman and the toruk began to settle again, seeing his rider close to the newcomer.

The foreman looked up at Jake and swallowed, keeping his calm with obvious difficulty. "Mr. Sully, I presume. Where is Dr. Patel?"

Jake gestured at Max with his bow. "That's Dr. Patel behind me."

The contrast in height and demeanor between Max and Jake must have been a bit jarring as the doctor came forward. Max offered his hand to the foreman. "Dr. Max Patel. Forgive our mistrust, but we have good reason for caution after the last ISV arrival."

"What really happened here?" Stone queried, a touch of awe creeping into his voice as he looked around and shook Max's hand.

"We can clear that up later," Jake insisted. "After we get those injured people moved into the medical wing."

Max agreed with him. "The details of our situation here aren't top priority at the moment. Foreman, if you'll have your people begin bringing the injured passengers out, our medical staff is ready to assist." He nodded in the direction of the lab and medical buildings, where a team of doctors and nurses waited at the doors to help.

Seeing that they had kept their hospital staff at a safe distance, Stone nodded. "Whatever _did_ happen here must have been serious."

"Serious enough," agreed Jake.

The foreman reached for his communicator and spoke to someone inside the shuttle. "Have the medics bring them out now. The rest of you stay in the shuttle until I say otherwise."

Jake waited until he saw the first gurneys being rolled out. Satisfied that the crew wasn't a threat for now, he looked up at Shadow and jerked his chin in a subtle, silent message. The toruk spread his wings and took to the air with a shriek.

"What is it doing?" Stone said with concealed alarm, watching the creature.

"I'm sending him away, for now," Jake explained. "He'll stay nearby until I need him again."

"So that was _your_ animal. It didn't quite fit the description of a banshee given to me."

"That's because it isn't one." Jake smirked. "Close cousin, though. The banshees aren't far away. My people will call them back when we leave, unless you give us a reason to fight you."

"So I take it yours was there for my benefit," guessed Stone, eyeing Jake up and down.

Jake's sharp smile was answer enough.

* * *

Two of the injured males died before they could get them on the operating table and one of the females had to be resuscitated. The medical team worked fast, with Max and Roy leading them. They took care of the most severe cases first and concentrated on keeping the rest stable. The visiting medics helped as best they could, while the militia kept the Valkyrie under surveillance.

While the medic staff treated the injured, Jake explained to the foreman the events that led to the current situation. Neytiri stood beside him in the lounge of the lab building, offering her input when Jake needed any. "Dr. Patel and the others can fill you in on the rest, if I left out anything important." He considered asking him if he knew Foreman Jackson, but he decided against it. He had given him the important information and he didn't want to mention Jackson until someone managed to contact the man and ask about Stone.

"Now you tell me what you've heard."

"Fair is fair," agreed Stone. "I heard that they drafted a marine into the Avatar program here, to try and get things moving faster. Unless there's been more than one man named Jake Sully on this moon, I can only assume they meant you."

"That's right. You also said you heard I died. Tell me they didn't claim I shot myself."

"No," the older man frowned. "The story that made it back to me was that the Na'vi killed you. They sacrificed you and Grace Augustine as a warning and set the wildlife against the RDA."

Jake looked at his mate with raised eyebrows and she wore an equally surprised expression. "That's a new one."

"Word was that you were here to try and get some of the natives to move to a new location, so that the company could extract unobtanium from a rich source resting under their village. The leader's daughter seduced you, convincing you to turn on your own. Once she did that, she and the villagers turned on you and slit yours and Dr. Augustine's throat, right in front of the peacekeepers that came to negotiate. They even broadcasted a video feed of your two avatars tied to stakes, at the base of the village tree."

Jake was completely speechless for a moment. Beside him, Neytiri snarled delicately and shook her head in denial. "Lies!" she hissed.

"That's some pretty heavy twisting of the real story," Jake agreed. "The feed they sent you was real but I'm guessing it cut off conveniently before our throats were slit. None of it happened like that."

"As you can see, it is not true," Neytiri said in a calmer tone as she took her mate's hand. "He is _Olo'eyktan_ of the Omaticaya tribe, now. We are mated for life, with a son. I would never try to harm him."

The foreman regarded them silently for a moment, considering them. "My wife is an engine technician and she's waiting on the ISV. We look at each other the same way you two are doing right now. I still have questions but I'm seeing proof before my eyes that what they told me isn't true."

"I'll bet I can guess who sent _that_ story out," Jake muttered angrily. "Selfridge."

Foreman Stone allowed a flash of surprise to show on his face. "Parker Selfridge did relay the information, in fact."

"What could he gain by this?" Neytiri wondered.

"I _would_ say a chance to take a last stab at us," Jake sighed. "Convince all of the rotating crews that the Na'vi really are the 'savages' they've been warned about and most people are going to shoot first and ask questions later." He eyed the foreman thoughtfully. "I think there's more to it than that, though. How did he sound when you spoke to him?"

"I didn't speak to him," answered Stone. "It was a recorded video message, sent out from Earth to all rotating ISV's when they received it. Selfridge struck me as somewhat crazed in his report, personally. Other reports conflicted a bit and that's when my crew and I started considering investigation, ourselves. Our superiors told us not to and gave us the order to search the debris of the Nova Cruiser for survivors instead. When we found injured avatars on board with no sign of the drivers, we knew we haven't been getting all of the information."

Jake decided that it was time to reveal the name of the last foreman to visit Pandora. "Do you know Lyle Jackson?"

Recognition lit Stone's eyes. "He and I worked together briefly, back on Earth."

"He was the foreman in charge of the last crew," Jake informed him. "He never contacted you about what happened here?"

"He wouldn't have known to," explained Stone. "I wasn't offered the chance to make this expedition until months after he left the solar system. How close is he to Earth now?"

"I couldn't tell you." Jake shrugged, keeping his caution. "He keeps Max updated when he can but communications aren't always stellar, as you've seen."

"Yes, there seems to be some issues with your satellites." The foreman's gray eyes looked searchingly into Jake's before roving over the rest of him.

Jake gave him a half-truth. "Interference from the other moons. I've got one more question for you. Did you let the RDA know you were coming here, even though they told you to return to Earth?"

"No. I'll decide what to report back when we finish here. It was unsettling, finding avatars moving around on their own. I wanted to get some answers and we knew most of the injured avatars would never make it all the way back to Earth if we turned around. Even if they survived the journey, nobody currently on home planet has the experience to treat such serious injuries in them."

"I get that and I'm glad we could work something out," Jake said. He was noticing the way the foreman was staring at him and it was making his skin crawl a little. "Maybe you should get something to eat from the cafeteria. I don't know how long it's going to be until Max can take the time to talk to you and the staff already has a room set up for you to sleep in while you're here."

"Just a moment," said Stone. "I still want to know more about these avatars. How did they get permanently transferred into their cloned bodies? We couldn't get many answers from them, due to their condition."

"It's...complicated," Jake said, still uncertain of how they committed the final linking process. "I'm military, not science. You'll have to get those answers from Dr. Patel."

"I see. And where is your body?"

Jake frowned and slapped his chest. "You're looking at it."

"No, I mean your human body." Stone looked him up and down and then settled his gaze on Neytiri, taking note of the subtle differences between a pure Na'vi and an avatar.

"Gone."

It was the foreman's turn to frown. "'Gone'? Gone where?"

"Dead," Jake supplied. "You can't put a soul into another body and expect the old one to live, right?"

"So you're like the avatars we rescued?"

Jake sucked his teeth and shook his head. "Not exactly. I wouldn't be wearing this exopack right now, if I were."

"But that _is_ an avatar body you're in," insisted Stone with confusion. "You have five fingers. You aren't a man that magically turned himself into a true Na'vi."

Jake glanced sidelong at Neytiri and he saw her lips curve up at one corner. He resisted a smirk of his own and shrugged. "No, this is the same avatar they assigned to me when I got here. I just took a different route than our friends in the hospital to get into it permanently."

"How?" blurted the foreman.

"Sorry, it's a sacred ritual and that's all I can tell you." Jake sobered, disliking the direction this conversation was heading. "You want to know what I am? I'm Omaticaya." He put his arm around Neytiri's waist again and started walking away.

"I didn't mean to offend," called Stone, changing his tone to a more polite one. "I'm just trying to understand."

Jake and Neytiri paused and glanced at each other before turning to look at him. "Try emptying your cup a little," suggested Jake. "In the meantime, you'll have to wait for Max to tell you more about the other avatars. I've told you all you need to know about me."

* * *

"What do you think?" Jake asked Neytiri as they walked together toward the native gardens.

"I think you did well," she answered.

"No, I mean what do you think about the foreman?"

"I did not like some of his questions," she replied, "he may have good intentions but he was too interested in you."

Jake grimaced. "I got that impression, too. On one hand, he's got a right to ask what the hell's going on with these new avatars and how I switched to mine. On the other hand, he made me feel like a bug under a microscope."

"Then we must be cautious, my Jake."

He nodded. "I want to feel him out before we make anymore negotiations."

They found several of their clan mates taking a break from guard duty, when they made it to the garden. Jake and Neytiri plucked some fruit from the cultivated plants and discussed things with their companions as they ate.

"On the surface, this looks like a genuine deal," Jake told them. "I want to believe they're telling the truth about why they are here, but a few things are bothering me and I want them cleared up."

"But you spoke with their leader? Is he like the last one?" asked one of the women in the group.

"Jake wants to feel him up," Neytiri announced.

Jake's eyes bugged out and he choked on the piece of fruit he was chewing on. "No," he coughed, wiping his mouth. "I said I want to 'feel him _out_', not 'feel him up'. It means I want to see how he acts and what he does, before I decide anything."

The Omaticaya nodded, unsure of why their chieftain had such a horrified look on his face over a simple word mix-up. "We will go back to guarding with our human allies," one of the males said, giving both leaders a respectful nod. "It is wise to watch this new Sky Person carefully, _Olo'eyktan_."

"Our allies from the Eastern Sea should be arriving by sunrise," Jake told them. "Keep an eye out for them too."

"Understood."

When the warriors left them alone in the garden, Neytiri turned her face up to look at her mate curiously. "Jake, what is the difference between the terms 'feel out' and 'feel up'?"

Jake considered his partially eaten piece of fruit before leaning over to whisper in her ear. "'Feeling up' is what I do to you all the time." He demonstrated by running his hand over her bottom.

Her mouth quirked and she chuckled softly. "Now I see why you had that look on your face."

"Yeah, that's definitely not who I'd pick to 'feel up'." To show her there were no hard feelings, he drew her into a one-armed embrace and pulled her up against him. "How are you holding up? I can tell you're distracted."

She faltered and gave him an uncertain look. She bit her lip and rested a hand against his chest. "I will manage."

Jake realized his error as the palm laid over his chest began to stroke with slow, deliberate motions. He swallowed, picking up that scent from her that could easily turn him into a mass of hormones, if he let it. Taking a slow breath, he started to look around for somewhere private where they could relieve their needs, even briefly.

Neytiri shook her head. "Now is not the time. I will wait." She pulled away from him reluctantly.

Jake nodded, compressing his lips. There was a difference between regular sexual desires and those driven by compulsion. The last time Neytiri was ready for conception, they didn't go for longer than a day without satisfying the urges. As long as he didn't get a good whiff of her pheromones he was okay, but she couldn't escape her spiking needs without answering them or waiting for them to fade.

He stroked her hair, making sure not to move in too close. "Are you sure? This situation isn't going to blow up on us if we take time for a quickie."

She glanced away, flushing. "It would not be a 'quickie', my Jake. You remember how I was the last time."

He grinned crookedly and nodded. "Oh yeah, baby."

She smacked him lightly on the stomach, pursing her lips to avoid sharing his grin. "I will remember that response, the next time you accuse me of thinking of nothing else."

He laughed softly and took her hands in his, not really trusting himself to do more than that. "You do that." He sobered a little. "And if we miss this chance, I know we'll get another one."

"Yes," she agreed, though regret darkened her eyes at the thought. "Eywa will provide as she sees fit."

Jake wished that he could think of something encouraging to say, but he was running out of positive comments. He told his hormones to walk a plank and he drew her into his embrace. He could feel her tension, but she didn't pull away and she rested her cheek against his chest.

"Maybe this time, we'll get lucky and there won't be a fight," Jake murmured, nuzzling her hair. He clenched his jaw when her scent stirred his blood again. Somehow, he resisted the urge to pick her up and carry her off into the forest. He stroked her hair in slow, soothing motions and held her close.

* * *

When the Ikran hunters arrived, Jake tuned into his brother's frequency and contacted him. It took a moment for the other twin to copy, as it was early dawn and he was just waking up.

"Jake?" Tom yawned. "How is everything? What's the situation over there?"

"Your people have arrived and so far, it doesn't look like the visitors are after a fight."

Tom's voice sounded dubious. "Then, what do they want?"

Jake explained the situation to him and he relayed the story Foreman Stone claimed to have been told about what happened in the Time of Sorrows. He could hear the astonishment in Tom's voice when he finished.

"They said that Neytiri _killed you_?"

Jake smirked. "Yeah. How do you like that? My death keeps getting more and more elaborate."

"But why would they put that story out there after telling me you shot yourself? Anyone that knew me had to realize I would get word of it sooner or later."

"It sounds to me like Jackson's team got told a completely different story from everyone else," Jake guessed. "Probably because it was the crew you were on. I don't think they were worried about you causing any real trouble if you heard Selfridge's crazy little tale. They could have always come up with some lie or excuse and you're just one guy. My guess is, they would have arranged to have you 'dealt with' if it turned into an issue, know what I mean?"

"Now you're making my skin crawl," Tom muttered. He decided to change the subject. "So all of the warriors we sent are accounted for?"

"Yeah, they're all here, safe and sound. We've explained what's going on and they're ready to fight with us, if it comes to that."

"What's the status on the accident survivors," pressed Tom, "have they stabilized them?"

"We've lost three so far, but the rest are hanging in there. I had to physically drag Max out of the medic wing to get him to take a rest break. The guy's almost out of juice and he doesn't know when to quit."

"Sic Trudy on him," Tom suggested. "She'll keep him in line."

Jake grinned, relieved to hear no wistfulness in his twin's voice when he mentioned the pilot. "I already did. She's in there with him now. She won't let him leave until he's had a few hours' sleep."

"Good," Tom approved. "I wish I was there to help, but..."

"Nobody faults you for sticking close to your mate," Jake assured him. "You've got two babies on the way and they'll need their father. Hey, Tanhi hasn't gone into labor yet, has she?"

"We've still got another month before she's due," Tom reminded, "but she's had some false contractions before, so I'm keeping a close eye on her."

"I'm surprised she's letting you," Jake snorted. "The Tanhi I know would start feeling crowded by now."

Tom lowered his voice so that it wouldn't carry. "She puts up with me hovering over her because it makes her feel safer. She'll never admit it out loud but I can feel it when we're linked."

"We picked ourselves a couple of proud women, didn't we?" Jake smirked and looked over his shoulder at his mate, who was speaking with several people from both attending tribes.

"We both have a weakness for that sort," Tom agreed. "Oh, and we contacted the guardians at the Tree of Souls to see how things are with them. Everything is fine but they're staying on alert."

Jake nodded, glancing up at the orange-tinged morning sky. "Do me a favor and relay what's going on here to them. Tell them to keep their eyes peeled until we've got confirmation that it's safe, but there's a decent chance we won't have a battle on our hands."

"I'll tell them," Tom promised.

"There's one last thing I've got to tell you."

"What's that, Jake?"

Jake braced himself and took a deep breath. "Neytiri and I have talked about what should be done if something happens to us. Tommy jr. is going to be _Olo'eyktan_ of our clan someday, and he's going to need someone to raise him and teach him to be a good leader, if we aren't around to do it."

"Oh." Tom's voice turned somber. "As much as I hate discussing the thought of anything happening to you two, you know you shouldn't even have to ask. I love Tommy and raising him for you isn't an issue. Tanhi can teach him leadership."

"That was our first choice," Jake said, fidgeting uncomfortably, "but it would take him away from the clan he was born to lead. I've got to choose between sending him with a blood relative to be raised away from his tribe, or letting him grow up where he belongs. It's not an easy decision but we've chosen to ask Norm and Ni'nat to raise him for us."

There was utter silence on the other end of the transmission. Jake swallowed again. "Tom? I wanted you to know, just in case. I wanted you to understand."

A soft intake of air could be heard, followed by a crackle of static before Tom answered. "I understand, Jake."

"You know I'd love to have my son raised by his uncle, right? We just...we have to—"

"—You have to do what's best for Tommy," finished Tom for him. "I really _do_ understand, big brother."

Jake's throat started to close up. "Uh, hold on a second, Tom. I think I swallowed a bug." He let go of the receiver button and coughed hastily. When he felt like he was in control again, he pushed the button. "You're not mad about this?"

"I admit I can't help but feel a little disappointed," his voice was suspiciously husky as well, "but I know that Norm and Ni'nat would raise him into a good man. They are loving parents and they'll teach him all he needs to know. You and Neytiri made the right choice, Jake."

Jake felt a little better about the hard choice. "Thanks for understanding, bro. I knew I could count on you to be logical."

Tom took a deep breath. "Well, it isn't as though we couldn't visit back and forth. But I think we're getting ourselves worked up over something that hasn't even happened. I think we should leave it at that and try to think positive."

"You're right," agreed Jake. He covered his mouth on a yawn. His eyes burned from lack of sleep and getting his emotions worked up like that had only made it worse. Two hours wasn't enough to refresh him. Tom heard the sound and expressed his concern.

"You sound like you need some sleep too, Jake."

"I'll get some," Jake assured him, "after I contact Norm. Take care, Tom. We'll let you know as soon as we have more to tell you."

After ending the communication with his brother, Jake tuned into Norm's frequency and gave him an update on the situation. He told him not to start moving people to the mountain cave systems, but Norm had already moved the elders.

"We were about to start moving the kids. Should we bring the elders back and call it off?"

Jake considered it and he shook his head. "No, keep doing what you're doing. At least then, if shit _does_ hit the fan, they'll already be safely hidden. How's my son doing?"

"Tommy's fine," Norm assured him. "He's playing with some of the other children and their parents are watching over him while we're organizing things."

Jake smiled. "Good. Thanks for taking care of him for us, Norm. If anything happens to us—"

"I know," interrupted the other man with a swallow. "We'll take him to his uncle. Let's not even think of that right now though."

"I was going to ask you and Ni'nat to raise him, if it came to that," Jake corrected.

"Us?" Norm's voice rose a little with surprise. "But Jake, Tom is your brother."

Jake frowned at the reminder that he was choosing his friend over his own brother. "I know, but Tommy is Omaticaya. He'll be _Olo'eyktan_ some day and he belongs with his people. Until he's old enough to claim his birthright, I want you to lead the clan."

"M-me? Have you talked to Neytiri about this?"

Jake rolled his eyes. "No, I'm sneaking behind her back. Of _course_ I talked to her about it, you superfreak. We stayed up last night discussing it, after we got our business settled with the foreman. We both trust you to take over if you have to. Our brothers and sisters here agree."

"Jake, I...I don't know what to say. I'm not sure I'm cut out for the job."

Jake smiled. "The _Olo'eyktan_ keeps his clan safe, and that's exactly what you're doing now. You're better suited to the job than you think. Our people are going to need someone to look to for guidance if Neytiri and I aren't around and you're the best candidate, until Tommy's grown up."

Norm sighed. "What about the _Tsahik_? Who would take Neytiri's place?"

"Mo'at would choose the next _Tsahik_. Norm, tell me you'll do this for us. I'm not going to relax until I know we've got this settled."

"Okay, Jake." Norm sounded uncomfortable, but resolute. "I promise, I'll do my best and raise your son like my own if it comes to that. Can we please stop talking about this? It feels like we're planning your funeral arrangements and it's giving me chills."

Jake laughed and he knew it wasn't as light-hearted as usual. "Sure, Norm. Relax, nobody's even fired a shot yet and there's a good chance that won't even happen. I just don't want to keep heading into situations like this without a solid backup plan for the future. Thanks for agreeing to do this."

"I'm going to have nightmares now," grumbled the anthropologist.

"You weren't having them before?" Jake challenged dryly. "Everyone's on edge. We all just have to keep alert and get rest when we can." He yawned again. "Speaking of rest, I'm going to have a nap. Max almost put his eye out with a syringe because he's so exhausted and I don't want to end up that drained."

"Sure Jake. I'll tell Ni'nat what you said and we'll keep going as planned. Give Neytiri our regards."

"Will do." Jake ended the communication and he drew a heavy sigh. He forced his expression into a mask of confidence and optimism as he approached his mate. Neytiri looked up at him with a question in her eyes and he nodded, silently letting her know everything was going well with the others and he'd made the arrangements they agreed upon.

"I'm going to get a little sleep in the avatar cabin," Jake murmured into her ear when she excused herself from the conversation, "maybe you should come too. There's nothing we can do right now except wait and this place is under tight guard."

* * *

"Trudy, this isn't funny." Max tugged futilely at the military issue restraint binding his right wrist to the frame of his bunk.

She straddled his desk chair backwards and rested her forearms over the top of the backrest, un-moved by the warning in his tone. She scanned him with casual brown eyes. "It's not supposed to be funny. The knee-slapper is going to be when you pass out in the middle of a surgery or cut into the wrong thing because you're too tired to pay attention."

"That won't happen," Max insisted, blinking reddened, tired eyes to focus them.

"Yeah?" She considered him and lifted her hand. "How many fingers am I holding up?"

He squinted impulsively before he could stop himself, giving himself away.

"You can't even see straight anymore—even with your glasses." She got off the chair and walked to the bunk. She climbed on top of him and planted her hands down on the pillow, on either side of his head. She loomed over him and gave him a crooked little smile. "Sorry pal, but you're not getting out of this bunk until you've had at least four hours of shuteye."

"But—"

"Nope. I don't want to hear it. The other docs can get along fine without you for a few hours. You're asking for trouble, if you don't rest that big brain of yours."

Trudy snatched off his glasses and put them safely on the metal bedside table. She reached out and tapped the light off, putting the room into soft, soothing darkness. Max grumbled another protest but it faded when her weight shifted and she stretched out on top of him. She rested her dark head on his chest and the light, clean fragrance of her shampoo wafted up his nostrils. Her fingers kneaded his shoulders gently, like a kitten fluffing up a blanket.

"Go to sleep, Max." Trudy yawned softly as she finished the sentence, which prompted Max to yawn in reaction. Trudy heard the sound and she chuckled. "Yeah, that's right. Listen to what your body's trying to tell you, Workaholic."

Max gave up and put his free arm around her, shutting his eyes. "Just for a couple of hours," he murmured sleepily.

"Whatever you say," Trudy answered, humoring him.

Once he gave in to the dogging exhaustion, Max fell into a hard, deep sleep. Trudy napped with him and when she woke up around noon, she left him sleeping.

* * *

Max held a meeting with everyone later that evening, after resting and discussing things with the visiting foreman. When they were all present in the air-conditioned briefing room, Jake stood near the reinforced windows with his mate and crossed his arms over his chest. His eyes sought out the foreman's and he kept his expression neutral.

"Well? What happens next?"

Max answered him. "Foreman Stone and I have discussed it, and we both agree that it would be best for the remaining avatar crew survivors to stay here. They'll recover better here and we can watch over them."

Jake nodded, detecting the hidden meaning behind the words "watch over them". Max Patel was nobody's fool. They might be small in numbers but most of them were trained military agents.

"What about the rest of you?" Jake asked, directing the question at Stone.

"As I said before, plans changed a lot," answered the foreman. "Our first concern in choosing to come here was to get those survivors the help they need. Unless we want to go against orders further, we can't leave any of our people here even if you would let us. The company is going to expect the full crew to return with the human survivors we picked up. I've decided that is for the best. A lot could change in the time it's going to take to make the rotation, but I'm not willing to test my luck."

Jake was surprised and he barely disguised it. "So you're _not_ going to try to convince us to let you stay and do the job you were originally sent for?"

"No, because that's not our orders anymore. Questions will come up if I don't return with the full crew as ordered, Mr. Sully. I'm not quite as willing to pit myself against the company as you people are."

Jake smirked, but he didn't relax right away. "Well, you've got to cover your own asses, I guess."

"I can see how disappointed you are in our choice to leave your world," replied the foreman dryly.

"What do you want me to do," Jake shrugged, "give you a big sloppy kiss goodbye?"

Stone smirked and looked as though he was going to say something else before changing his mind. "Well, are we all in agreement? My people will stay here overnight and in the morning, we'll return to the ISV and ready it to leave your solar system."

Jake glanced around at Max, Trudy and the others included in the meeting. "I think everyone can agree on that."

"Good," Stone said pleasantly. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to brief my people and have our shuttle prepared for the trip. Would you object to us helping ourselves to a fusion coil from your supplies? One of ours is showing signs of wear and I'd rather have nothing go wrong while we're returning to the ISV."

Jake's brows furrowed. "Why are you asking me? He's the man to talk to about that." He gestured Max's way.

The foreman took his eyes off Jake and addressed Max. "My mistake. Dr. Patel, do you mind?"

"You're welcome to it," Max offered, obviously just as happy to get rid of the visitors as Jake was. "I'll have my people bring one out to the shuttle for you."

"Thank you." Stone looked up at Jake again. "I'm sorry to hear about the events that caused the need for such strained relations. Hopefully in the future, Earth and Pandora can achieve a better understanding."

"That depends on what kind of changes they make in the way they handle things," Jake said coolly. Inwardly, he was starting to get that "bug under a microscope" feeling again and he just wanted the guy to leave.

"Good evening," Foreman Stone bid them all, apparently picking up on Jake's vibes. He left the meeting room to take care of his business and everybody relaxed a little when he was gone.

"He seemed _really_ interested in you, Jake," Trudy observed with a frown at the door, once it shut behind the foreman.

"You got that feeling too, huh?" Jake glanced down and saw goose bumps rising on his forearms. "Maybe it's just because I'm leading the Omaticaya."

"But Max is in charge down here at Hell's Gate," Trudy reminded. "He's the one Stone has to work with for anything he wants from the base, but he kept most of his attention on you."

"He was asking many questions about you when we spoke to him yesterday," Neytiri recalled, frowning at her mate. "Questions of how you came to be in your body."

Jake shrugged, but the more they lingered on the subject, the more his skin crawled. "That must be it, then. I wouldn't tell him how I switched to my avatar body and he's trying to work it out in his head. Max, have you gotten in touch with Jackson yet? I'd still like to know if he has any information about that guy."

"I'm going to try again after I do my rounds and check on our patients," Max agreed, his eyes on the door where Stone had exited. "He really did seem to have a fixation on you and knowing more about his background might explain why."

"He didn't give you any details?" Sebastian questioned. "Not that I believe we could take them as truth, mind."

"Not much about his personal life, except that he has a wife waiting for him on board the ISV. He said that she's an engine technician."

"Like the kind that could rig a space shuttle engine to explode?" Trudy said ominously.

They all looked at her. "What are you getting at?" Ramona asked.

Trudy shrugged and spread her hands. "I'm just putting ideas out there. With all the cover-ups that have been going on, don't you guys think its possible that the Nova didn't collapse until _after_ we got word about it?"

"Meaning, could they have arranged the story before carrying out the 'accident'," Max sighed, pushing his glasses further up on his nose. "I've had more than my fill of conspiracies."

"We all have," agreed Joyce. She stroked her rounded abdomen and Allen stepped closer to lay his hand over it as well. Her avatar lay in a protective tank until the day she gave birth and could begin safely using it again.

Jake frowned. The people at Hell's Gate had families to worry about too. He thought of the children born in the facility since Selfridge left, the ones who had been here longer and the ones on the way. They were reproducing at a more reserved pace than on earth but their population was growing, nonetheless. He felt lucky, compared to them. Everyone had something to lose but at least the Na'vi could take their families to other locations in the world for protection. The people at Hell's Gate had nowhere else to go.

* * *

They saw Foreman Stone and his crew off, early the next morning. This time, the allied forces didn't keep weapons trained on them but they kept them at ready, reminding Stone that they were prepared to deal with any trickery or hostility. Jake and Neytiri stood silently beside Max and watched as the last crewmember boarded the Valkyrie. Foreman Stone boarded last and he paused as he started up the ramp to look over his shoulder at Jake, one last time.

"There he goes again," Jake muttered through his teeth. "Why does he keep _doing_ that?"

Neytiri shook her head, having no answer for the man's focused interest in her mate. She glanced sidelong at Jake and resisted the urge to squirm. She could certainly relate to wanting to look at him, but for other reasons.

"Don't worry about it," Trudy soothed from Max's other side, "He's turned back around and he'll be gone soon."

A faint, involuntary shudder passed through Jake. "Creepy guy. Good riddance."

The shuttle hatch closed and after several minutes, the engines started up. Air traffic control hurried around to safely direct the craft and ensure nobody was close to the dangerous fusion jet streams. The Valkyrie lifted off slowly, until it was high above the compound. When it achieved the desired altitude, the jets rotated and the more powerful exhaust ports kicked in. It took off rapidly, leaving a trail of white-hot plasma exhaust in its wake.

When it flew out of sight and the noise died away with it, Max turned to Jake. "Now that we have that out of the way, I'll try again to reach Foreman Jackson's ISV. Hopefully I can get results this time and have the answers you want, soon."

Jake nodded. "Let's hope so. We're going to stay here until Stone's transport is long gone, just like last time."

"I was hoping you would say that," Max admitted. "I have Sebastian and the other technicians working on our satellite security again to make some fine adjustments. The job they did the last time was a little _too_ good."

"What does that mean?" Jake asked.

"It means they blocked outside access so completely, we didn't even know Foreman Stone's crew was trying to reach us for landing permission until they were almost here." Max sighed.

"The techs are going to try to fix it so people can send us comm. frequencies without screwing with our satellite signals," Trudy supplied. "They'd still need an access code to use it for more than transmission frequencies."

"Good call," Jake approved.

Neytiri understood very little of it but she knew the satellites had something to do with the last invaders coming to Pandora without being detected. She would have relaxed, now that the threat seemed to be lessened. Unfortunately, her body was in its peak receptive stage now and the need for satisfaction was like fire throbbing in her veins. Perhaps when the excitement died down, she and Jake could finally answer those urgings.

* * *

When he made it to his ISV, the foreman went immediately to communications and he sent out a signal to his superiors on Earth. When they answered, he informed them that he and his crew were preparing for the journey home.

"We have twenty-six survivors from the Nova with us," he reported. "The rest didn't make it."

"And the avatars?"

"We found eighteen of them alive," answered Stone. "The rest were dead."

"Did you take care of it?"

"Yes Sir," replied the foreman, "the Avatars won't be returning to Earth."

"Good. Contact us when you're on route."

"Of course." Stone ended the link and he went to his office chambers.

He shut the door and floated over to his computer. All of the furnishings in the room were secured to the floor, to prevent them from floating around in the zero-gravity atmosphere and breaking anything. The holo-computer was part of the desk and as he settled himself into the chair, he powered it up. The touch-screen keypad lit up under his hands and the holoscreen came to life.

Foreman Stone began to go through company data files, seeking a specific folder. He located it and a moment later, the image of Jake Sully tied to the rack outside the Omaticaya village popped up. Stone zoomed in and studied Jake's face for a moment before opening up another file and moving a second image over beside the first. The second was a picture of a young man with a military haircut. There were dogtags hanging around his neck. While he held a neutral expression, something in the young man's eyes suggested he was grinning cockily on the inside.

Stone compared the two images and he could see the facial resemblance between the human and Na'vi subjects. "Jake Sully," he mused, focusing more on the image of the cyan-striped individual. "Your new look suits you."

* * *

After doing some fine-tuning on her Samson, Trudy went to the control room to look for Max. He was just leaving when she walked through the door. He had a look on his face that was somewhere between relief and speculation.

"Did you get him?" Trudy asked when he came to a stop before her.

"I finally reached him," Max confirmed. "Foreman Stone was telling the truth about them working together, but Jackson said it was only briefly."

Trudy fell into step with him as they left the control room and began walking down the hallway. "So could he give you any dirt on the guy?"

Max shook his head. "Nothing very interesting; except for his marital status. According to Mr. Jackson, Mr. Stone has never been married."

Trudy's brows drew down in confusion. "So unless he got hitched between the last time Jackson saw him and now, the guy lied about having a wife. What the hell for?"

Max shrugged. "I can't think of any advantage it would bring him."

"Maybe Jackson has it wrong," suggested Trudy, "since he said he didn't work with the guy for that long."

"Possibly, but Mr. Jackson said that the subject came up in casual conversation once and Mr. Stone admitted he has never been married. It's a common thing, to ask people about marital status and children when getting to know them."

"Then maybe he just lied to Jackson. Maybe he and his wife were on the outs and he didn't want to talk about it."

"That seems logical," Max conceded, "but now that I think of it, I never noticed a ring on his finger."

"So? Some people don't wear their wedding bands all the time. He could have had it stashed away on the ISV for safe keeping in case something went wrong down here."

Max smirked. "May I ask why you're so determined to believe he didn't lie about his wife?"

"Maybe I just like to argue." Trudy smirked back. "But does it really matter if the guy is married or not?"

"It shouldn't," Max agreed, "except that it's an awfully strange thing to lie about, when it won't help you gain anything. We were negotiating usage of our medical facilities, not discussing promotions at a company business party."

"Exactly. So he's probably married and he just told Jackson he wasn't." Trudy nodded in satisfaction, but then something occurred to her that made her curious. "When did he say he was married, anyway? What were you two doing, making small-talk about relationships in the middle of serious negotiations?"

"I'm not the one he said it to," Max corrected. "He told Jake when they were having their conversation and Jake told me when we discussed what was said."

"Huh. That's weird."

"What's weird?" Max gave her a patiently expectant look and Trudy mulled things over in her mind.

"Why would he talk about his wife with Jake? Sully isn't the kind of guy that would make idle chit-chat with someone he's watching like a hawk."

"Maybe Stone volunteered the information," Max said. "Why are we still focusing on this?"

"Because something about it's bothering me, that's why. Now shush and let me think." Trudy chewed her gum more rapidly, absently blowing little bubbles as she concentrated. "He took a real obvious interest in Jake. We all saw it. Hell, I'd almost say he was...was..."

Trudy's eyebrows shot up and her most recently blown bubble popped loudly. "Oh man, I think I get it!"

"What?" demanded Max. "What do you get?"

Trudy started to laugh. "Jake's gonna to shit!"

"Why?" Max hurried to keep up with her as Trudy picked up the pace, heading for the main entrance of the building. "What am I missing, here?"

"Just come on," Trudy said. "You'll see!"

* * *

"Jake," Neytiri murmured breathlessly as his lips caressed her throat.

Her fingertips skimmed down his back encouragingly and her breath caught as he pressed her against the outer cabin wall. A mixture between a purr and a growl vibrated in his throat as he settled a thigh between hers and kissed her on the mouth.

"My Jake," she gasped against his lips, "not here. It is too open."

"Then we'll move," he answered. He felt like he was going to burst, if he didn't have her soon. Her thigh rubbed against his crotch, massaging his arousal through his loincloth. It turned him on so much, he forgot about where they were. He put his hands around her waist and lifted her off the ground, pressing his body against hers again to hold her in place. She moaned and hugged him around the waist with her thighs, sliding her fingers through his hair.

The sound of footsteps and voices approaching quickly snapped Jake back to reality. His eyes popped open and he released his mate, letting her ease back to the ground. As bad as he wanted her, he didn't want anyone to walk up to the cabin and find the two of them rutting against the wall.

"Sorry," Jake apologized in a lust-roughened voice. "I got carried away. We could use the bathroom in the cabin. The door locks, so nobody could walk in on us." What he was saying dawned on him as soon as he finished making the suggestion. He shut his eyes and groaned.

"That would be good," Neytiri agreed, taking one of his hands urgently. "Quickly, Jake."

"No." He shook his head, grimacing.

"Why not?" She shifted restlessly. "You suggested it!"

He opened his eyes and gave her a rueful smirk. "This isn't a college fraternity. I don't want our kid conceived in a bathroom. It deserves better than that and so do you."

She growled impatiently. "I don't care where we go to, just so we go _now_."

"All right, calm down," he soothed, looking around to see if anyone was close enough to witness their arguing. "We'll go into the forest. It's not as close but unless you'd rather sneak into the bushes and hope nobody comes along—"

"Fine," she interrupted hastily. "We will go to the forest. I have waited long enough."

He nodded eagerly. "Let's book."

"I do not _want_ a book!" She was becoming rather petulant in her frustration, as well as distracted.

He started walking quickly to the gates closest to the avatar community area, pulling her along with him. "It means let's hurry," he explained in a rush.

"Oh. Yes, we must hurry."

They barely made it onto the path leading away from the cabin when Trudy's voice called out from somewhere behind and to the right. Jake stopped and hissed through his teeth. "Shit...pretend we don't hear her."

"But Jake, it could be something—"

"I thought you had to have it now," Jake argued, giving her an intense look.

Neytiri wavered and then nodded, squeezing his hand. "I don't hear anything."

They moved along at a hurried pace, ignoring Trudy's calls. People glanced at them as they passed and the couple tried to look a little less desperate. Jake gave his clan mates strained smiles and nods of greeting as they passed. Neytiri did the same. It was impossible to hurry without _looking_ like they were in a hurry, so they were forced to slow down a little. Their people might think something was wrong if they ran, and that would rouse questions neither of them were patient enough to answer. Jake self-consciously tried to hide his condition when they got closer to their goal. His body had calmed down a little but anyone that looked below the waist would probably notice his problem.

"Yo Sully, wait up!"

Jake groaned and came to a stop, pulled Neytiri with him when she tried to keep going. "No good," he whispered, "Trudy knows I've got good hearing and she's too close for me to keep up the act."

Neytiri sighed but she pushed down her frustration and nodded.

Jake gave her a pained smile and leaned close enough to whisper without getting a nose full of her scent. "It's probably nothing disastrous, or they would have cranked up the alarms. We'll just see what she wants and get it over with."

He half-turned, hiding his little problem from view as he looked back at the approaching pilot. Max was following behind her but the look on his face didn't suggest there was a grim situation. If anything, he looked puzzled.

"What's up, Trudy?"

She came to a stop near the couple and she smirked up at Jake through her exopack. "I think I just figured something out that's going to floor you."

Jake shared a look with his mate and clenched his teeth. "Can't it wait?" He cocked his head meaningfully in Neytiri's direction, hoping Trudy would take the hint.

Trudy was oblivious to his subtle message. "No, you've got to hear this."

Jake growled softly and turned around completely to face them. Maybe if she caught a glimpse of the state he was in, she'd get the message. "We were kind of in the _middle_ of something, flygirl. If it's nothing that doesn't need our attention now, just tell me tomorrow."

Trudy didn't notice, but Max did. More familiar with that uncomfortable stance than a woman, he blinked and cleared his throat. "Uh, Trudy...maybe this can wait for another time."

Trudy gave them both an annoyed look. "Okay fine. I just thought maybe you'd want to know why that Stone guy was so interested in you."

Jake's libido began to cool as his thoughts went to the unsettling way Stone had looked at him and focused on him. "All right, go on."

Trudy grinned smugly. "The guy was checking you out, Jake."

Jake stared at her. So did Max. Neytiri only partially understood the meaning behind her words. "We already know that he was looking at Jake a lot."

Trudy winked at Jake. "He wasn't just looking. He was lusting."

Jake stared at her for a moment longer before rolling his eyes. "Real funny, Trudy. Max, will you do something with her? We've got things to do."

"Come on, think about it," Trudy persisted, stalling him from turning away. "The guy wasn't just looking at your face. He paid more attention to things you said than anyone else, too."

Neytiri looked at Jake thoughtfully. "Could this be true, my Jake?"

"No!" Jake scratched his head uncomfortably. "She's nuts. Foreman Stone isn't gay! He's married, for crying out loud."

Trudy snickered and Max's eyebrows went up. "Actually Jake, that isn't true."

Jake frowned at Max. "What isn't true?"

"I was going to tell you tomorrow, since I didn't find out anything particularly interesting but I contacted Jackson earlier and he knows Stone. He didn't have a lot of useful input on him because he doesn't know him that well, but he did inform me that Mr. Stone has never been married."

Jake turned his head slightly to the left and his ears flicked forward and back warily. "But...he's got a wife," he protested, pointing up at the sky. "On the ISV. She's an engine technician." He repeated the information as if reciting from cue cards, thanks to the disbelief and dread he was feeling.

"He might have an engine technician up there but he's not married to her," Trudy snorted. "Face it Jake, he was munching on you like a big blue piece of eye candy."

"He wasn't wearing a ring," Max pointed out in a thoughtful tone. His eyebrows were still lifted and he looked at Jake calculatingly. "Maybe Trudy is right."

"No way," Jake argued, "nuh-uh. Even if the guy lied about his wife, he wasn't looking at me like...like that."

"Really? Then why did his eyes go like this?" Trudy made a show of scanning Jake up and down.

By now, his "problem" was cured by the subject of the conversation. In fact, Jake wondered if his junk was trying to crawl up inside of him. He kept shaking his head and he pointed between Trudy and Max. "Nah, you two are messing with me. Nice try."

"Imagine Mr. Stone as a woman," suggested Max.

Jake's eyes widened. "What? No thanks, Max." He shuddered.

"Then imagine _any_ woman looking at you the way he did," Trudy revised, nodding at Max with agreement. "If a chick looked at you that way, would you think she wasn't checking you out?"

Jake tried not to let his imagination go there. He looked at Neytiri, whose gaze moving up and down his body without her seeming to realize it. Jake blinked and his eyes went blank.

"Oh my god." He looked at each of his companions and his expression grew more horrified. "Holy _shit_, he's _gay_!"

Trudy chuckled and nudged Max. "Now he gets it."

"But...how...he said he has a wife..." Jake was growing more flustered by the moment.

Max smiled at him patiently. "Jake, you know we have some homosexual men and women working in this facility already. It isn't as though they're a mythical creature."

"Some Na'vi choose to bond with a partner of their own gender," Neytiri said with a nod. "It is not common, but it does happen. My people see no wrong in it."

"Yeah, but that's more of a partnership thing," Jake excused, "like a couple of war buddies looking out for each other."

Neytiri looked at him with something like pity in her eyes. "Oh, Jake. You cannot be this blind."

Jake opened his mouth, shut it, then shrugged. "It's none of my business. I don't care if they're gay. They're my brothers and sisters like anyone else in the clan."

"I think someone's a homophobe," Trudy speculated.

"What does that word mean?" Neytiri asked.

"Fear of people that are attracted to their own gender," Max supplied helpfully. He scratched his chin and looked at Jake with a nod. "I think Trudy is onto something."

"No, she isn't," Jake denied. "Guys, I'm _not_ a homophobe. Have I ever once treated any of the gay people here differently than anyone else?" He looked at Neytiri. "Have I ever treated the uh...bonded hunters any different than the rest of the tribe?"

"No, but none of them have ever eye-humped you before...that you know of," Trudy pointed out with a grin. "Face it Jake, the thought of another dude checking you out has you freaked."

"That doesn't make me a homophobe!" Jake huffed in frustration, annoyed by the mixture of amusement and patronizing disapproval he saw on Neytiri's face. He bent over to look Trudy in the eye. "Okay Trudy, how would _you_ like it if a creepy guy twice your age was looking at you like that?"

She shrugged. "Happens all the time."

He wanted to counter that but it was true. Older men on the base were always checking out younger women. "All right, what if it was a woman, then?"

"Same difference. They can enjoy the view all the want; it doesn't mean they're getting any."

Jake narrowed his eyes at her.

"Jake, you are being stupid," Neytiri sighed. "It was only a gaze. It cannot hurt you."

Jake straightened back up and faced his mate. An idea came to him and he grinned, tilting his head a little. "Yeah? Let's try Max and Trudy's idea, then. What if Stone was a woman, looking at me like that? Is it still just a gaze?"

Neytiri faltered a little. "He is not a woman."

"Doesn't matter, right?" Jake reasoned. "He's still eyeing your territory. I remember a certain Na'vi princess that wouldn't let nurses help me pee, because she thought they were being a little too friendly with their eyes."

His scheme paid off. Just as he thought, Neytiri's condition combined with her natural tendency to be possessive of him made her see things differently. Her expression darkened and she slipped a hand through one of his.

"He is gone now," Neytiri said stiffly. "He will _stay_ gone, if he is wise."

Jake grinned and he winked at his friends. "Got her back on _my_ side now. Take that."

Trudy rolled her eyes. "Whatever, big guy. I'll give you this; that foreman did kind of ooze. I guess I wouldn't want him taking that much interest in me either."

"Human men don't know what to do with their eyes, any better than the women," Neytiri said in disgust.

Max started to say something in response to that but he wisely chose not to. Instead, he turned to Trudy. "So, older men are looking at you all the time? Which ones? I could—"

"I'm a big girl, Max," Trudy interrupted with a smirk. "I can handle it. Besides, they all know if they lay a finger on me, I'll put them on their ass before they know what hit them." She reached out and patted his head. "It's cute that you want to protect me, though."

"Looks like I'm not the only one that inspires some jealousy," Jake observed.

Max flushed and cleared his throat, sticking his hands into the pockets of his lab coat. "Well, this has been a charming little exchange, but I need to check on those patients. Remember, a few inappropriate glances are the least of our worries with this foreman, until his ISV leaves orbit."

"Right." Jake sighed. Now he wanted Stone gone for two different reasons. He shuddered again, unable to help it.

"Have a good afternoon, you two," Max said politely. "Oh and uh, I apologize for the interruption."

Jake waved it off. "It's all right. We're getting used to it."

"What _did_ we interrupt?" Trudy asked.

Jake gave her an exasperated look, cast a sidelong glance at his mate and shook his head. "And you think _I'm_ clueless."

Trudy caught on and raised her eyebrows. "Ooh. Got it. Sorry about that." She looked properly contrite. "Well, I guess we'll see you tomorrow. Later." She and Max walked away together, heading back the way they came.

Jake remembered something he'd said in sarcasm to Foreman Stone when the man announced that he and his crew would leave. "Oh shit."

Neytiri looked at him in puzzlement. "What now, my Jake?"

"I'll bet he thought I was flirting with him."

She frowned. "How?"

"I asked if he wanted me to offer him a big wet kiss goodbye." Jake couldn't hide the horrified expression on his face.

Neytiri rolled her eyes and shook her head.

* * *

-To be continued

**Additional author's note: I don't think it's realistic to have a world in which only straight people exist, so I thought it was about time I give mention of a demographic that has been otherwise missing from the story. This particular story will never contain any gay love scenes. I usually tend to keep my het and yaoi separate from each other.**


	39. Chapter 39

"Between worlds"

Chapter 39

* * *

Author's note: See footnotes at the end of the chapter for Na'vi/English translations. Warning: graphic sex. I said I wasn't going to do another detailed love scene for a while, but I felt that a certain main couple deserves it. Most of this chapter is for interludes.

* * *

*Disclaimer: I do not own Pandora and I make no profit from writing fanfiction based on the "Avatar" film.

* * *

"Oh my god, what have I done?"

Ni'nat paused and turned, taking her attention away from the groups of people carrying children for evacuation. "Norm?"

He was standing there looking bewildered, with one hand rubbing his forehead and the other hanging at his side. His tail hung limp behind him and his ears were drooping. Eyes downcast, he looked like a man who had just discovered a terrible secret.

"My Norm," Ni'nat repeated his name insistently, coming up to him to take him by the shoulders. "What is it?"

He took his hand down from his forehead and raised his eyes to look at her. "I've made a promise I don't think I can keep."

She made a gesture at one of the nearest males, signaling him to continue with the evacuation. When he nodded in understanding, Ni'nat returned her attention to Norm. "This is about what you said to our _Olo'eyktan_?"

He looked as though ashamed, averting his eyes. "Yes. Ni'nat, I've always been confident when it comes to what I know. I'm good with lore, history, plants and medicine. I _don't_ know war. I don't have the kind of warrior strength Jake has. I shouldn't be thinking of this right now. Sorry."

"It was a lot to consider, when trying to do what we are doing," she excused. She pressed closer to him, careful not to sandwich the infant strapped to her chest too tightly between them. "You do not have to think about that yet. If you ever do, I know you will find your strength."

He took a deep breath and nodded, loosely embracing her. He looked down at their sleepy little daughter and smiled. "I'll put it in the back of my mind. I can't afford to get staggered over this, right now."

"My clever one," Ni'nat cooed, kissing him softly on the mouth.

"I've got some very important help," he insisted modestly, returning her kiss. He adjusted the harness on his back and turned his head when he felt little Tommy's fingers curl into his hair. "Okay, we get the message. Back to work."

Little Tommy grinned in a manner that was very much like Jake.

* * *

While Norm and Ni'nat worked to get the most vulnerable members of their tribe to a more secure location, Tanhi was struggling to cope with all of her latest limitations. When she discovered that she and Tom's efforts had met with success, she prepared herself for the initial morning sickness, sensitivity to smells, mood swings, restlessness and unpredictable mating urges. She warned him to expect to be pounced some nights and pushed away on others.

She expected the food cravings that tended to cause the males of the clan to shake their heads in wonder or wrinkle their noses with perplexity. She was prepared for the ungainly waddle that grew more pronounced than average near the end of pregnancy. The same had happened with her last child, but it was even clumsier now from the weight of two babies.

She did _not_ anticipate how extreme any of those things would become as her condition advanced. The expected cravings for odd combinations of food came back, but she discovered she had new ones to add to that list.

She hadn't expected to eat _three_ times her usual food intake at meals, before her hunger was satisfied. She felt like she was eating half of the clan's food supplies, but the unborn twins used up so much of that nourishment to grow that anything less would have resulted in dangerous weight loss.

She wasn't prepared for how quickly she became fatigued, or how often her back ached. These things were normal, but they happened more frequently and severely with this pregnancy. She felt like she spent more time asleep than awake in her final trimester—when she wasn't rolling around trying to get comfortable.

Her previous mate had been attentive and helpful during her pregnancy, but he knew when to back off and allow her to do things on her own. Tom was different. The bigger she got, the more insistent he became and before she knew it, he refused to even let her cook her own meals. Instead, he insisted that she relax and instruct him while he cooked them for her. It was both endearing and frustrating, to Tanhi.

While he was learning to improve his culinary skills, he piled a cushion of hides against the wall of the cooking shelter for her to recline on and supervise. The food was bland at best in the beginning but because he was trying so hard, she was gracious about it. Now, close to the final month of pregnancy, Tom had almost mastered how to prepare most of her favorite foods and snacks.

She admitted to herself that she appreciated having her meals cooked for her by him, once he got the knack for it. What she didn't appreciate was being put to bed like a child when he thought she was wearing herself out. After the false contractions occurred in the last trimester, he insisted that she only spend a few hours per day on her feet. Tom Sully could be surprisingly firm when he was determined about something and it only took a reminder from him that it was best for the babies to make her reconsider.

She coped with it all as stoically as she could, but the final blow to her pride came on the day that Jake contacted Tom to tell him about the situation at Hell's Gate. Later that day just before noon, Tanhi sat down on the beach to watch the waves for a while. When the combination of cool winds and sea spray on her skin began to chill her, she decided it was time to go back.

Unfortunately, she couldn't get up.

At first, she kept her calm and patiently tried to maneuver, used to having such difficulties by now. She realized she should have sat on her knees instead of her bottom, because no matter how she tried, she couldn't rock forward enough to get her legs beneath her. She attempted rocking back to give herself extra forward momentum—which resulted in her overbalancing. She tried throwing her hands back to brace herself in time, but the loose sand provided no traction and she ended up on her back, with her arms out to the sides.

"Little ones, do not do this to _Sa'nok_," Tanhi warned her unborn offspring with a grunt.

She managed to prop herself up on her elbows but it did little good. Her feet kicked up sand as she bent her legs and tried to get them in a position to help her rise. All she managed to do was put herself into position that made it look like she was readying for birthing. She fell back again, panting softly from exertion.

Now she was getting angry. Her lips compressed and she pounded her fists into the sand, growling stubbornly. She was a warrior and a leader. She had survived a plague, led her people to a new home and fought against the Sky People. A bloated belly and some sand should not defeat her!

Determined to get out of this mess on her own, she tried rolling onto her side. If she could get onto her hands and knees, she could crawl to her feet and nobody would know about the humiliating experience except for her. The sand shifted beneath her body as she eased onto her right side. It kept her from rolling far enough to maneuver the way she needed to. Refusing to give up, Tanhi grabbed at some nearby weeds that were growing out of the sand, tugging on them for purchase. They broke off in her hand and she tossed them into the wind with a frustrated cry.

She began to kick her feet, scattering more sand into the breeze and all over herself in her struggles. She started grunting and snarling curses, including a human one that she had heard Tom use whenever he was supremely angry or annoyed. Her accent made it sound different from the way he said it, but it was satisfying to blurt out, nonetheless.

"Fack!"

"_Olo'eyktan_?" a child's voice spoke hesitantly, from the left. "What are you doing?"

Tanhi abruptly ceased her struggles and turned her head to regard a small boy and girl, who stood a few feet away. Their small faces bore equal expressions of curiosity and concern. There was no telling how long they had been standing there.

"Hello little ones. I was just...watching the sea."

"You seem very upset," the girl said in a hesitant, respectful voice. "Do you need help?"

Tanhi sighed. It was obvious that the children had already seen enough of her struggles to guess what was going on. "I am only having some trouble getting to my feet. It may take some time, but I will manage."

Neither child looked like they quite believed her. "We could fetch your mate," the boy offered.

"No," Tanhi denied quickly, shaking her hand. "No, don't worry about me. I can do it myself. Go and play, now."

The children glanced at each other dubiously, but they knew better than to argue with their leader. They ran off to play—or so it appeared. Knowing how devoted her people were to her, Tanhi didn't believe for a second that the little ones would do as they were told. _She_ wouldn't leave a heavily pregnant woman mired in the sand to fend for herself and she knew the kids wouldn't, either.

"They will tell my Tom," she sighed with certainty.

Tanhi resumed her efforts, hating the thought of her protective mate finding yet another reason to baby her.

* * *

Tom checked the time and realized he should be getting started on preparing Tanhi's lunch. He finished up what he was doing, put everything away and cleaned up before locking up his trailer. He was just starting down the path leading into the village when a couple of the clan children came running up to him. Tom smiled in greeting, expecting them to ask if they could look at some of his equipment. Many of the children enjoyed learning more about human science, when Tom had the time to teach them.

"I'm sorry children, but I can't teach you anything today," Tom explained gently when they reached him. "You've come just as I was on my way to—"

"We came to fetch you," the little girl explained. Her younger male companion nodded enthusiastically.

"What do you need?"

"It is the _Olo'eyktan_," answered the boy. "She did not want us to bring you but we thought we should anyway."

Tom's thoughts went immediately to childbirth and his heart did a flip. It would be just like Tanhi to start having contractions and wave it off as nothing if anyone asked about it. "Is it the babies?"

"Um...not really," the little boy answered uncertainly, his small face screwing up.

"She is stuck," the little girl finished, giggling a little. "Our chieftess cannot get up."

Tom's brows hedged. "She fell?" His anxiety increased and he looked over the children's heads at the path, scanning the village with worried eyes.

"No," the boy answered hastily. "She just sat down and could not get back up."

"We found her complaining on the beach," added the little girl helpfully. "She told us she can get back up on her own, but we don't think she can."

Tom's lips quirked. "Where is she?"

"At the foot of the north cliff," answered the little boy, pointing in the direction. "Will she be mad at us for telling on her?"

Tom chuckled under his breath and shook his head. "No. If anything, she'll be mad at me for coming to help. You did the right thing, kids. I'll take care of it."

He ruffled their hair as he walked past them and he braced himself for an argument.

* * *

Tanhi was again caught unawares, thanks to her fixation on getting out of her predicament. She got sand in her mouth and she spat it out with another curse. It was then that she saw a pair of familiar brown hiking boots approach. She froze as they stopped a couple of feet away from her. She looked up through a tangle of sand-crusted braids, her eyes climbing from the footwear to the dark cargo pants, the opened, button-up brown shirt and the darker tee-shirt underneath it. Her gaze finally settled on Tom's face, looking down at her from above. He had a pair of shades propped on the crown of his head and tendrils of loose hair hung around his face in a rakish manner. He smiled at her, flashing white teeth and a brief glimpse of his canines.

There she was, floundering like a beached sea creature and all she could think of was how handsome he looked, even in his alien clothing. She was angry with herself for still being so easily charmed by him and she was angry with him for seeing her like this. _Tsahaylu _was a deeply pleasing alternative to the act of mating but she and Tom hadn't done the latter for over a month. She was sorely missing the activity.

Tom cocked his head and glanced aside for a moment as if in thought. He took a deep breath and then squatted down beside her. "Enjoying the view?"

Tanhi's jaw dropped at his arrogance and she narrowed her eyes. It was bad enough that she'd given away her admiration in a look, but for him to posture over it? "You smug—"

"The sea," he elaborated before she could finish the accusation. He gestured out at the water. "It's nice today, isn't it? Frothy waves, fluffy clouds, nice breeze. You're here to look at it, aren't you?"

She was forced to look over her shoulder and down the length of her entrenched body to look at it. She nearly lost her balance and ended up on her back again, but she stubbornly held her position, half on her side. "Yes. That is why I am here."

"And to sunbathe," he added with a sage nod. "Why else would you be _lying_ that way?"

If it were another male, she might have believed he was being sincere and trying to save her some dignity. Knowing her mate as she did, she heard the mocking undertone in his voice. She wanted to denounce him but she chose to play along. "The sand is comfortable."

He glanced at her and nodded. "Mm. It looks like it. Who could blame you for snuggling into it the way you have."

Tanhi was rapidly losing the fight against her temper, but she refused to give in. "I like the feel of it on my skin."

"And the taste of it in your mouth?" Tom wiped her lips with his fingertips and his own lips twitched briefly.

"It cleans the teeth," she agreed, her tone becoming more aggressive.

"I suppose it's good for the hair, too." Tom reached out and brushed some of the small braids away from Tanhi's face, freeing granules of sand from the hair in the process.

She somehow held onto the rapidly thinning thread of self-control. "It makes it sparkle."

For a brief moment, she thought he would lose his composure. He coughed into his fist and nodded, keeping a maddeningly straight face. "Well, it sounds like you are _really_ enjoying yourself. I'm going to cook lunch. I plan to make your favorite fish, but I know how you like it a certain way and I haven't mastered that yet. I thought you would like to supervise."

"I...I will come soon." Tanhi's mouth watered at the thought of rim fish, prepared the special way she had discovered since making the seaside her people's home.

"Okay then," Tom said easily. "I'll get started on it. Hopefully, I won't ruin an important step before you come to watch over it." He got to his feet, wiped his pants off and started walking away from her.

She began to struggle again. "I will come now," she grunted.

He nodded, not slowing his stride. "Good."

Tanhi didn't notice his step falter as she flailed again. She didn't notice the angry frown on his lips when she grunted, because his back was to her. She panted with effort and finally, she was too exhausted to keep going.

"Tom-ee." She cursed herself for sounding so plaintive, but she was getting desperate.

He stopped in his tracks and turned to look at her. His amber gaze softened and he returned to her side, squatting beside her again. She bit her lip as he looked at her expectantly, his expression caught somewhere between exasperation and love.

"Enough of this," Tom murmured. He coaxed her onto her back and he helped her into a sitting position. His breath tickled her ear as he spoke into it. "Is it really so hard for you to say: 'Tom, I need help'?"

Her ears drooped and she looked away. "I did not want you to see me like this. I should be able to do something as simple as stand up without help."

"You're carrying _two_ babies and the sand was working against you," Tom reminded her. He placed his hand over her swollen abdomen and rubbed it through the protective tunic that covered it. "You told me yourself that you had trouble carrying the weight in your last pregnancy. I shouldn't have to trick you into asking for help. Now come on, let's get you sorted out so I can make your lunch."

Tanhi inclined her head, too tired to argue further. "I have sand in unpleasant places," she admitted sulkily.

Tom laughed softly and began to brush the grit from her body. "Serves you right. I'll help you bathe it off in our lodge, before we get started on lunch." He helped her stand up and he brushed off as much of the rest of the clinging sand as he could.

She favored him with a reserved little smile of thanks and she rubbed her arms. He noticed the gesture and he removed his button-up shirt to drape it over her shoulders. "Here, you're cold."

Tanhi gazed up at him, reminded again of what had so attracted her to this male, beyond physical appearance. "Tom?"

"Hmm?"

"I will...try to ask for help from now on, instead of making you trick me." She blushed like a maiden, embarrassed by her inability to express herself with words.

He gave her an open smile and he gently drew her closer to him. "That's going to make things a lot easier on both of us. Trust me." He lowered his mouth to hers and before she could warn him against it, he kissed her on the lips. Tom pulled back a moment later and turned his head away, spitting discreetly.

"Sand," Tanhi guessed with a smirk.

"I think the first order of business is to get some fresh water for you to rinse that out of your mouth," he muttered.

Together, the mated pair walked the beach back to the village. Tom kept an arm around Tanhi and she rested her head against his shoulder without conscious thought.

* * *

Jake and Neytiri were again free to pursue their quest for privacy, to satisfy the urges they had been putting off since the most recent issues first began. The unpleasant discussion over Trudy's perception of why the foreman was so interested in Jake had cooled his ardor the point where he could think again.

"So the partnered hunters are mated, like us?" Jake asked Neytiri in a low voice.

"Not like us for having offspring, but the bond is just as true. I thought you knew this, Jake."

He shrugged. "Like I said before; I just thought they were really close."

Neytiri chuckled, finding his naivety more endearing than frustrating. "Now you know the truth. Does it bother you?"

He shook his head. "Oily old businessmen eyeing me like a meat tray bothers me. Who other people love isn't my business."

"You will never have to see him again, if he and his people leave as promised," she soothed.

"Yeah, but what is he doing behind the scenes?" Jake sighed. "I just feel like this was too easy."

Neytiri moved around in front of him and walked backwards, gazing at him with a promise in her amber eyes. "Come, my Jake. I will make you forget about the repulsive foreman."

He smiled and began to relax, appreciating the graceful movements of her body and the seductive look in her eyes. "Who could turn down an offer like that?"

He followed gamely and her scent reached him again, tickling his re-awakened libido. Luckily, they made it out the gates before his condition progressed to an obvious stage again. When they were a few feet outside the closing gate, Neytiri suddenly gave him a smile and a challenging glance. She let go of his hand and began to run towards the line of trees in the distance. Jake smiled when she glanced over her shoulder at him for a moment. His ears tilted back and his nostrils flared. A feral grin curved his mouth.

"Ready or not, here I come."

He gave chase, urged on by the wild stirrings of his blood and the sight of her feminine backside retreating from him. For now, his world was centered on her and nothing else mattered. He chased after her, putting thoughts of conspiracies, uncomfortable stares and concerns for the future out of his mind. Perhaps he and Neytiri shouldn't be trying to create a new addition to their family right now, but if her body was ready for it then the conditions must be right. He heard her hoot as she reached the vegetation and he charged in behind her.

He intended to pounce on her and wrestle her to the ground, but when he made it into the canopy, he completely lost sight of her. Jake skidded to a halt, perking his ears and casting a quick look around. He knew his mate's hunting skills and he knew her tricks. Na'vi women seemed to share a fondness of sneaking up on their men and pouncing them, like cats on the prowl.

"Neytiri," Jake called out cajolingly, smirking. "I know you're here—"

Jake suddenly twisted around and braced himself. He caught his mate around the waist as she sprung at him from the foliage behind him. He carried her down with him and turned the tables quickly, rolling on top of her and catching her wrists.

"—Somewhere," he finished with a grin, straddling the surprised female and holding her wrists over her head. "Gotcha."

Neytiri was breathing heavily and the scent Jake detected grew even stronger. "Your instincts have improved much, my Jake."

He settled a little more comfortably on top of her and he reveled in the low purr of need that came from her as a result. "With a minx like you as a mate, I need every edge I can get. Besides, you were sloppy."

She squirmed beneath him and her lids grew heavy with lust. "I am not at my best," she agreed. She ran the tip of her tongue over shapely lips and Jake groaned at the sight.

Determined not to rush this encounter, Jake ruthlessly choked his instincts back and he maneuvered himself on top of her. He kept a firm hold on her wrists, guessing by her reactions that she enjoyed his dominance. He settled his hips between her thighs and stretched out on top of her, lowering his mouth to hers. Instead of kissing her full on the lips, he gave her a brief swipe with his tongue and a quick nuzzle before pulling back to look at her.

"Jake," Neytiri moaned, squirming again.

He smiled and released her wrists to seek out their queues. Her hands immediately began to explore his body and she licked delicately at the pulse along his neck, distracting him. He turned his head and shut his eyes, flicking his ears unconsciously in reaction to her sensual kisses. He connected their queues and both of them moaned when the bond was sealed. He began to explore her body with his hands, doing his best to take his time.

"Shh, just relax," Jake murmured between kisses.

Neytiri was restless and eager beneath him, urging him to enter her. He wanted to comply...oh Eywa, did he ever want to comply; but he was determined to prolong the foreplay. He supported himself with one arm and slid his free hand beneath her necklace to fondle her breasts. His lips muffled her cries with kisses as he tenderly squeezed, rubbed and circled her nipples with his fingertips. The tingling pleasure of the stimulation reached him through the link and he guessed that if he kept doing it long enough, she would orgasm from it.

Neytiri's hands glided over his back and buttocks, the fingertips kneading and caressing his skin. She cupped his bottom and made a needy sound in her throat, begging him with her body language and _tsahaylu_ to get on with the mating.

Jake smirked, even as his groin ached with unsatisfied need. He kissed her throat and rubbed against her through the thin barrier of their loincloths. The feel of his hardened sex grinding against her made Neytiri whimper and writhe. She clutched at his bottom urgently, panting his name with growing volume.

He ignored her pleas and he continued to caress her body at leisure. Her nipples were pebbled and sensitized by the time he moved onto other body parts. His hand slid over her ribcage and down, cupping her hip briefly before working on undoing her loincloth. Neytiri likewise began to remove Jake's clothing article. Her normally deft fingers were clumsy with her haste and lust. She growled in frustration when she couldn't immediately get the garment untied and Jake laughed huskily against her neck.

"Jake, this is not funny," Neytiri gasped. "I want it off!"

"I noticed," he teased, lifting his head to grin down at her.

He got her loincloth untied and he lifted his hips off of her to remove it. He kissed her sensually as he tossed the garment a couple of feet away and he began helping her with his. When the loincloth joined Neytiri's in the grass, Jake got off of her and lay on his side beside her, propping himself up on one elbow. He kissed her and resumed stroking her body with his free hand, enjoying the way her breath hitched when his fingertips skimmed over sensitive areas.

Neytiri's heavy-lidded gaze roamed his body appreciatively and she caressed it all over with both hands. "Jake, I want you now."

"Impatient," he murmured, though he fully sympathized with her.

It was hard to hold back and resist ending the torment. The longer he could draw it out, the sweeter the moment would be when he eased his aching flesh into her. He tensed a bit when one of her hands slid down to grip his naked erection. He didn't know how long he could hold back, if he allowed her to stimulate him too much but he didn't try to stop her fondling. He slipped a hand between her thighs and urged her to part them further with a husky request. When she did as he suggested, he began to fondle her moist womanhood. He stroked his fingertips back and forth over the soft folds of skin first, pleasuring her without touching the more sensitive nub crowning the flesh. Neytiri's breath caught and she pleaded with him, tilting her pelvis invitingly.

Jake slipped a finger inside of her and he wiggled it, making her bite her bottom lip and moan. He pumped in and out a couple of times and then retreated.

"My Jake," Neytiri whimpered, "Don't tease!"

"Who's teasing?" he whispered with a smile. He found the delicate nub and he began to rub it in little circles. His finger was slippery from her natural moisture and it glided over her sensitized flesh smoothly, giving her a more intense sensation than it would have if dry.

Neytiri's eyes fluttered shut and she undulated under his touch, shivering with pleasure. She stroked his arousal from root to tip, her hand moving almost of its own accord. Jake clenched his jaw and his breath quickened from the dual sensations of pleasure shared between them. He began to rock into her touch, groaning softly. He had the presence of mind to keep the motions of his fingers steady and gentle, though he feared he couldn't last much longer before he came. He lowered his mouth to her parted, gasping lips and kissed her deeply, thrusting his tongue slowly in a suggestive way.

Neytiri's free hand reached up to grab his shoulder and the fingernails dug into his skin without her conscious direction. Jake broke the kiss and watched as her face flushed and her back arched.

"Oh...ahhh...Jake...ohhh!" She tossed her head and released his erection to claw at the ground.

Jake's breath shuddered as he shared her mounting bliss. "That's it," he encouraged, smiling in satisfaction as his mate was overcome. "My Neytiri."

She called his name as she peaked and her body shook from the pleasure of it. Jake couldn't wait any longer. He kissed her once more and rolled onto her, pushing her thighs apart as he settled his hips between them. She drew her knees up and back and she embraced him as he positioned himself.

"Oh, Jake," Neytiri moaned when he entered her.

A purr rumbled deep in his throat as her appreciation fed through the link. He sensed her intention before she could move her hands and he quickly caught them, holding them down on either side of her head. "None of that," he warned. "Not now, Neytiri. I'll lose it if I let you do that."

She struggled gamely against the restraint and she gave him a mischievous, feral smile. "Do you fear another accident, my Jake?"

He laughed huskily and eased out to the tip slowly. "That's not going to happen again, but I'm close enough to losing it already without you playing with my tail." He edged back in, shutting his eyes in appreciation of how snugly her warmth fit him.

"So good," Neytiri moaned, echoing his thoughts. "More, Jake."

He kissed her and obliged, starting up a slow, steady rhythm. He made sure to let her feel every rigid, swollen inch of him as he tenderly pumped in and out. His breath caught and he was forced to stop and pant for a moment.

"Damn, you got me too close," he complained, even as he smiled at her.

Neytiri's fingers threaded with his and he sensed that his dominance was what she needed right now. Knowing that her preference would change as their mating progressed, he played his part well and kept her firmly subdued as he resumed making love to her. She gasped and panted, struggling convincingly to break his hold even as she rubbed her heels against the small of his back in silent encouragement.

The sound of drums beating in the distance reached his ears as Jake reveled in the intimate act of mating with Neytiri. He kept up his slow thrusting, his ears swiveling as he looked down inquisitively at his mate. Their people brought war drums with them to stir the blood of the warriors, should a battle occur. The pounding that reached Jake's ears was no combat rhythm, however. The subtle message of the drums bespoke celebration, so he was more intrigued than alarmed.

"I wonder what that's all about?" Jake asked his mate breathlessly, not pausing since there was no sense of alarm from the rhythmic beating.

Neytiri took a moment to listen, though his thrusting distracted her attention. "It is a mating song," she murmured, squeezing Jake's hands. "Our clan must know what we are doing."

He laughed, delighted and a little amazed. He had heard the rhythm once before but he never expected the Omaticaya to play it specifically for him and Neytiri. "I guess we weren't as stealthy as I thought. You think they're playing for us?"

She smiled and lifted her head to brush her lips against his clavicle. "They want their _Olo'eyktan _and _Tsahik_ to produce another child for the clan, my Jake. They show their support, by playing the song for us."

Jake smirked. "Then we'd better not disappoint them."

Neytiri started to say something in response but he pumped shallowly several times, breaking her concentration. She moaned unevenly and fought against his hold on her hands. He retained his hold on her and he licked and sucked on the skin of her throat, purring softly with satisfaction. He changed back to the slow, steady rhythm and Neytiri squeezed his hands again.

"My Jake," she sighed huskily, arching her neck for his kisses.

He kept alternating between quick little pumps and deep, slow thrusts, unconsciously synchronizing his lovemaking to the beat of the drums in the distance. When Neytiri's tension mounted, he smiled at her and he struggled to hold on a little longer. He made it until she had her second climax and then he couldn't hold back any more. Jake pushed deep inside and held himself steady, grunting and moaning her name as he gave her his seed. The delayed climax was hard and long, intensified by deprivation. He shuddered over her and looked into her eyes.

Jake's strength faltered as he stopped twitching inside of her and his arms shook with the effort to support his weight. He released her hands and collapsed on top of her, gasping and panting into her hair. Neytiri stroked his back and the perspiration-dampened hair at the nape of his neck. She murmured to him, praising him softly for his virility and cooperation.

"What, did you think I would have said 'no'?" he laughed breathlessly and nuzzled her ear, making it twitch. "You can't praise a man for being a slave to a beautiful woman's invitations."

She chuckled. "You are not a slave, my Jake. You are my partner."

He lifted his head from her shoulder and kissed her. "Thanks for being so modest."

She smiled at him and ran her hands down his back. "Can I play now?"

Jake rolled his eyes and sighed. "If you insist."

She grinned at him and her hand curled around the base of his tail, stroking with possessive familiarity. She reached up with her other hand and cupped the back of his head, drawing his lips down to hers for a kiss. Jake returned the kiss and gasped into her mouth as she began to stimulate the underside of his tail. He arched it up instinctively and the tip trembled helplessly, slapping against his back.

"Oh god," Jake groaned.

Neytiri was being aggressive with it, applying firm pressure while rubbing with practiced skill. He hardened again quickly and he started to squirm compulsively. Her legs held him trapped like a vice, preventing him from moving off of her even if he wanted to. His mouth sought out hers hungrily and he rocked from side to side. She moaned with pleasure as his rapidly hardening length massaged her inside. When he was completely rigid again, Neytiri gasped a demand that Jake roll over. He did so, taking her with him. Now it was his turn to submit to her desires and he gladly lay on the mossy forest floor, allowing her to ride him at her leisure.

Neytiri braced her open palms on his chest and rolled her hips with smooth, sure motions as she straddled him. She tossed her head back, letting the beat of the drums guide her movements much the same as Jake had. He fondled her breasts and stroked her ribs, hips and legs as she undulated on top of him. She lowered her head again and stared into his eyes, gasping and moaning as her excitement and pleasure grew. Jake smiled up at her and eased his hands up her thighs, stroking slowly inwards and feeling the lean muscles flexing beneath his palm.

"Jake," Neytiri gasped when his hands reached her loins.

He began to brush the pad of each thumb over her clitoris, one at a time. He strummed it like a musical instrument, sending jolts of sensation through her. It only took moments for her to reach a second climax and he gasped her name as she clenched around his swollen length. Neytiri hissed through her teeth, a feral cry rising in her throat. Driven to aggression by her responses, the pounding of the drums and his own lust, Jake sat up and put his arms around her. She was still climaxing when he began to guide her up and down on his sex, whilst simultaneously thrusting firmly.

Neytiri barely got the chance to catch her breath before Jake started bouncing her roughly. It prolonged her orgasm and caused another smaller one on top of it. She bit him on the shoulder and clutched at him. Her sharp moans were muffled against his skin and the scent of arousal cloaking her intensified.

He couldn't bear it. He lowered her to the forest floor again and propped her legs on his shoulders. He settled his hands on her hips to brace them and he started taking her with hard, deep thrusts. His lips curled back on a snarl and his brows furrowed. Neytiri's hands dug into the moss and she cried his name louder and louder. He growled her name in return and within moments, he filled her with his seed again.

Jake held himself steady until he was spent again, and then he withdrew from her and lay down beside her. He pulled her into his embrace and nuzzled her hair. "That was so good, it should be illegal," he sighed.

"I don't understand what you mean," Neytiri panted, kissing his chest, "but yes, it was very, very good. I will let you rest before we do more, my Jake." Her tail entwined with his lovingly.

"You're a generous task mistress," he muttered dryly, pretending annoyance.

* * *

As the afternoon progressed, one of the survivors from the ISV tragedy regained consciousness. Roy questioned her when the nurses told him she was awake. He kept his voice soothing and gentle as he pulled up a stool beside her gurney and spoke to her.

"Welcome back to the land of the living, my dear. I'm Dr. Roy Jacobs. Can you please tell me your name and rank?"

She rubbed her bandaged head, gazing at him with confused golden eyes. "Private Janet Taylor," she answered slowly, concentrating. "Where am I?"

"You are on Pandora, at the Hell's Gate research compound. You and your crew have been in an accident and another ISV rescued the surviving avatar operatives and brought them here for treatment."

She seemed bewildered by the news. "But, Hell's Gate is under hostile takeover."

Roy shook his head. "The information your people were given is in error. I assure you, we aren't hostages here and we are at peace with the Na'vi."

Katherine came up beside Roy and exchanged a nod with him before handing him a holopad. "Here's the list of everyone we've identified, Roy."

He took the holopad. "Thank you, Katherine. I was just speaking with the young lady here, explaining the situation."

Katherine looked at the female avatar with sympathy in her hazel eyes. "Are you in any pain?"

"Some," admitted the woman. "I'm feeling more confusion than anything else. Where is the rest of the crew?"

Roy and Katherine exchanged a look and they gently broke the news to the patient. When they finished explaining, Roy asked the Private who her superiors were.

"Colonel Peterson," answered Janet. "He was in charge of the military crew. Did he make it?"

Roy checked the list and shook his head. "I'm sorry. There's nobody by that name listed amongst the survivors we have here. If he was in a human body, it's possible that he's one of the survivors they have on the ISV."

"No, he was an avatar operative, like the rest of us," Janet sighed, wincing with pain. "The regular militia was under separate command."

"Who would be next in the chain of command for your group?"

"Corporal Ellis," she answered. "Darren Ellis."

"He's on the list," Katherine said, recognizing the name. She looked over Roy's shoulder and pointed out the name on the holopad. "Severe head trauma."

"Will he live?" Janet inquired. She tried to sit up and she groaned.

Roy reached out and patted her large, cyan-striped hand with his smaller human one in a fatherly gesture. "Take it easy, young woman. Your corporal is stable but he's currently unconscious. All of you are lucky to be alive."

"I don't understand what happened," sighed the Private. "Why were we told this base is under hostile takeover, if it isn't?"

"We'll answer all of your questions after you've recovered a bit more," soothed Roy smoothly, "Right now, we need some of our questions answered. Can you tell me the name of your crew's foreman?"

"Why are you asking me this?" She looked suspicious.

"Because as you can see, the information exchange between us and Earth has become rather confused. We need to know for our records, so that we can begin clearing up these...misunderstandings."

She hesitated for a moment longer before answering. "Charles Stone was our foreman. I don't suppose you can tell me if he survived?"

Roy's eyes widened and he shared a frown with Katherine. "My dear, I think you're confused. Charles Stone was the foreman of the ISV that came to your people's aid."

The private frowned back at him. "No, he wasn't. He was the foreman of the Nova Cruiser team. I know who was in my crew, Doctor."

Katherine pressed her lips together and Roy gave her a warning look before turning his attention back to the patient. "Private Taylor, can you describe what you remember before the accident on your transport?"

Her bows furrowed beneath the bandages and she clasped her hands in her lap. When she looked at her hands, she stared at them and raised them before her eyes, flexing the long, Na'vi fingers.

"I know it's a lot to adjust to," Katherine said, "but you'll get used to your new body, with time. Right now, it's important that you tell us what you can."

"The more we know about what happened, the better we can help you," Roy added.

Janet considered them for a moment before nodding painfully. "I'll try."

* * *

"What's the drum beating about?" Trudy peered out the window of Max's office, cocking her head as she listened to the pounding of the Na'vi drums.

Max looked up briefly from the files he was going over. "It's a celebratory song, I believe."

"Celebrating what?" Trudy asked, looking at him over her shoulder.

Max cleared his throat and looked at the files again. "The renewal of life, if I'm not mistaken. Na'vi tribal songs have their own subtle differences. Grace found them particularly fascinating. She always said each rhythm and tune carries specific meanings that the average human could never fully understand."

"Huh. Renewal of life, eh?" Trudy looked out the window again. The day was growing late and the sun would be setting, soon. "So we're basically listening to a song about sex, huh? Sort of like a Na'vi version of 'bow-chica-wow-wow'."

Max snorted, his mouth twitching with amusement. "That's a crude way of putting it, but I suppose you could look at it that way."

Trudy grinned. "I wonder why they're playing a song like that now? I mean this isn't exactly the time for a fertility festival."

"Given the evidence I saw earlier, I don't think it's entirely inappropriate for our guests to play fertility songs." Max chuckled.

Her face screwed up. "Huh? What, did I miss an orgy or something?"

Max flushed and shook his head. "Nothing so extreme. You do realize we interrupted Jake and Neytiri on their way to the gate with your discovery of Foreman Stone's motivation, don't you?"

Trudy remembered Jake's annoyance and subtle declaration that she was getting in the way of his booty call. She laughed softly and turned around to face Max. "So that's it. The Omaticaya are giving the lovebirds a little boom-boom music to set the mood."

Max tried not to laugh. "Let's just make sure we don't call it that to their faces. I think it's a little more serious to them than a pornography soundtrack."

"I'm not making fun of it," Trudy protested. She started swaying to the beat and she reached up to free her hair from her ponytail. "In fact, I think it's kind of sexy."

Max looked up from his files again and stared as she shook her dark hair loose. "Trudy, what are you doing?"

She approached him, swaying her hips and grinning. "Just getting into the beat, man. Doesn't it kind of speak to you?"

Max swallowed, his dark eyes roaming over her of their own accord behind his glasses. "Uh...maybe if I were a Na'vi. I'll agree it's a nice beat."

She raised her arms and twirled around in place, gyrating with the skill of a belly dancer. Somehow she made army regulated cargo pants and a white tank top look as sexy as a corset and fishnet hose.

"Trudy," Max warned as she came closer to his chair, "I have a lot of work to do."

"So take a break, you studly nerd." She flipped her hair in an overly exaggerated, playful gesture. "Stone's ISV is leaving, all the patients are stable and we've got a nice, authentic Na'vi beat to listen to. Live a little."

Max was torn between amusement and intrigue. He knew she was playing with him, but she evidently didn't realize how sexy she was. When she turned his chair to face her completely and straddled his lap, he hastily set the holopad on his desk.

"Trudy, I really need to finish going over this," he protested, even as his hands settled on her hips.

She draped her arms over his shoulders and pressed her nose against his. "If I back off every time you say you've got work to do, I'll never get any."

He chuckled and rubbed her back. "Am I really that bad?"

"You never give yourself a break until someone makes you." She kissed him briefly on the mouth.

"So I take it you'll cuff me to the chair if I argue any further?" He flushed as soon as the words left his mouth. "I...I didn't mean—"

Trudy laughed and pushed her fingers through his hair, massaging his scalp. "Sure you did. There's a livewire under that lab coat, Maxi."

Max grinned helplessly. "It sounds like you've figured out my secret."

"And how," she agreed. She nibbled his ear, making his eyes drift shut. "What do you say we lock that door and—"

The door in question slid open with no warning and Dr. Jacobs came traipsing in, with Katherine close at his heels.

Trudy hastily jumped up and stepped away from Max's chair, face burning with embarrassment. "We weren't doing anything."

"What a dating couple does on their own time is none of my concern," Roy said. "I'm not here to 'bust' you. Dr. Hart and I learned something you'll want to hear right away, Dr. Patel."

Max's mortification faded immediately and he got out of his chair. "What's going on?"

"One of the patients from the Nova Cruiser regained consciousness," Katherine obliged. "We questioned her and she gave us a really interesting account of what happened before the accident."

"Go on." Max sobered quickly with intrigue.

"The patient claims that the foreman on her ISV was Charles Stone."

Max looked at Trudy, who frowned fiercely at the older doctor. "She's got to be stoned on meds," the pilot theorized. "Stone couldn't be the foreman on her boat, if his ISV is the one that answered the distress call."

"That's the most interesting part," Katherine said. "Private Taylor said that she and the others were woken from cryo because there was an emergency in the engine room. Most of the crew couldn't make it to the emergency sectors before the collapse happened but the foreman was safely on the Galaxy Explorer—which arrived just before the explosion that caused the engine malfunction."

"From this account, it sounds like the Galaxy caught up with the Nova and Foreman Stone transported from his ISV to the visiting one, just before the accident occurred," Roy summarized.

Max felt a chill go up his spine. "Stone was determined to leave the surviving avatar operatives here with us." His eyes went to Trudy. "I think your theory about the accident being a set up could be right."

She blew a sigh and shook her head. "And here I was hoping my hunch was wrong."

"So what conclusion can we draw from this?" Roy demanded.

"Based on what we know, it seems that Stone was given orders to sabotage his own ship. The arrival of the other ISV was probably arranged so that he could get safely out before the collapse." Max took his glasses off and wiped them with his lab coat.

"But it's like Ramona said," Trudy reasoned, "the RDA isn't in the habit of wasting money and those avatar operatives were a pretty _huge_ investment. Why would they blow them up before even using them?"

"They're scared," Max guessed. "Scared and desperate. We don't know what's going on behind the scenes on Earth but if the RDA is willing to put that much money into a project and destroy all evidence, odds are they're losing their power base. They must have a reason to cover it up and prevent the public from finding out about the project."

"So something's been leaked to the public," Katherine theorized. "That report that's been passed around concerning the happenings here has the RDA in a state of panic. I'll bet the superluminal communications aren't as unstable as they've been claiming."

"Whatever's going on, it must be big," Roy agreed. "They've not only blown their chances of using these specialized agents but they've disrupted their own unobtanium franchise. What I wouldn't give for a glimpse of Earth news."

Trudy shrugged. "The media's probably just feeding the public bullshit anyhow, like they always do. At least now, we know why Stone was so agreeable about getting the hell out of the solar system. He didn't want us getting wind of the details before he left."

Max nodded and started for the door. "Right. If that accident survivor's account can be trusted, Foreman Stone has a lot to answer for. Let's go and contact him now."

The others followed behind Max as he headed out of his office and made his way to the communications room. He started to set the frequency but then he paused.

Max suddenly frowned and reached out to halt the technician before she could complete the communication sequence. "Wait. I've changed my mind."

Trudy stared at her boyfriend. "What the hell...why'd you do that, Max?"

Max looked at the radar, which indicated that the ISV was on its way out of orbit. "They could have left the survivors to die. They have human survivors on board and they brought the avatar survivors to us. As you said a moment ago Trudy; Stone has to have realized that we would eventually find out he was on the Nova crew, originally. He isn't going to set foot on Pandora again, no matter what excuse we come up with to get him down here."

Trudy grimaced. "I guess you're right."

"But we can't just sit here and not do anything," Katherine protested. "The man probably murdered most of his crew!"

"Or maybe someone on the Galaxy warned him things were going to get hairy and he had a choice between saving his own ass or going down with the ship," Trudy reasoned.

Max nodded. "Odds are, he isn't going to tell us which is the truth and he's certainly not going to accept a last minute invitation for tea. It's a waste of time and resources to try and contact that man, now. I'm more concerned with Jackson and the crew on his ISV. They are on route to Earth and if the RDA is trying to wipe evidence of their new avatar program, his people will be lucky to take three steps onto Earth soil before they're arrested and locked away."

"Then that means the survivors from the Nova are up shit creek too," Trudy said grimly. "They know about that new program."

"Then why didn't Stone leave them here with the avatar operatives?" Roy mused. "Why bother taking them back at all, if they have too much information to risk leaking it?"

"Maybe there _were_ no human survivors," Katherine guessed.

"Or the ones that did survive were in on the cover-up," added Trudy.

Max sighed. "We have no way of knowing and I doubt we'll get those answers from Stone. He's on his way back to Earth and I'm sure he'll only lie or pretend ignorance if we confront him. My biggest concern is Jackson's crew, now. I'm going to contact him."

"What can he do, though?" Trudy asked.

"He can turn his ISV around and come back," answered Max.

Trudy blinked at her boyfriend. "Max, that ISV has people on it that are still loyal to the RDA. Do you really want to bring them back here?"

"We'll keep them imprisoned," he said as he began to type in the frequency. "I'm not letting the rest of those people get executed or imprisoned for life, if I can help it. They've gotten caught up in something they didn't intend to be involved in, like us."

Trudy didn't offer further arguments. Instead, she came up behind him and patted his shoulder supportively as he tried to get in touch with Jackson. Max spared a smile for her before concentrating on reaching Jackson's ISV. He had a bit of an argument with the communication tech before he got the foreman on the other line.

"They've told me you said it was important, Dr. Patel," Jackson's voice said. "I'm almost afraid to ask what this is about."

"It's about you turning your transport back around and returning to Pandora," Max said bluntly. "I've warned you about possible sabotage to your engines before, but I have reason to believe that the danger doesn't stop there."

Lyle was silent for a few moments. "I've been having the engine room watched carefully, Dr. Patel. Everything has been fine. If someone _was_ trying to cause an accident, your warning prevented it."

"But it won't be fine, when you reach Earth," Max said with certainty. He gave Jackson a summary of what was going on and what they had discovered. "Mr. Jackson, we believe that the RDA is trying to cover up the enhanced Avatar program and prevent word from getting out about it. It's already been proven that their word can't be trusted. If I'm right, you and your crew won't make it out of RDA landing space on Earth before you're all detained. They might even have you executed, to prevent the risk of information leaking. You all know too much."

Jackson sighed heavily. "So that's it, then. Are you prepared to take in my rag-tag bunch, Dr. Patel?"

Max glanced at his companions. "We're prepared. Those who can't be trusted can be kept in the detainment ward. The rest will be given quarters. We have enough to go around and we're in the process of building a bio-dome for more living space."

"That's very gracious of you. I just have to think of how I'm going to break the news to these folks that they can never go home again."

Max grimaced. "It's better to live here at Hell's Gate than be imprisoned or killed. Mr. Jackson, make sure you don't allow visitors from any passing ISV's onto your transport. Just get back here and don't stop to chat with anyone on route."

"I think that's good advice, after what you've told me. Thank you for this, Dr. Patel. You may have saved everyone on this ship."

Trudy gave Max a proud little smile and the biologist shrugged. "Just be very careful. Given what we think we know, I doubt the RDA would be too upset to learn you're rotating back here but I wouldn't even respond to their contact attempts from now on, if I were you."

"I'm right there with you," Jackson said grimly. "I suppose we'll see you when we get back then, Dr. Patel."

Max said goodbye to the foreman and ended the transmission. When he set the receiver down, he looked to his companions. "There's nothing more we can do right now. Go back to what you were doing and remember to have those avatar operatives watched—even if they seem to be incapacitated."

"Shouldn't we tell Sully about this information?" Roy queried.

Max shook his head. "No. For God's sake, let the man enjoy a little time with his mate. None of this requires Jake's immediate attention and I can have a meeting with him about it tomorrow. I feel badly enough about rousing half his clan to come and babysit us."

"Jake would have chewed you a new asshole, if you didn't call it in," Trudy reminded him. "Can't be too careful these days."

Max nodded, knowing she was right. When Roy and Katherine left the room, Max gave his girlfriend a wan smile. "I think its time for me to have one of those 'break' things you talked about. How do you feel about a movie and some popcorn?"

Trudy smiled. "You pick the flick and I'll pop the corn."

* * *

-To be continued

**Translations:**

**_Sa'nok_** = Mother


	40. Chapter 40

"Between worlds"

Chapter 40

* * *

**Author's note: See footnotes at the end of the chapter for Na'vi/English translations. I kept thinking of Kevin "Bloody" Wilson's song: "Featherbrain Championship" when I was writing part of this chapter. Thank you everyone for your feedback and support. **

* * *

*Disclaimer: I do not own Pandora and I make no profit from writing fanfiction based on the "Avatar" film.

* * *

Jake and Neytiri stayed away from the compound until the next morning. Her needs were sated—for the time being, at least. She smiled at her mate as she finished dressing, admiring the strong lines of his body while he secured his loincloth. Jake had been, as always, very attentive to her desires. Even when he was at the point of exhaustion, he continued to mate with her and he had been very thorough about it. Their people played the drums until well after nightfall, not stopping until the midnight hour. Neytiri dared to think the rhythmic pounding helped her conceive, as it had helped her give birth to Tommy.

Jake glanced her way and gave her a lover's smile that made her want to mate with him again, just for the sake of doing it. Neytiri returned his smile and she wondered how it was possible for her to love him anymore than she already did.

"It's a shame to go back, but we need to hear Max's status report," Jake sighed. "I want to know how those survivors are holding up."

"Yes, we must return to our duties," agreed Neytiri, frowning a little with regret.

Jake closed the distance between them and put his arms around her. "Do you think we struck a home run, beautiful?"

Her brow crinkled with confusion. "We did not play baseball, my Jake."

He chuckled. "I meant do you think we made a baby."

She smiled and wondered if she would ever get the knack for all of his slang terms and metaphors. "It is too soon to tell. If we did, I should know within days."

He kissed her. "I'll have to make more time to drag you off and have my way with you, just to be thorough."

"It is not just 'your way'," she assured him, returning his kiss. "Come. We must return and I am hungry."

He nodded and they started walking back to the compound, hand in hand. Jake stopped at the edge of the forest and he suddenly took her into his arms again. Neytiri was taken by surprise as his mouth claimed hers in one last, passionate kiss. She put her arms around his neck and reciprocated enthusiastically, prompting him to lift her off the ground and hold her tight.

"Just wanted to do that one more time before we've got to watch our public behavior," he explained with a wink when the kiss ended.

He lowered her back to the ground and they continued walking. The base staff greeted them with knowing smiles when they reached the gate. Jake had a smug little smirk on his lips and Neytiri almost admonished him for being so obvious, but then she realized she was grinning the exact same way. As they walked into the avatar section of the compound, the Omaticaya and Ikran warriors greeted them respectfully, each of them smiling in that knowing way.

"Morning, guys," Jake greeted, coming to a stop before the gathering. The smell of roasting food reached his nostrils and he heard Neytiri's stomach rumble. "That was a nice beat you played yesterday. We didn't miss out on a special occasion, did we?"

A pair of Omaticaya huntresses smirked at each other before the one on the left answered. "It is always a special occasion, when leaders attempt to gift their clan with new blood. You enjoyed the music?"

Neytiri smiled, pleased to learn she was right. "It was very stirring, sister. We thank you."

"There is freshly cooked food available," offered the huntress on the left. "You must both be hungry. We will fetch a plate for you."

Neytiri gave a dignified, thankful nod and the two huntresses walked away to the roasting spit. Others politely moved aside for them and Jake stared after them with a thoughtful look on his face. The two women were one of the paired couples Neytiri had mentioned and she could practically see all of the inappropriate thoughts going through Jake's head.

"Stop staring, my Jake." Neytiri nudged her mate, startling him out of his male fantasies.

"I wasn't...I mean, I was just thinking..." He trailed off and an uncommon blush rose in Jake's cheeks over being caught in the proverbial act.

"I know what you were thinking," Neytiri warned him in a low voice. "It was all over your face."

He looked even more mortified. "Damn. Do you think they noticed?"

She struggled not to laugh. It was hard to be annoyed with him, when he was so boyishly contrite. "No, they had their backs to you. But _I_ noticed and others will too, if you don't learn to control your eyes and hide your thoughts. They are not here for your entertainment, my Jake."

He winced and his ears drooped. "You think I'm a pervert, don't you? Admit it."

She smiled tolerantly and shook her head. "I think you are male."

* * *

After enjoying a hearty breakfast, Jake went to see Max for a status update. Neytiri was going to go with him but upon seeing how sleepy she looked, he kissed her on the cheek and advised her to get some rest in the cabin.

"I'll tell you what I find out later," he said. "I'm sure nothing too exciting happened between yesterday and this morning."

She agreed with him and claimed one of the bunks in the cabin without argument. He hadn't expected her to be so agreeable but then, Neytiri was a practical woman. There was a chance she was harboring new life in her womb and she would do her best to give it a good start—which meant plenty of rest and protein rich foods.

Jake walked to the lab department and procured one of the Na'vi exopacks on his way into the building. People greeted him in passing as he went to Max's office, expecting to find him there or in the med ward, helping with the patients. His first guess was wrong. There was no answer when he knocked on Max's locked office door and Jake couldn't hear anything on the other side of it. He went to the medical ward next and just as he suspected, the biologist was up and about, moving from one bed to the next to check on the patients.

Jake watched from behind the glass window, waiting for Max to finish his rounds before getting his attention. When Max came out of the sliding doors, he gave a little start of surprise to see Jake towering over him.

"You nearly made me drop my chart, you startled me so much," Max complained. "Try not to move so silently around here, Jake. We mere mortals don't have your senses."

Jake chuckled. "Sorry about that, Max. I guess its just second nature to me now." He nodded at the room behind the glass. "How are they doing?"

"Well, so far three of them have regained consciousness," explained the biologist. "Only one is coherent enough to give straight answers though. The second one has amnesia and the third is suffering an acute case of PTSD."

"What the hell is 'PTSD'?"

"Sorry. Post traumatic stress disorder," elaborated Max. "You see this kind of thing all the time in disaster survivors and war veterans. I'm surprised you never suffered a case of it yourself, with your past."

"Oh, right. I did have that, for a little while," Jake admitted. "They made me go to a counselor for a while after I got out of the hospital. I decided I hated the therapy more than the symptoms, so I pushed myself to get over it."

Max looked dubious. "It's not something most people can just 'get over', Jake. If you're still suffering symptoms—"

"I'm fine," Jake said hastily. "So much has happened between then and now, I think my head's too full to dwell on what happened in Venezuela. I still get the odd nightmare now and then but I'm telling you, learning the Omaticaya ways and joining their clan is the best therapy I've ever had."

Max nodded, finally relaxing. "Yes, I suppose it would be. Anyhow, we're going to arrange counseling for each of the survivors, to help them cope with what happened and adjust to their new lives. Right now, our biggest concern is seeing to their physical injuries. The psychological ones will have to wait."

"Just remember, these people you're taking care of are trained military operatives and they had specific orders to take back Hell's Gate."

Max sighed. "You don't have to keep reminding me of that fact, Jake. I know very well what they are and I'm prepared to keep a sharp eye on them. None of that means we can't show some compassion, does it?"

Jake smiled and clapped the smaller man lightly on the back—at least, he meant to do it lightly. Max stumbled and nearly fell. "Sometimes I think you're too good for your own good, Max."

"I'm just following my conscience," answered Max modestly when he recovered his balance. "Speaking of which, I need you to walk with me to my office."

Jake detected the note of foreboding in his tone and he nodded, sobering quickly. He walked alongside Max, out of the medical wing and down the corridors to his office. Max opened the door and gestured for Jake to go in first. Jake ducked to avoid hitting his head on the doorframe and Max came in behind him, shutting and locking the door.

"The young woman who was coherent enough to answer some questions had some interesting information to impart to us," Max said, getting straight to the point.

"What kind of interesting information?" Jake cocked his head warily.

"Well, for one thing, she insists that Stone was the foreman of her crew."

Jake blinked and frowned. "How the hell can that be? I thought he was foreman of the Galaxy Explorer."

"According to the information given to us, the Galaxy caught up with the Nova and Foreman Stone transported from his ISV to theirs for a 'meeting' of some kind. Shortly after he was on board the visiting ship, the explosion occurred that caused the collapse of the Nova. The crew managed to wake some of the passengers from cryo, but there wasn't enough time to get everyone to the emergency sectors. I suspect Stone of having something to do with that explosion."

"So he set it up and got his ass off the ship before the clock ticked down," Jake murmured, scowling. "Sounds like he got special orders from someone in the RDA."

Max nodded. "That's what I believe."

Jake scratched his chin and tried to make sense of it. "But if he set up that malfunction under orders to get rid of the 'evidence', why would he rescue the survivors at all? Why wreck the ship and then take the time to get those people out of there, when he could have left them to die?"

"I'd like to believe he had an attack of conscience," Max sighed, "but I'm more inclined to think he did it for appearance's sake, to avoid blowing his cover. If the crew on board the Galaxy wasn't in on the sabotage, it would have looked suspicious if Stone didn't order a rescue attempt."

"Yeah, but where was _their_ foreman?" Jake persisted. "The ISV's always rotate out with a head of research, a head of development and a head of security."

"I don't know the answer to that yet," Max admitted. "Based on what we know, I think something must have happened to the Galaxy Explorer's original foreman on route. The important thing here is that we have every reason to believe the RDA is trying to erase all evidence of their latest Avatar operation. Something is going on behind the scenes, Jake. Something's shaken their power structure and they're trying to clean things up."

"So, what happens to the human survivors from the Nova when they reach earth?" Jake pressed his lips together. "For that matter, what happens to the crew of the Galaxy? They've all seen the avatars moving around by themselves. They're a security risk, if the RDA is trying to do a cover-up."

Max had a look of dread in his eyes. "I suspect they'll be detained as soon as they return to Earth. The company could attempt to wipe their memories and if that fails, they'll get rid of them."

Jake's anger mounted and before he realized he was doing it, he took his aggression out on Max's office wall. His fist punched a dent in the reinforced material. "Fucking murderers."

Max took a step back. "Jake, my wall isn't to blame. Calm down or I'll be forced to give you a dose of happy juice."

Jake was embarrassed by his outburst. He shook his smarting hand and grimaced down at the wary human. "I'm sorry, Max. I lost my cool. It's just so...goddammit!"

"Again, you need to calm down," Max cautioned. "I'm just as outraged as you are, Jake. Tearing my office down around our ears won't change what's happened and it certainly won't hurt the people responsible for this tragedy."

Jake shut his eyes and took a few deep breaths.

"Are you finished?"

The warrior opened his eyes and looked at his companion. Max was standing there looking at him with his arms crossed over his chest. He reminded Jake of a parent chastising an unruly kid, despite the fact that he was nearly four feet shorter. A chuckle broke free at the visual and Jake combed his fingers through his hair, loosening a few braided strands.

"Yeah, I'm finished. You don't need to get the paddle out."

Max relaxed. "All we can do now is take care of those people in our hospital and try to help them get their lives back on track. I'm sure once they find out what the RDA did to them, most of them won't be inclined to side with the company."

"You're probably right," Jake agreed. "Let's hope they have some common sense and make themselves useful around here. I'm more worried about Jackson's people, though. He's on his way back to earth with almost a hundred avatar operatives and if they're trying to cover up the operation, those people are heading to their deaths."

"You're right," Max said, regarding him searchingly. "They've already found evidence of tampering on board, so someone was prepared to give the Star Chaser the same treatment as the Nova."

Jake looked out the window with a pensive frown, his eyes going to the sky as if he could see the ISV in question, rotating in space. "I hate to think of those people being murdered, just so the RDA can hide their screw up."

"I'm glad you feel that way," Max told him guardedly, "because I've been in contact with Foreman Jackson and I told him to turn his ship around and come back."

"You did _what_?" Jake's eyes were wide on the scientist. "Max, are you forgetting that half of the avatar team and humans on that ship sided with Myers when they were here?"

"No, I haven't forgotten about that," Max said firmly, "and Jackson will keep them in lock-up until they arrive. They'll be immediately incarcerated and they'll stay that way until they have a change of heart. Like the survivors we're caring for now, I can't believe Jackson's people will retain loyalty to the company when they understand they were just disposable fodder for the RDA."

Jake grumbled under his breath. "You're taking a big risk here, Max. Everything you've worked for could go to shit, if your people slip up."

"I'm aware of that, believe me. What would you have me do, Jake? Send them to a world that doesn't want them, so they can be turned away or killed on arrival? I can't have that on my conscience and I don't think you can either."

Jake wavered and caved, unable to refute Max's logic. "All right, I see your point." He laid a hand over one of Max's shoulders and looked him in the eyes. "If I didn't trust your judgment so much, I'd never agree to this. I think you know what you're doing, Max."

Max patted the large blue hand resting on his shoulder. "Let's hope so."

Jake pulled his hand away and glanced out the window again. "So that's it, then. The weasel and his crew are gone and the only security threat is those people in the infirmary. Do you think you can handle things without us?"

Max nodded. "We have it under control, Jake. It's going to be months before Jackson and his crew make it back again and there aren't any more ISV's due to reach our solar system for at least three years. Sebastian and the tech crew are working on improvements to our communication and satellite systems. I think we can all relax again, for a while."

"Every time one of us says that, something goes wrong." Jake smirked wryly. "But maybe this time its true. Uh, sorry about your wall. I can try to fix that for you."

"No, I'll have maintenance come in and do it." Max smiled. "You would probably only do more damage."

* * *

Jake roused his mate from her nap and sat down beside her on her bunk to explain what was happening. Neytiri was more understanding about Max's decision to invite Jackson back than Jake expected her to be. "Some of them proved they can be trusted," she reasoned. "The ones who stayed behind have been loyal to our friends, and to us."

"You're awfully mellow about this," Jake observed as he scanned her with his eyes. "Are you feeling all right?" He impulsively reached out to lay his hand over her forehead, checking for fever.

"I am fine, my Jake." She smiled. "I have just come to trust Max and the people here. I know they will use good judgment."

He returned her smile. "Funny, that's almost exactly what I said to him."

"He is a wise man." Neytiri nodded sagely. "A good leader too, even if he is not a warrior."

"He's got Trudy as his head of security, too. She's a pistol."

Neytiri chuckled. "Yes, Trudy is very brave and spirited. I think they will be fine."

Jake reached out and put an arm around her. "Then it's settled. We'll pack up and leave them to it, while it's still early enough to make it home before dark. The ikran hunters can stay overnight at Hometree before they head the rest of the way back to their village."

"Yes," she agreed. "That is a good plan. Have you told Norm yet?"

"I was just about to do that. Poor guy, he went through all that trouble moving our people to safety and now he's going to have to move them right back."

She shrugged. "It was for the best. We could not know how this would end, my Jake. As you said, it is better to be safe than sorry."

* * *

"Sorry Norm. It was a false alarm. Everything's under control and the ISV is gone, so we're heading back home. Think of it like a safety drill."

Norm was more relieved than annoyed. He smiled at his mate before answering. "That's okay Jake. At least we know we can get people to a safe place fast, if there's ever a need to. Ni'nat and I will get started on bringing everyone back to Hometree. We should be settled back in by the time you get here."

"Thanks for being so cool about all this, Norm. I knew we made the right choice when we picked you and Ni'nat to lead the evacuation."

Norm shrugged. "Just come home safely. Your son's been asking about you both. He's learning new words fast, Jake."

Jake laughed. "I can't wait to hear what kind of conversations he comes up with. We'll see you by sunset, Norm."

When the transmission ended, Norm looked at Ni'nat again and drew a deep breath. "Whew."

She smiled and reached out to stroke his hair. "It is over?"

He nodded. "Yeah, it's over. The only threat they have to worry about right now is the possibility of the Nova crew turning against them, but I don't think that's going to happen. Even if those survivors are still on the RDA's side after this, there's only a handful of them and Max and Trudy have security so tight, they can't do any damage."

"I would not side with those who betrayed me," Ni'nat murmured with a frown.

"I wouldn't either, but I don't know how deep their conditioning goes. Some people can be fanatical about a cause, even when they know it's lost and wrong. Let's just hope none of those survivors fall under that category."

"Agreed." Ni'nat looked at the gathered clan members, scattered throughout the cave system they had brought them to. "We should begin returning our people home." Grace began to fuss and Ni'nat freed her from the baby carrier and held her against her shoulder, patting her gently and cooing to her.

"I'll get it started," Norm offered with a little smile. He could tell what his daughter wanted by the pitch and volume of her whimpers. "Gracie's hungry."

"You know these things almost sooner than I do," Ni'nat complained, though she smiled at him. "Not many fathers are so attuned to their children."

"I've just learned to listen and translate," Norm answered modestly. "It's not that different from learning a new language."

* * *

Mo'at held up her arms for silence as the small community gathered before the Tree of Souls. "The threat has ended," she announced. "The Sky People are gone and our warriors will be returning home."

People smiled, clapped each other on the back and murmured in relief. E'quath stepped forward to speak. "How long will the Sky People be gone, Matriarch?"

"We have several years," answered Mo'at. "It is for each of you to decide whether to remain here or return to your clans. It is safe to visit your family and friends, for those of you that choose to make _Ayvitrayä Ramunong_ your permanent home. I will stay, though I intend to visit my children and grandson, soon."

E'quath's gaze immediately went to Peyla and she looked back at him. Now they both had choices to make that could separate them from each other or their respective clans. Mo'at stepped down and spoke with individual people, sharing smiles of relief with them and offering advice when asked for it. Many of the volunteers had settled in. They had created a tribe of their own, formed of a mix of several clans. The River people, the Omaticaya, the Horse clan and the Ikran people all sent warriors to guard the most sacred Na'vi grounds. The bond formed of mutual devotion to Eywa and the ancestors was not easily broken, and few of the guardians were willing to leave their new home.

E'quath watched his brothers and sisters with silent melancholy, torn between the desire to rejoin his old clan, go with Peyla to join the Ikran tribe, or stay with the new family he had created with the other volunteers. He looked at his love interest again and he recalled how Jake encouraged him to kiss her before it was too late, the last time they said goodbye to each other.

If he allowed her to go without acting on his feelings, he knew he would regret it for the rest of his life. He tried to imagine himself with any other female and he couldn't. He stepped closer to murmur in her ear.

"Peyla, will you speak with me in private?"

She looked up at him and nodded, her pretty face falling into an expression of mixed dread and excitement. E'quath drew her away from the gathering, into the nearby forest. When they were alone, he cleared his throat and considered the many different ways he could tell her how he wanted her. Her questioning, sweet amber gaze finally broke down his resistance and he blurted his intentions quickly.

"I want you to be my woman."

Peyla blinked at him and he feared he had made a huge error, until she responded with a playful little smile. "You want to be my man?"

E'quath found himself grinning. "Yes. I want to be your man and I want you to be my woman. Will you agree with this, Peyla?"

She appeared to consider it, glancing off to the side and humming softly. She held his hands and rocked from side to side in a teasing manner. "We must live here as a mated couple, if we do not want to separate between clans."

"Yes," he agreed with a nod. "It would be easier that way, but I am willing to compromise for you."

She paused and looked up at him searchingly. "You would join the Ikran clan for me?"

It took only a split second for him to consider the question. "I would." He cupped her face in his hands and gently traced her features with the pads of his thumbs. "I need you, Peyla. I am no singer. I can only tell you what I feel now, and I feel that I cannot do without you."

She reached up and laid her smaller hands over his. "Then I will be your woman. We can stay here and neither of us must choose between clans, my E'quath."

He smiled at her—more openly than he had ever smiled at anyone, except his childhood friend. "I see you, Peyla."

She took her hands away and put her arms around his neck. "I see you, E'quath. You are my man."

He embraced her and lowered his mouth to hers, kissing her with tender passion. The couple didn't notice Mo'at, who came searching for them to speak with them about staying. The elder smiled at the young couple and left them alone, remembering a time when she embraced her own mate with such loving fervency.

* * *

The morning after returning to Hometree, Jake awoke to soft kisses and teasing caresses from his mate. He yawned and smiled at her before checking on their son. Tommy lay fast asleep between his parents in the hammock, undisturbed by his mother's subtle attentions to his father.

Jake admired Neytiri's lovely features and he noticed the absence of the scent that always accompanied her receptiveness to fertilization. He was no expert, but from what he understood, females didn't abruptly go out of heat unless they had a sudden illness or became pregnant. He gazed at her curiously, squinting against the morning light. Neytiri had a contented little smile on her lips and she stroked his shoulder leisurely.

"So do you have something to tell me?" Jake whispered when she didn't speak up.

Neytiri pretended ignorance, until he tickled her ribs and made her chuckle. "Ahh, stop that, my Jake!"

"When you spill the beans," he promised with a grin.

"I have no beans," she answered. Her hand went to her lower abdomen and she smiled in satisfaction. "But I do have a little one, beginning its first steps into life."

Jake's grin broadened. He caressed her face with his fingertips. "We did it?"

She nodded and reached up to lay her hand over his. "We did. We have made a brother or sister for our Tommy."

He sighed deeply, relieved and accomplished. "I see you."

Neytiri kissed his palm. "I see you too, my Jake."

* * *

Tom was actually pleased to hear of the decision Max and Jackson came to. Not only would it be nice to work with his former colleagues again on occasion, but now he could relax. He was more worried about their safety than he had let on to Jake and he couldn't imagine them re-entering Earth society easily at all. He thought they were making a big mistake, trying to go back to Earth as avatars. Now he felt he could finally relax.

"Tom...I need you."

He pushed aside his thoughts of his old crew and turned around, amused by the grudging tone in his mate's voice. Tanhi was reclined where he left her in the cooking shack and she was having trouble getting back up. She had finished her breakfast and she struggled to escape the cushioning layers of hide she rested on.

Tom went to her side and squatted down beside her. He put his arms around her and helped her rise to her feet. She looked embarrassed and he pacified her with a soft kiss on the cheek. "Thank you for asking," he whispered in her ear.

She relaxed a little, pride salved. He always thanked her when she let him help her, now. She didn't ask him for it but it seemed to make her feel better about her dependence on him. Tom subtly guided her steps toward their tent and when she realized where they were walking, she stopped.

"I do not need a nap yet," she insisted.

"You should rest after each meal," Tom reminded her. "Let the food digest a little, before you get your daily exercise in. Think of it like swimming; you should never go right away after eating."

She sighed and smirked sidelong at him. "I think you could convince an angry titanotheris to lie down and take a nap, my Tom."

"I'd rather convince my mate," he answered with a little smile.

"Very well. I will rest for a while. You must rest with me, though."

Tom nodded. "I can live with that."

He pulled aside the hide covering the entrance to the large tent-lodge and he helped her over to their pallet, near the back wall. He propped himself up in a half-sitting, half-reclined position and coaxed her to scoot over to him. Tanhi complied and she lay on her side with one leg bent over the top of his and her upper body supported against his chest. She unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it open, busying herself with running appreciative fingers over his exposed torso. Guessing what she wanted, Tom reached for her queue and attached it to his. Tanhi purred and squirmed against him, kissing his throat and chest.

"I miss mating with you," she informed him bluntly. Her fingertips stroked one of his nipples to hardness and she sighed.

"We don't have much longer to wait," he murmured, his eyes going heavy-lidded with pleasure.

He rubbed her back and allowed her to caress and fondle his body. He would have returned the favor, except her breasts were too sore and sensitive for her to take any pleasure from it. The best thing he could do to please her now was rub her back and stomach and let her touch him as she wished. He had tried fondling her loins before, but she complained because the position she had to take for him to do that didn't allow her to touch him back. Until the babies came, this was the best intimacy they could achieve.

Fortunately, _Tsahaylu_ allowed Tanhi to experience the pleasure she gave him as well, so it wasn't entirely unfair. She took advantage of this fact with gusto. Tom appreciated her efforts and he let her know with low purrs and moans of delight. When they were both satisfied by her efforts, they relaxed on the pallet and fell asleep together.

* * *

A couple of weeks later, Peyla and E'quath flew to the Ikran village for a visit. Peyla wanted to be there when Tanhi gave birth, and she wanted to give her the news about she and E'quath. Her eyes went wide when she entered the village and saw her waddling chieftess. Tanhi saw her and she began to approach with a smile, but Peyla quickly closed the distance so that she wouldn't have to walk far.

"I see you, sister," Peyla said as she hugged the other woman—or at least, tried to hug her. Tanhi's extended belly got in the way. "How can you even walk? You are enormous!"

"Yes, I am practically a moon," Tanhi sighed, smirking. She rubbed her belly and looked to E'quath, who was speaking with some of the young men he had befriended in the clan. "Have you decided where you wish to live?"

"We will stay with the other guardians at the Tree of Souls," answered Peyla with a fond glance over her shoulder at E'quath. "We both decided that we could not leave either of our clans, so we will live between them together. We are a mated pair now, Tanhi."

Tanhi smiled at her, genuinely pleased. "I was beginning to wonder if the two of you would ever get on with it." She leaned closer and lowered her voice. "Was he good to you when you mated?" Her tone suggested that she would have unpleasant things to say to E'quath, if he wasn't.

Peyla blushed. "He was _very_ good to me, and he has been every night since. I expected more pain the first time, but it did not linger for long."

Tanhi's smile returned with a sly edge. "Now you know the magic of it, sister. Do you still think women exaggerate?"

Peyla shook her head enthusiastically. "No. I know better now. So you support my decision?"

Tanhi shrugged. "I have little choice. I would have preferred you return to our clan, but I think that you and your mate have come to a reasonable decision. You are both closer to your clans than you would be if you returned here or to the Omaticaya village. I am satisfied with that."

Peyla noticed the grimace of discomfort on Tanhi's delicate features as she rubbed the small of her back. "Come," she urged, taking the other woman by the arm. "We can talk more inside your tent. You should not stay on your feet for too long."

She expected the chieftess to argue with her but it seemed Tanhi was too tired to do so. They went to the Chieftess' tent and Peyla helped her recline on the cushioning piles of hides near the back. She sat cross-legged beside Tanhi and they discussed everything that happened in the village while Peyla was away.

"We have had three births," Tanhi murmured, rubbing her belly in slow circles. "But one of them was stillborn. Not even my Tom could save the infant."

Peyla frowned, sympathetic for the parents' loss. "Sometimes these things cannot be avoided. It must have been devastating for the poor mother and father."

"It was." Tanhi grimaced unhappily. "I lost my composure, when I saw that tiny, still body. I could not remain in the birthing tent. The parents did not need to see their leader break down."

Peyla reached out and placed her hand over the swell of Tanhi's abdomen. "You were thinking of your own babies, and how you would feel," she guessed.

"You know me well," agreed Tanhi. "I don't think I would have reacted so strongly, if I weren't carrying two of my own."

"Who could blame you?" Peyla's eyes shone with sympathy. "I...I am worried about you, Tanhi. I know that Tomsully is a good _toktor_ and the clan's _Tsahik_ is strong in the ways of the spirits, but...you and I...the way we are made..."

Tanhi placed a hand over Peyla's and squeezed it gently, looking into her eyes with confidence. "We are not gifted with the childbearing hips of some other women," she finished for her. "But do not worry. I have born offspring before and it was not as difficult as I expected it to be. Some day, you may bear a child of your own and you will be surprised by how quickly you forget the pain, once you hear the first cry of your little one...once you see it and hold it."

"But, you are not going to be giving birth to just _one_, sister."

Tanhi sighed and smirked ruefully down at her belly. "Yes, my Tom's seed did its work _too_ well. But he assures me that the second birth will go quickly, once the first is completed. He has also collected and stored blood in his trailer in preparation for the birth."

"Blood? Why?"

Tanhi shrugged. "Sometimes women lose too much blood in childbirth and they can die from it. Tom thinks that it would be best to have some on hand, to feed into my veins with a tube if I need it."

"Where did he get the blood? From an animal?"

Tanhi chuckled. "No, silly one. He used his science to match my blood with some of the other clan members and he asked them to volunteer to give some of it. He stored it in clear bladders and put them in the chill box in his trailer."

"They did not mind having their blood taken from them?" Peyla's nose crinkled. "Not that I would have minded, if you needed my blood," she added hastily.

"Not one of them," Tanhi confirmed, smiling softly in recollection. "Even the children wanted to volunteer, but Tom only took blood from the matching adults."

Peyla smiled. "You are very loved by our people, _Olo'eyktan_. Your mate adores you as well. I think there would be great sorrow, if something happened to you."

Tanhi shifted into a more comfortable position and sighed. "I wonder sometimes if I deserve it," she confessed. "I give my Tom such trouble, with my stubborn ways."

Peyla laughed. "I think that is what he likes the most about you, Tanhi. A woman with less spirit would not be good enough for him."

"I am grateful for that," Tanhi said dryly. "Not many males would put up with me. He should come down from his trailer soon with my afternoon snack."

"You have him trained well," snorted the younger woman.

"He has _himself_ trained well," Tanhi corrected. "I had little to do with it. I fought against his pampering until I could no longer do things easily on my own, in fact."

Peyla clasped her hands together and sighed dreamily. "What a sweet, devoted man. I think I am jealous, Tanhi."

"Why? I am certain your mate is no less devoted."

Peyla snorted. "E'quath is to sensible and reserved to pamper, the way your Tom pampers you."

"Just wait until you are expecting your first child with him," warned Tanhi. "I promise you, that man will spoil you until you want to kick him in the rump. Then you will not find it so cute."

The hide covering the entrance pulled open and Tom came into the tent, as if summoned by their discussion. He held a wooden bowl in his hands and the tangy smell of fermented plant extract wafted through the tent.

"Oh hi, Peyla," Tom greeted politely. "I didn't know you were here yet. Where is E'quath?"

"Probably fishing with some of his friends he's missed," answered the petite huntress with a smile. "What is that you have?"

Tom squatted down beside the pallet and offered the bowl to his mate. "Pickled eggs," he answered. "One of Tanhi's favorite treats."

Peyla sniffed and looked into the bowl curiously. Three boiled and peeled eggs floated in the clear, aromatic liquid. "It looks interesting."

"If I knew you were here, I would have prepared more," Tom apologized. "I've brought plenty of fruit and nuts though, if you're hungry." He untied the bag hanging from his belt and set it down, opening it by Tanhi's side.

Peyla stared at her friend's mate. The last time she saw Tom, he seemed like such a quiet, reserved man. Now he was light on his feet and practically giddy with happiness. She glanced at Tanhi and saw the way her yellow eyes swept over him and her mouth curved into a subtle, fond smile. The couple's relationship had evolved more than she suspected and it was obvious that they were madly in love.

"Only three?" Tanhi said, giving Tom a disappointed, expectant look.

Peyla impulsively pinched her on the arm. "Be nice to your mate! He went through the trouble of—"

Tom laughed softly, interrupting the young huntress' admonishment. "It's okay, Peyla. Tanhi's used to getting at least four." He regarded his mate with a stern yet gentle look. "You're only getting three this time because the last time you ate more than that, you ended up with a case of indigestion and we both suffered for it. I almost didn't bring you any at all, today."

Tanhi almost pouted, but she sighed. "Very well, my Tom." When Peyla gave her a warning look, she chuckled. "Thank you for the eggs."

Tom appeared a little surprised by the gratitude, as if he wasn't sure what to do with it. "You're uh...welcome." He leaned toward her and kissed her on the temple before getting back to his feet. "I'll have our dinner ready in a couple of hours. Peyla, please make yourself at home."

"Thank you, Tomsully. I will."

Peyla watched the male in his curious human clothing leave and then she turned to regard her friend with open surprise. "'Very well, my Tom'? That was not like you at all!"

Tanhi shrugged and fished one of the eggs out of the bowl. "I don't have the energy to argue with him as much, these days. Besides, he is enjoying taking care of me while he can. Things will change when I recover from the birth and Tom knows it. I humor him."

Peyla sighed and looked over her shoulder, where Tom had disappeared out the entrance. "So sweet."

She didn't dare mention to her friend that she'd always had a little bit of a crush on Tom Sully. She had her own mate now and E'quath was just as sweet, in his own way.

* * *

The survivors from the Nova were steadily recuperating from their ordeal, with each passing day. Some of them were recovered enough to be up and about. They made use of the avatar exercise yards and they even showed their gratitude for the care they were given by offering their services. Max gamely accepted, even as he had them carefully monitored. Trudy was a little less hospitable but Max reminded her that these people had every reason to hate the RDA now.

"As long as we keep a close eye on them, everything will be fine," he told her. "We have to give these people a chance to earn our trust, Trudy. The avatars from Tom's team have proven trustworthy, haven't they?"

Trudy thought of Private Harris and his patient, friendly mannerisms. "Yeah," she sighed grudgingly. "I guess these other guys have as much right to earn a place here as anyone. Just don't assign any of them to communications or computer tech, Max. I don't want them digging through our files until I know damned well they won't plant a bug or send the RDA intel on us."

"I'm in full agreement with that," Max assured her. He took her hands and squeezed them. "I'm not blind, Trudy. I know we have to assume these people are willing and able to sabotage our security. I'm assigning some of the soldiers who have asked to light guard duty, where they can be monitored by your people. The scientists can help out in the hospital and labs without being granted access to important data."

She shrugged and reached up to ruffle his curls affectionately. "You're such a freaking humanitarian, doc. I love you for it, though."

Max blinked at her. "You...you love me?" A shy smile grew on his lips. "Really?"

Trudy flushed, a little embarrassed for blurting it out like that. "Well, duh. First you were my pal and then you kept me sane through the whole Tom fiasco. Now you're my boyfriend and you're probably the most considerate dude I've ever met. How could I _not_ love you, Maxi?" She lowered her eyes. "You uh...you love me too, right?"

"More than anything," he answered immediately. He immediately ducked his head, embarrassed. "That came out a bit more vehement than I meant it to. It's the truth, though."

Trudy laughed, relieved and endeared at the same time. "Aww, you're so cute." She put her arms around his neck and drew him closer for a kiss.

Max eagerly reciprocated and his arms went around her waist to pull her even closer. The gentle thrust of his tongue made Trudy forget all about her concerns and her pulse quickened. She broke the kiss and looked into his eyes.

"What do you say we lock that door and desecrate your office for a while?"

She expected him to say "no" and give some argument about it being the middle of the day and having work to do and blah, blah, blah. Instead, he slipped a hand in his pocket for his keys and he clicked a button on the control ring, activating the remote locking mechanism. Trudy's eyebrows went up as Max lifted her and carried her over to his desk.

"Wow, I think I'm cracking that workaholic shell," Trudy murmured as her boyfriend swept aside odds and ends before sitting her on top of his desk.

"You're a bad influence," Max agreed. Then he was kissing her again and no more was said about the new avatars or their assigned jobs.

* * *

A few days later, an incident occurred that the residents of Hell's Gate would be talking about for years to come. It wasn't truly anybody's fault; it all started because of a simple misunderstanding.

* * *

"Thanks for taking me out, Lt. Chacón." Lee climbed out of the Samson and bumped his fist against Trudy's smaller one. "I know you've been really busy."

"No problem," she insisted. "I was waiting for the chance to get out anyhow. I can't stand being cooped up here for too long."

"I'm going to turn in these samples and look for Ramona," Lee said. "Catch you later."

Trudy waved at him and did some last minute inspections on her aircraft before heading out of the hangar herself.

* * *

Corporal Ellis walked the paths of the compound, trying to adjust to his new life in a permanent avatar body. He was thankful that the people in charge at Hell's Gate gave him and his remaining people jobs to do on the base. Having something to do with their time besides dwell on the disaster would surely help all of them cope. He was having a break after eating lunch, hardly paying attention to where he was going as he mulled over recent events. He and his crew had volunteered for the new Avatar procedure because the pay was good, they had nothing on earth to hold them back and they had the opportunity for a new start.

None of them had anticipated the possibility that they were heading into a conspiracy so deep it would swallow them whole. None of them expected for the company to decide the risk of exposure was greater than the financial loss of destroying evidence of their project. He and his men came to Pandora to secure resources and protect against Na'vi hostilities. They weren't even given the chance to be told the lie about Hell's Gate being under hostile takeover. They woke up to utter chaos and certain death.

At first, he refused to believe it. It made no sense that his superiors would go through the trouble and cost of permanently linking two-hundred men and women to avatars, just to destroy them in space. The evidence was indisputable, however. His entire platoon was all but wiped out and there wasn't a goddamned thing he could do about it. A couple of the survivors were in such bad shape, the medic team chose to put them in cryogenic hibernation to save them from death.

Darren thought of all this as he walked through the compound, his steps taking him closer to the cultivated areas. He absently kicked aside leaves and seeds that had drifted to the ground from the surrounding forests and he wondered if he could ever do what he was trained for again. He heard a woman's voice call out and he raised his head at the sound, his ears perking. One of the human scientists was in one of the exercise yards. She was dark-skinned, with a head full of black curls that fell down her back, secured in a ponytail. She was squatting in the grass and calling out to someone.

Curious, he began to approach her. He intended to introduce himself and ask her some questions about the compound and what she knew of his people's situation. He wasn't expecting to see one of Pandora's savage animals emerge from behind a bush and charge at the woman.

Darren drew his gun and shouted a warning as he raced across the distance. The woman turned and stared up at him with wide eyes as he interposed his body between her and the viper wolf that was closing in.

"No, wait!" Cried the scientist when Darren took aim at the threat. She grabbed his arm with her small hands and literally hung from it like a jungle gym, spoiling his aim. "Don't! You don't understand!"

He acted on impulse, not realizing the strength in his Na'vi limbs. "Ma'am, stay back," he grunted. He shoved the woman, intending only to put her behind him. Instead, she flew back several feet and landed in a heap on the ground.

And that was what Lee Williams saw when he arrived on the scene, searching for his girlfriend.

* * *

"Ramona!" Lee's pulse pounded in his veins and he saw red.

He charged at the newcomer avatar, hardly thinking of what he was doing as his feet pounded the pavement. He had time to see Ramona lift her head and shake it, had time to see Fang snarl and crouch for a leap at the threat. Then, Lee collided with the other male and the two of them went down in a confused tangle of limbs.

"Get your hands off my girl!" Lee shouted in fury—though the corporal's hands were currently nowhere near Ramona.

He struck the man he perceived as an attacker in the jaw and sent his gun clattering away on the pavement. In the background, Ramona dove at Fang and pulled him away bodily, trying to keep him out of the fight. The viper wolf growled, cackled and spit as he tried to break his mistress' hold to defend his master. Lee was too enraged to notice any of this and he saw stars as his opponent retaliated and struck him in the face.

"Lee, hold it," Ramona cried, trying to break up the fight. She almost lost her hold on her pet and she grunted and put her full body weight down to detain the wolf. "No, Fang! Bad puppy!"

And that was the scene witnessed by Private Baxter Howell when he passed by on his rounds.

* * *

"Corporal Ellis, Sir!" Shouted Howell. He didn't know what started the ruckus but he saw his superior being attacked by one of the Hell's Gate avatar drivers. He saw the small human woman struggling with a viper wolf—which looked like it wanted nothing more than to make a snack out of the corporal.

There really was no other choice. Howell raced across the pavement and drew his gun, intending to give his superior's opponent a warning and order him to stand down. He got too close to the grappling opponents and the attacking avatar proved that being a science geek didn't stop him from kicking some ass. Lee saw the weapon being pointed at him and he kicked out at Howell with a booted foot, knocking the gun out of his hand and staggering him. Howell swore and dove into the fight, intending to help Ellis subdue the crazy bastard.

And that was what Private Harris saw, on his way to the eastern gate. Being loyal to the people he had been working with for months, he immediately sided with Lee and joined the fight. If he had stopped to think for a moment, he would have probably called for security backup. As it stood, he reacted on impulse and forgot all about reporting the incident.

And that was when Katherine Hart and Sebastian Thomas happened along the path and witnessed the brawl.

* * *

"What in the world?" Sebastian blinked with awe and he instinctively shielded his lover with his body as the four avatars scrambled around.

They were swearing, punching and kicking at each other. He recognized Lee and the other two were survivors from the Nova crew. It was difficult to tell who was hitting whom; the brawlers seemed to be beating each other up indiscriminately now.

"We should do something," Katherine suggested in a worried tone. "Ramona, are you okay?"

The zoologist was still struggling to keep her viper wolf companion out of the fight. "I'm fine. Bastian, _do something about this_!"

He scratched his head, his eyes going from one avatar to the next. "I'm not sure where to begin," he admitted. He ushered Katherine closer to Ramona and kept his eyes on the fight. "You help Mona. I'll see if I can talk some sense into them."

Katherine nodded and she knelt on the ground beside Ramona, helping her hold back Fang as the viper wolf's anxiety peaked. "Be careful, Sebastian!"

Sebastian nodded. He was a civilized man and he believed there was no conflict that couldn't be solved without the voice of reason. "Gentleman, I don't know how this began but there are ladies present and you should—"

"Sebastian, you're too close!"

Katherine's warning came a moment too late. Private Harris' fist popped Sebastian in the nose, making him stumble backwards. Sebastian's hand slapped over his bleeding nose and he stared in shock at the other man. Harris regained just enough sense to realize what he'd done and he had the grace to look mortified.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean—"

"Now you've brassed off a rugby fan," Sebastian interrupted, narrowing his eyes. He was two feet or more smaller than the other avatars, but damned if he was weaker. Sebastian demonstrated this fact with a tackle. He and Harris went down together and the latter had no choice but to defend himself as the angered hacker began punching him.

"Sebastian! Oh, shit...this is just perfect!" Katherine wasn't usually one to use such vulgarities but the situation was fast becoming ridiculous. She dug through her pockets for her communication unit and she began calling for security.

Ellis kicked Lee in the ribs and Lee retaliated with a punch to the head that sent the corporal reeling. Howell shouted in protest when he came up behind Lee and got an elbow in the face. Harris got up and Sebastian was clinging to his back and pulling his queue painfully.

"Get off me, you fucking girl!"

"Would a girl do this?" Sebastian twisted one of Harris' nipples through his shirt, making him howl.

"Stop it!" Katherine yelled, clapping her hands as she circled the mob of limbs. "All of you, back off!"

A jet of water sprayed the combatants from out of nowhere, sending them sputtering and bewildered to the ground. Ramona looked up to see Lt. Chacón holding a hose that she had dragged over from one of the buildings. Her bronze features were grim as she sprayed the avatars down and shocked the fight out of them. When they sat coughing and sputtering on the cement, Trudy nodded and whistled to Max, who cut off the water.

"Nothing breaks up a cat fight like a good shower," Trudy informed the bleeding, bruised males as she dropped the hose and put her hands on her hips. "Which one of you wants to explain what the hell started this?"

A plethora of shouted explanations, accusations and excuses followed her question, until Trudy glanced over at Max and he made a move toward the control wheel connected to the hose. "Am I going to have to spray you guys again?" Trudy warned. They quieted down and she smirked, looking to Ramona. "What happened here, Mona?"

"It was just a misunderstanding," explained the zoologist. Her attention was diverted by the growling viper wolf. "Shh, easy boy. Mommy and Daddy are okay." She looked up at Trudy again, patting Fang to keep him calm. "He thought Fang was attacking me," she pointed at Corporal Ellis, "and he pushed me away right when Lee showed up. Lee got pissed and jumped him, then the other guy came along and got into it. Harris got into it too, when he saw what was going on. Bastian there tried to break it up but he got smacked and lost his temper."

Trudy looked to Katherine, who nodded. "I didn't see what initially started it, but I can vouch that Sebastian tried to break it up before getting involved himself."

Max jogged over from the spigot and he looked at the soaked avatars with an expression of waning patience. Trudy relayed the information to him and he sighed, dragging his fingers through his dark curls. "All right, it's over now. All of you get yourselves cleaned up and from now on, try thinking before acting. We can't have people brawling with each other in the streets, understood?"

Lee got to his feet and nodded, looking properly contrite. His left eye was swelling shut and he had a fat lip. He looked at his girlfriend to be sure she wasn't hurt and he sighed. "I'm sorry, Dr. Patel. I thought he was hurting my girl."

Max glanced at Trudy and sighed again. "I empathize with you, but you started this mess with your assumptions. Corporal Ellis, that viper wolf is domesticated. He was never a threat to the doctor. You couldn't have known better, but from now on please don't try to shoot it."

Ellis nodded and wiped at his bleeding lip. Max turned on Sebastian, next. "I must say, I'm very surprised that you lowered yourself to fist-fighting, Mr. Thomas."

"I reacted hastily, I admit." Sebastian looked up at Harris, who stood beside him. "I apologize for my aggression, Private."

Harris shrugged, smirking a little sheepishly. "Hey, I hit you first."

Their example prompted Lee to practice good sportsmanship. He turned to Ellis and Howell with a grimace. "I guess I owe you an apology. I came just in time to see Ramona go down and I went a little haywire."

"It must have looked bad," admitted the corporal. "I was just trying to protect her and I didn't mean to push her that hard. If she were my girl, I'd have been pissed off too."

"You've got a helluva swing for a science geek," complimented Howell with a swollen grin. "We had you two against one, but you were like a machine."

Lee shrugged modestly. "I was going on pure adrenaline."

Ramona watched the exchange and when she was sure her viper wolf wouldn't attack anyone, she stood up and inched closer to Katherine. "Male bonding...go figure. All it takes for these guys to be pals for life is to beat each other up. I've got to admit though, it's kind of thrilling to have my man come to my rescue like that."

* * *

Days after the brawl, Joyce gave birth to a baby boy and she and Allen named him Andrew. Katherine watched with a smile as Allen relinquished his tiny son to Sebastian to hold. Her smile faded as she watched her boyfriend dote on the infant. She could see the envy in his gaze and she knew with dread certainty that she would be denying him something precious, if she refused to even try to have a child with him. He smiled at her and she forced a smile back. Not one to rush into impulsive choices, Katherine spoke to Ramona in her personal quarters about her issue when things settled back down again.

"I think I'm going to stop taking birth control."

Ramona nearly dropped the laundry basket she was carrying to her closet. She set it down and rounded on the botanist, staring at her as if she'd gone completely insane. "Why the hell would you do something like that? Sebastian's a great guy but you _know_ how dangerous it could be for you if he gets you pregnant!"

"I know there are heavy risks," Katherine agreed with a sigh, "but if you had seen his face when he held that tiny baby...Mona, I can't deny him the chance to be a father. I just...can't do that to him."

Ramona considered her carefully and she crossed the room to lay her hands on Katherine's shoulders. "You really need to think about this, girl. You're talking about putting your body through an awful lot for something you've never really wanted in the first place."

Katherine lowered her eyes. "Children were never a consideration before," she admitted, "but I see these loving couples having babies all around me and now...well, I envy them. I try not to...I know I'm not the ideal candidate for motherhood. Sebastian though...he would make a fantastic parent. I love him too much to keep that from him and I know he'd never pressure me to do this."

"Then don't," Ramona said seriously. "He'll never pressure you because he loves you and he doesn't want you killing yourself trying to give him a kid. Be happy that you're enough for him, Kath."

"You don't understand," Katherine argued. "I don't think I _am_ enough for him, even if he says so. It isn't the same for you and Lee. You've both chosen not to have children but it's going to be easy for you to change your minds if you ever feel differently. If I want to give Sebastian a child, I need to do it while I'm in my prime and in the best condition possible. You have the luxury of waiting a few years but I don't think I do."

Ramona studied her for a moment. "Is this really how you feel? I know there's been a lot of births around here and I know that puts some pressure on the old biological clock, but I really hope you're not rushing into martyrdom out of guilt, Kath."

"I'm not martyring myself," insisted the botanist. "I don't even know if we'll be able to conceive. The DNA tests only prove it's a possibility, not a fact. We have the best medical team I could ever ask for and if I'm ever going to do this, I think it should be now, while I'm young and healthy."

Ramona heaved a sigh and stroked her hair. "I sure hope you know what you're doing, but if this is what you want, I'm with you all the way."

Katherine relaxed a bit and smiled. "Thank you. I really needed a friend's support."

"So have you stopped taking the pill yet?"

"No," Katherine shook her head. "Not yet. I want to talk to Sebastian about it first. Trying to get pregnant without consulting the 'father' isn't my style."

* * *

That night, Katherine lay cuddled against her boyfriend on his bunk. They were both pleasantly exhausted after making love and he was spooned intimately against her back. She stared into the darkness and stroked his arm as he pressed kisses over her shoulder. She made her final decision and decided to let him know.

"Sebastian, I'm going to stop taking my contraceptives."

The motions of his lips paused and she felt him frown against her skin. "Pardon?"

"I see the way you look at other people's children," Katherine explained softly. "You never say anything, but I notice the envy in your eyes. You want to be a father."

"I want my lover alive and well more," he protested.

She turned her head and smiled up at him. "We have the best possible doctors to see that I stay that way, Sebastian. We don't know that a pregnancy would be that dangerous for me and we'll never find out if we don't try. You've been willing to sacrifice something important to you, to stay with me. I should be willing to at least try and give you what I know you want."

"Kath, I—"

"Don't tell me it doesn't matter to you," she interrupted. "It would be a lie."

He sighed heavily, his brows furrowed and his handsome face troubled. "All right, I _do_ want to be a father, but you know I don't expect you to risk your life trying to make that happen, don't you?"

She nodded. "That's why I'm so willing to try. You deserve that chance and I think I deserve it too. Some women never feel the need to be mothers but I can't keep lying to myself and insisting I'm one of them. I _do_ want to have a baby with you, Sebastian...if we can."

He stared down at her with glittering eyes, silent for several moments. Finally, he lowered his mouth to hers for a kiss and he embraced her from behind. "Then there's something I have to do."

Katherine frowned in confusion as he climbed over her and knelt before the bunk. He took her hand and kept his gaze on her as he spoke. "I don't have a ring to give you, but I want to marry you."

It was Katherine's turn to boggle. "W-What?"

Sebastian smiled, his teeth flashing white in the darkness. "I'm afraid I can be rather old fashioned sometimes and my parents would roll in their graves if I tried to start a family with a woman without marrying her. Even if it turns out we _can't_ have children together, I can't see myself with anyone else. Please, Katherine. I'm asking you to be my wife."

She stuttered and stammered like a nincompoop. "Y-your wife? M-married? Us?"

"Is it really so hard to picture?" He began to look nervous. "I love you, Kath. If ever there was a time to ask you to marry me, now is it."

"Sebastian," she breathed, sitting up, "Are you serious?"

"My dear, I'm kneeling here naked on the floor holding your hand," he said dryly. "I promise you, this is not a joke."

"Then yes," she answered, nodding her head so enthusiastically that a lock of wavy hair fell over her forehead. "I'll marry you." She never imagined herself with a husband and she felt light-headed as the reality of the situation crashed over her.

Sebastian smiled and got to his feet. Katherine scooted back on the bunk to allow room as he climbed back in with her. "I wish I had a diamond ring to give you," he murmured, pulling her snugly against him. "Or any ring at all, for that matter."

"I don't need a ring," she insisted. She started kissing his chest, throat and jaw lovingly. "I don't need a big wedding, either."

"I'm afraid we'll have to do without the traditional wedding," sighed Sebastian. He stroked her back and nuzzled her hair. "Tomorrow, I'll find out who we have on this base that's certified to give our vows."

"I'm sure there's someone," she agreed. She embraced him and shut her eyes, rubbing her cheek against his smooth chest. She felt his arousal stirring against her thigh and she smiled. There was no harm in getting some practice in, before they began trying to conceive.

* * *

-To be continued

**Translations:**

**_Ayvitrayä Ramunong_** = Tree of Souls


	41. Chapter 41

"Between worlds"

Chapter 41

* * *

**Author's note: See footnotes at the end of the chapter for Na'vi/English translations. I'm trying to move it forward without neglecting important details. It's getting close to time for me to wrap this story up.**

* * *

_*Disclaimer: I do not own Pandora and I make no profit from writing fanfiction based on the "Avatar" film._

* * *

Tanhi knew that her time was coming. Like most other Na'vi women in her condition, she sensed her body getting ready for the birth and as she lay down with her mate for the night, she informed him. "Tom, it will begin tomorrow morning."

He gave her a blank look before comprehension dawned. His hand settled on her extended belly and he rubbed it slowly, smiling. "Have you started having contractions yet?"

"Not yet," she answered with a yawn. "But I will begin having them before sunrise."

"Then we'd both better get our sleep in now, while we can." He supported her with one arm, coaxing her to cuddle against him. "Have you decided on the birthing position you want?"

"I will try squatting, first," she answered. "That was best for me the last time I delivered."

He nodded and nuzzled her hair. "We'll do whatever helps you the most. All you have to do is tell me. I'll go and tell the _Tsahik_ to be ready in the morning."

Tanhi scooted aside as her mate got to his feet and left the tent. She stroked her abdomen and asked Eywa for calm as she waited for Tom to come back. As she had told him before, she lost a brother at birth and no matter how often her mate assured her that everything was fine with their twins, she dreaded the possibility of a repeat event of her own birth.

"Please, let them both come out safely, All Mother."

* * *

As she predicted, the contractions began just before the sun rose. Tanhi woke her mate and warned him that it was starting. Tom hurried out of the tent to fetch their _Tsahik_ and gather some emergency supplies from his trailer, just in case. He came back carrying a kit and an icebox. He wasn't going to take any chances. After setting the icebox on the floor of the tent, he helped Tanhi to her feet and linked his queue with her.

"Let's walk for a while," Tom suggested gently. "If standing gets too painful or difficult, let me know."

Tanhi nodded and she allowed her mate to support her as the two of them began to walk through the village. There was excitement as word spread that she was on her way to labor. People offered assistance to the couple, giving childbirth advice whether they wanted it or not and reminding them both to call out if they needed anything. Tanhi put up with it because their hearts were in the right place and frankly, she was fighting growing anxiety. Each contraction grew stronger and walking became difficult for her as the morning sun rose higher in the sky.

"T-Tom," she panted when a bad contraction ripped through her delicate frame. She saw Peyla approaching from the shore and she tried to give the other woman a reassuring smile, but it came out as more of a grimace.

"She is pale," Peyla said to Tom with blatant worry as she came before the couple. E'quath joined her side and he too gazed at Tanhi with concern.

Tom was breathing heavily and grunting under his breath, sharing Tanhi's discomfort. "Do we need to go to the birthing tent?" He asked her, leaving the decision up to her. He cupped her chin and looked into her eyes. "Remember, I might be sharing this with you but it's your body doing all of the labor. You decide what we do and when, okay?"

She nodded, breathing through the pain. "We will walk for a little while longer, my Tom. Peyla, do not look so frightened. I will be fine."

Peyla tried to control the anxiety in her expression as she and E'quath walked alongside the chieftess and Tom. "Just tell me if there is anything I can do."

"You can be brave and supportive," answered Tanhi with a fond, quiet smile. "That is all I need from you, sister."

* * *

By noon, Tanhi's contractions were coming regularly and she and Tom retreated to the birthing tent to prepare. The _Tsahik_ went with them and Peyla waited outside, ready to assist if they needed anything. E'quath sat down beside his mate and took her hand, trying to be reassuring.

"You think I am over-reacting," Peyla guessed, smirking at him sidelong.

"I think you are being a concerned friend," he corrected. "I was not there when my friend Ni'nat gave birth to her child, but I think if I had been, I would be as anxious as you are now."

A low, hoarse moan from inside the tent made Peyla go tense. Tom's deeper voice followed it. Peyla winced in sympathy for her friend and she knew it would only get worse as the day wore on. She squeezed her mate's hand and laid her head against his shoulder.

"I am glad you are here with me, E'quath. You would think I was the one going through childbirth, as nervous as I am!"

He smiled in his quiet way. "If Eywa ever blesses us with a child, I think the _Olo'eyktan_ will be sitting outside chewing her nails, just as you are doing for her."

"Or she will be standing over me, telling me to hurry up," Peyla joked.

The villagers began to play music, hoping to comfort their laboring chieftess, if nothing else. The combination of drums, flutes and singing voices carried through the village and echoed off the sea-cliff walls as the day progressed. Tanhi's pain-filled cries grew louder and more frequent as she got closer to birthing her offspring. Her mate's groans mingled with hers but to his credit, Tom Sully's voice could be heard encouraging Tanhi more than complaining.

* * *

He knew that the birth wasn't going to be easy on his mate and he knew he was going to experience agony that no human male had ever been through before. Tom thought he could handle it; he really did. As the day progressed and Tanhi's body prepared to begin pushing, he learned how very wrong he was. It was all he could do to help support her squatting position. The _Tsahik_ had brought in a wrack of wood typically used by laboring women to hang onto when giving birth in Tanhi's position and he crouched between her thighs, keeping a constant vigil to judge when to begin coaching her efforts. Tom knelt behind Tanhi and his hands gripped the rack next to hers as he did his best to aid her. The _Tsahik_ diligently wiped the sweat from both their brows and offered sips of cool water to them now and then.

"It is time, _Olo'eyktan_," informed the man when he checked the progress again. "Gather your strength and begin pushing. Tomsully, keep supporting her as you have been. Listen to the music and the voices of our people. Let it lend you both strength."

"Jesus," Tom growled without meaning to when his mate bore down and screamed. He decided then and there that he would never accuse women of dramatizing the pain of childbirth again—even silently.

* * *

As the afternoon progressed and Tanhi's tortured shouts continued, Peyla could stand it no longer. She told E'quath to wait outside while she ducked into the chieftess' tent to check on the progress. The _Tsahik_ glanced over his shoulder with a remonstrating look as Peyla walked in but when Tanhi gave him a strained nod, he allowed the young huntress to stay.

"You may help cool them," the _Tsahik_ told her when Peyla gave him a questioning look.

She nodded and went to the bowl of water, where a cloth floated. Both expecting parents were flushed and sweaty. Tanhi looked as though she was weakening but Tom boosted her waning strength with his own, as any good mate would do. Peyla wrung out the cloth and wiped Tanhi's straining face first, before doing the same for Tom.

"Not much longer now," she soothed when the _Tsahik_ announced that the first baby was crowning. She stroked her chieftess' knee gently and patted Tom on the back, wishing she could do more for them. She couldn't even be sure they comprehended her words. Tom's features were locked in a mask of concentration and Tanhi was snarling with pain and effort.

"Good," encouraged the _Tsahik_ with a smile. "The baby is coming. Be strong, _Olo'eyktan_!"

Tanhi trembled all over and took a deep breath before bearing down again. Peyla looked down and she almost wished she hadn't. The sight of a tiny Na'vi steadily slipping out of her friend's body was fascinating, but the blood and fluids were a bit of a shock. She didn't know why she was so surprised, given that she'd seen animals in the wild give birth many times before. Somehow, she'd developed the romantic notion that Na'vi births would be less messy and more dignified.

"I am not so sure I want to do that some day," Peyla blurted before she could hold her tongue. Fortunately, Tanhi's scream and Tom's rough shout drowned out the comment.

The baby came out into the _Tsahik's_ waiting hands. He wiped the shivering newborn's face and nostrils and announced that the girl was born first. The newborn girl child opened her mouth and let loose an impressively loud, indignant wail as the _Tsahik_ cut her umbilical cord with a sharp knife that he'd left sitting in boiling water.

"Peyla, take the child," ordered the _Tsahik _when he finished cleaning the infant up.

She nearly tripped over her own feet as she went to his side and obediently took the baby. Now that she was cleaned up, the child wasn't so ugly. In fact, she was very cute to look at and Peyla smiled at her impulsively. She saw Tom and Tanhi watching with exhausted expressions, both of them eager to see their new daughter. Peyla obligingly carried the infant to the still-laboring parents and showed her to them.

"Say hello to little Karyu, _Sa'nok_ and _Sempul_," Peyla said with a smile, holding the baby up for them to look at her.

Stray locks of hair straggled around Tom's sweating face and he hastily brushed them aside with one hand before smiling with relief at his little daughter. "She's so small!"

Tanhi let go of the rack with one hand to reach out and stroke the baby's cheek. Her hand trembled with emotion and physical duress and she bit her lip. "You will watch her while we finish, Peyla?"

"Of course," agreed the younger woman with a smile. She took the baby to one of the slings hanging from the roof and she carefully placed her in it, cooing to her as she tried to soothe her. She wondered how such a little creature could make that much noise.

Tanhi and Tom prepared for the birth of the second twin. The contractions hardly stopped long enough for them to recover before they began again. Peyla listened to the _Tsahik_ coaching her friend and her mate, encouraging them to hold on a little longer and gather their strength for the final efforts. The process began again in full and Peyla started chewing her fingernails again as the tortured moans and screams rose once more.

"Stop bearing down, _Olo'eyktan_," the _Tsahik_ advised some thirty minutes later. His expression was grim and he was frowning as he stared between her thighs.

"What is it?" Tanhi asked through clenched teeth, trying to obey his advice.

"The umbilical cord," he answered, "it is wrapped around the baby's throat."

"N-nooo," moaned Tanhi.

Such a thing commonly resulted in stillborn births. Peyla covered her mouth with her hand and bit back a sob as the _Tsahik_ worked to free the infant from the cord. If he wasn't fast enough, the baby would strangle to death before it was fully born.

Tom's eyes popped open wide and he cast a half-panicked look around the room. His gaze settled on the medical kit he had brought with him. He looked at Peyla and gestured to her. "Come and support Tanhi for me. I've got to break _tsahaylu_ and save our son."

When she didn't immediately respond, Tom lost his temper. "_NOW_, Peyla! Our child is dying!"

Peyla lurched into motion as Tom disconnected his queue from his mate. She took his place behind Tanhi and supported her as well as she could as Tom opened up his kit and retrieved some instruments from it. The _Tsahik_ moved aside a bit to give Tom room as he squatted next to him and used a small flashlight to see better.

"Hold on, Tanhi," Tom advised. His voice was impressively calm as he picked up an instrument that looked to Peyla like a pair of small tongs. Tanhi moaned, struggling against her body's urgings to push. Peyla stroked her hair and kissed her sweaty cheek, watching anxiously as Tanhi's mate worked. Tom hastily wiped his forehead with his sleeve to keep the sweat from getting into his eyes and he moved the instrument around, grasping the umbilical cord with it.

"I've got it," he murmured. "Tanhi, I need you to hold very still. Do it for our son, _Sa'nu_."

Tanhi nodded and clenched her teeth. She sucked in sharp breaths and did her best to be as still as possible. Peyla threw all of her concentration into holding her friend steady for Tom Sully as he removed the clear film from a scalpel knife and moved in to cut with it. Each second seemed to stretch over a lifetime. The _Tsahik_ obligingly held Tom's flashlight for him, providing him with the light he needed to finish the job.

"Okay, it's cut," Tom announced after a moment. He set his instruments aside and looked at his mate with determined golden eyes. "Push now, Tanhi. Bring Kato into the world."

Tanhi's body tensed as she complied with her mate's demand. Another scream tore from her throat and blood began to pool at her feet. Tom gave her an anxious, loving glance before giving his full attention to the baby again. After several minutes of straining, the boy twin came out into his father's waiting hands. Tom didn't smile as he gently picked up the infant and Peyla saw that the tiny body wasn't moving.

"Is he...?" She couldn't say it.

Tom didn't answer her. Instead, he dug through his med kit again and retrieved some kind of small mask. He placed it over the infant's mouth and nose before squeezing a bladder attached to it. He did this rhythmically while his mate sobbed in the background.

"Come on, Kato," Tom begged. "Breathe for _Sempu_. You can do it."

Minutes ticked by and the _Tsahik_ divided his attention between slowing Tanhi's bleeding and trying to calm her down. Peyla wanted to sob right along with her friend and chieftess, but she held back and tried to comfort her instead.

Tanhi's strength rapidly failed and a dead look came into her eyes. Peyla noticed it and she shook her head. "Do not give up, sister! Your son is not dead yet!" She started to remind her that she still had a healthy daughter to think of, but she knew it wouldn't comfort the chieftess. Though she had never born children of her own, Peyla understood perfectly well that nothing could make up for the death of one's baby.

A weak, thin cry joined Karyu's wails and Peyla's eyes went round. She looked to Tom, hardly daring to hope. He was smiling with obvious relief and he looked like he was on the verge of tears. Little, four-fingered hands grasped at the air as the male twin feebly complained over his near-death experience.

"Tom?" Tanhi asked in a weak, hopeful voice.

"Our son is okay," he promised, holding the child up for her inspection. "He's breathing just fine now, Tanhi. You did good."

Tanhi seemed to barely be able to lift her head. She looked at her crying son with relief before losing her grip on the rack. The only thing that kept her from collapsing was Peyla's support.

"Tomsully, she is losing blood far too quickly," the _Tsahik _warned urgently. "We must stem the flow now!"

Tom's relief died immediately and he paled. He quickly carried Kato over to the sling hanging beside Karyu before crouching at his mate's side and lifting her into his arms. "I've got you," he murmured to her as she moaned. He carried her over to one of the pallets against the back wall and situated her into the most comfortable position possible.

"Peyla, help the _Tsahik_ pack Tanhi to slow down the blood loss," Tom ordered. "I'm going to get her started on a blood transfusion."

* * *

Tom was so tired he could hardly see straight, by the time he stepped out of the tent for some fresh air. The clan was gathered around the tent, waiting to hear the results of the birth. They saw his blood-stained hands and shirt and murmurs of concern passed through the crowd. Someone sobbed, fearing the worst.

"Tanhi and our twins will be okay," Tom announced. "Thanks to the blood donations some of you gave and the help of a loyal friend, the _Olo'eyktan_ will recover her strength, with time. We have named the girl Karyu and the boy Kato."

Sighs and smiles of relief were shared between the gathered clan members. They began to speak softly to each other, mindful not to raise their voices and disturb their resting chieftess or her newborns. E'quath came up beside Tom, his quick gaze taking in the exhaustion in his expression.

"You should bathe and change out of those garments, Tomsully. You have fought a mighty battle today, as surely as if you went to war."

Tom nodded.

E'quath glanced at the tent entrance and leaned closer to Tom. "How close was it?"

"Very," Tom answered. He took a deep, shuddering breath. "I've never been so terrified in my life. I came this close to losing her." He held his thumb and forefinger an inch apart. His hand wavered and he quickly bowed his head and sniffed, composing himself with difficulty.

E'quath patted him solicitously on the back. "But you saved her. You may relax, now."

"I didn't know I loved her this much," Tom confessed, wiping his eyes with his sleeve. "I guess I really fooled myself, didn't I?"

"Go and get cleaned up," E'quath gently suggested. "I will go inside and look after your family until you come back. Peyla is still there?"

Tom nodded. "Your mate probably made the difference between life and death, with her help. Tell her I'm sorry for snapping at her a few times."

"She is hard to offend," E'quath excused with a brief smile. "I am sure she holds nothing against you."

* * *

Jake got the news of the birth a few days later, when Tom had the time to contact him. He shared the news with his mate and friends, ecstatic over the successful delivery of the twins.

"So they had a safe delivery?" Norm asked with a smile of relief.

"Well, not exactly," Jake corrected with a frown. "They almost lost the boy and then Tanhi crashed."

"Crashed?" Repeated Ni'nat curiously.

"She came close to death," Jake explained. "She lost too much blood, but Tom was prepared for it and he gave her a transfusion. I've got to admire the guy for thinking so far ahead. He got some volunteers earlier in the month to donate pints of blood just in case. That saved Tanhi's butt."

"She and the boy will be all right?" Neytiri prompted with a worried expression.

Jake nodded. "Yeah, Tom said the kid almost got strangled with the umbilical cord on his way out but he's fully recovered from it now. Tanhi's going to be bedridden for a few weeks but he says he thinks she'll make a full recovery, too."

"Thank Eywa for that," Norm said with feeling. He said the litany without conscious thought, now fully immersed in the Na'vi ways just as Jake was.

"Yeah, I've got to tell you I'm relieved," Jake sighed. Tommy was clinging to his calf and he smiled down at the child. "How would you like to visit your uncle Tom in a couple of weeks, kid?"

"Tawm," replied the boy enthusiastically, nodding.

Jake looked at Neytiri. "I figure we should go for a visit before you start rounding out. We can stop to visit your mother for a few days and then continue on to spend a week or so with Tom and Tanhi. Our munchkin should be big enough to travel, by now." He reached down and ruffled his son's hair.

"I would like that," Neytiri agreed. "Mother wants to visit Hometree though. Perhaps we can bring her back with us when we return."

"Sounds like a plan to me." Jake looked at Norm. "I know Tom would love to see you guys again but you've got little Gracie to consider."

Ni'nat considered it for a moment, glancing down at her daughter. The baby was playing with one of Ni'nat's hanging braids and making gurgling sounds of infant joy. "I will stay here with our daughter. Norm can go and visit Tom without us."

Norm looked a bit uncomfortable. "I'd love to see Tom's kids, but I don't want to leave you to do everything without me."

Ni'nat smiled at him. "Grace and I will be fine, my Norm. You should go with our leaders. Visit your friend and see his newborns. They will not stay so tiny forever."

"It's only going to be for a month, tops," Jake promised. "Grace is still so young, I don't think you'll miss her first words or steps while we're away."

Norm wavered. He stroked his daughter's hair and looked into his mate's eyes. "Are you _sure_ you're okay with it?"

"I am sure," Ni'nat promised him. "Grace will not forget her _Sempul_ while he is away, if that is your concern."

Norm let the infant squeeze his finger and he smiled at her. No, Grace wasn't likely to forget who he was. He wasn't one to brag but everybody knew she was a "daddy's girl" and she would probably forgive him for going away for a little while.

* * *

Jake, Neytiri, Tommy and Norm visited the Ikran village with Mo'at. Tommy was happy to see his grandmother and his uncle and they were amazed by how much he'd grown since they last saw him. Tanhi was recovering steadily, aided by her mate's tender care and Peyla's help. When Jake and the others left to return to Omaticaya territory, E'quath and Peyla went with them. Long overdue to see Ni'nat's daughter, E'quath greeted his childhood friend with an uncommon smile when he arrived and she gladly let him hold Grace. He acquainted himself with the infant and complimented her parents on how beautiful she was.

Jake got an invitation over the transmitter to a wedding and his eyebrows went up when Max told him who was getting hitched. He shared the information with the others and of course, he accepted the invitation. Neytiri was suffering morning sickness regularly by then, so she declined going with him. Jake took a handful of hunters with him for security and he flew to Hell's Gate to witness the union of Sebastian Thomas and Katherine Hart. His companions stayed in the avatar compound and Jake borrowed some clothes from Lee for the ceremony.

"Holy shit, I can't remember how to tie these things," Jake complained as he struggled with the tie at his throat.

Lee obligingly helped him. "You know, I don't think anyone would mind if you wore your regular Na'vi garb. It's not exactly a big formal occasion." He poked his tongue out in concentration as he worked the tie.

"Yeah, I know. I'd just feel like the odd man out, standing there in a loincloth when everybody else is dressed up Earth tradition style. I don't want to make the lovebirds uncomfortable."

Lee finished getting the tie situated and stepped back to see how Jake looked. "Well, you're all set. Personally, I think you could show up in a sack and Sebastian would be just as happy. He was thrilled when he found out you were coming."

Jake shrugged, a little embarrassed. "The guy deserves this, after what he's been through. He's a good kid." He grimaced, reminding himself that Sebastian was actually _older_ than he was. His stunted size tended to make Jake think of him as younger than he actually was.

"I'd better get out of my avatar body and change into my suit," Lee said. "You're good to go. The service is going to be in conference room 6B."

Jake nodded, unsurprised that they had chosen an indoor wedding as opposed to an outdoor one. This way, the bride wouldn't have to wear an exopack to get in the way of that final, sealing kiss. He left Lee's quarters and went to the conference room in question. His jaw almost hit the floor when he walked through the door and saw Trudy in an honest-to-goodness formal dress.

"Trudy, is that you?" Jake approached the brunette, taking note of the way her hair was carefully groomed into an elegant twist at the back of her head. She turned around to face him, looking distinctly uncomfortable in the calf-length, brass-colored cocktail dress.

"Yup. Welcome to the freak show, Jake. Looking good in that tux. How'd you find one in your size?"

"Lee hooked me up," he answered. His eyes roved over her helplessly, stunned by the sight of Trudy in feminine clothing. "You clean up nice. Max is going to crap himself when he sees you. Oh, and you shouldn't call your friends' wedding a 'freakshow'. Okay, they aren't the average couple but—"

"I wasn't talking about the wedding," she interrupted. "I was talking about me in this dress and you in a tux. These pumps are killing my feet and the skirt is making me take short steps. I hate it."

"Yeah, I'm putting the hate on these dress shoes, myself." Jake grimaced down at his feet. "Feels weird to be wearing something like this after going practically buck-naked for so long. The exopack doesn't make me more comfortable, either."

"Too bad you're in a standard avatar body." Trudy grinned up at him. "Bastian and the new guys really have it good, being able to go wherever they want without putting one of those things on."

The doors opened and one of said newcomers entered the room. Jake turned around to face the unfamiliar avatar that was dressed in black dress pants, a white button-up shirt and a black blazer.

"Speak of the devil. Jake, this here is Corporal Darren Ellis. He's second-in-command of the Nova military crew. Ellis, meet Jake Sully."

Darren shook Jake's offered hand and gave him a reserved smile. "I _was_ second-in-command," he corrected. "Now we're all just trying to pick up the pieces and start over. I've heard a lot about you, Sully. Good to finally meet the man behind the legends."

"Legends?" Jake smirked and glanced at Trudy. "What have you been telling these guys about me?"

"Just the truth," she defended. "Your name gets tossed around a lot here, jarhead."

"So you were a corporal too. Marines?" Ellis asked.

"That's right." Jake shared a military hand gesture with the other avatar and they both grinned. "Oorah."

"Now and forever, bro." Ellis relaxed.

"Yeah, Ellis here is a jarhead like you, Jake," Trudy smirked. "He's got a real interesting way of making friends."

"Yeah?" Jake looked between the newcomer and Trudy curiously.

"Yup. He got into a fistfight with Lee, Harris and Bastian last month. Now the dummies are all fast friends. Gotta love that male bonding."

Jake grinned at the other marine. "I want to hear more about this after the wedding." Trudy's easygoing behavior around the man made him feel better about him. She wasn't one to be easily won over and Jake figured that if she trusted him, he could to.

Ellis shrugged. "It was just a stupid mistake. I started it, but I guess it turned out okay."

Ramona came into the conference room and she gasped when she saw Jake. "Whoa, looking good there, sexy Sully."

"You're not looking so bad yourself, doc." Jake chuckled, used to the zoologist's flirtatious antics. She was wearing a gown similar in cut to Trudy's, except hers was lavender satin.

"Yeah, enjoy the view, boys." Ramona turned around in a circle and she gave Ellis a little glare. "Except for you, puppy killer."

"I did _not_ kill your...uh...dog," argued Darren. "I thought it was attacking you, all right? The animal is fine."

"I'm messing with you," Ramona informed him, rolling her eyes. "Grow a sense of humor, already. So Jake, what do you think of our pilot, here?" Ramona came up behind Trudy and grabbed her by the shoulders. "Does she look fab or what?"

"She definitely looks 'fab'," Jake agreed, laughing when Trudy's cheeks went ruddy. "Let me guess; you're the one that convinced her to wear that?"

"Yeah, and I did her hair, too." Ramona smoothed a couple of flyaway strands on Trudy's head and she ignored the way the lieutenant slapped at her in annoyance. "I had to work to convince her."

"I'm wearing this getup under extreme protest," griped Trudy. "Don't push it, Mona."

Max came in at that moment and Trudy stiffened a little. Jake got the distinct impression that she was afraid of what the biologist would say when he saw her. He could have told her she had nothing to worry about but Max showed her as much when his eyes settled on her. He blinked in shock and tugged at his tie to loosen it a little.

"Trudy?" He swallowed.

"Yeah, she's in here somewhere," Trudy muttered, glancing down at herself. "Take a picture while it lasts, Max."

Max reached into his blazer pocket and withdrew a flat, digital camera. He snapped a couple of shots of his girlfriend without saying a word and then he replaced the device.

"I was being sarcastic," Trudy said with a smirk.

Max shrugged. "This will brighten up my research logs considerably. It's not every day I get to see you like this, Trudy."

Jake was hard-put not to laugh as Trudy blushed again.

* * *

They had no priest to preside over the ceremony, but they did have a Justice of the Peace. Sebastian's eyes lit up when he saw Jake and the Omaticaya chieftain grinned at him and nodded. Sebastian took his place before the celebrant and Katherine came in after a few moments, escorted by Roy. She wore a wedding gown that Ramona helped her sew, composed of white satin and lace.

The conference room was large but there were a lot of guests. Jake started to feel a bit closed in as he waited for Katherine and Sebastian to complete their vows and be pronounced man and wife. He definitely preferred the Na'vi way of doing it: choose your mate, form the bond and have sex. No fuss, no muss.

Jake's thoughts went to his mate and the child she was carrying. He wondered if it would be a boy or a girl and he imagined the sibling rivalry that was bound to spring up between Tommy and his sibling. Hopefully they would get along well. He got so absorbed in thinking of his family's future that he nearly missed the special moment between Sebastian and Katherine.

"You may now kiss the bride."

Jake tore his attention away from his daydreams and smiled as Sebastian embraced Katherine and lowered his mouth to hers. Everyone began to clap and cheer as the couple completed their vows and stood before them as spouses. The ceremony wasn't long or extravagant but it was obviously all the couple needed to be satisfied. Max popped the cork on a bottle of champagne as glasses were handed out to those who wanted to toast.

"To the bride and groom," Lee said with a grin, lifting his glass.

Katherine and Sebastian smiled at each other and sipped from their glasses. Jake couldn't drink the champagne but Allen surprised him with a glass of Na'vi moonshine. "Sebastian didn't want you left out, so he made a batch for you," explained the avatar operator. "Drink up, Jake."

It was a chore to lift the exopack every time he took a drink, but Jake partook in the festivities with everyone else, regardless.

* * *

There was a brief celebration in the cafeteria afterwards. Jake congratulated the couple and they thanked him enthusiastically for showing up. He declined a third glass of nectar, not wanting to get sloppy drunk and be the ass of the party.

"So what do you two think of the newcomers?" Jake asked softly, giving a nod in Ellis' direction. "Trudy seems to think they're all right."

"The ones we've gotten to know seem like decent people," Katherine answered. "I feel uneasy about some of them but I think that's because they've picked up behavioral disorders from the trauma they've been through."

Sebastian nodded. "I feel sorry for them, more than anything else. I really don't think we have to be concerned over any of them retaining loyalty to the RDA, after what they did to them and their crew."

"So you think overall, they're not a threat?"

"Overall," agreed Sebastian. "And those who could be a threat are only potentially dangerous because of their emotional instability. There are a couple who are prone to panic attacks and they lash out, but it isn't done out of any real desire to hurt anyone."

Jake nodded. Sebastian had a generous nature but he knew Katherine wouldn't allow compassion to cloud her judgment. He smiled at the couple. "Here it's your special day and I'm talking about something so depressing. Sorry guys. Neytiri's always saying I need to practice my social skills more."

Katherine chuckled. "We don't mind, Jake. You aren't here to get to know these people yourself, so it's no surprise you want to get everyone's opinion. I think we're both too happy right now to let anything get us down. If you'll both excuse me, I've got to visit the little scientist's room."

Sebastian squeezed her hand and watched her go. He turned back to Jake and sighed, looking as though he could fly with happiness. "Proposing to her was possibly the most frightening moment in my life," he admitted in a quiet undertone.

Jake laughed, empathizing with him. "I think that's universal, Bastian. I thought gearing up for a firefight was nerve wracking, until I made my first move on Neytiri."

"The dry mouth, the butterflies, the adrenaline," Sebastian sighed, "I don't know why I was so afraid of rejection."

"Even when you know they feel the same about you, there's always that chance you're pushing too fast," Jake agreed. He patted the shorter man on the shoulder. "Congratulations, Sebastian. Now you know she wants you more than kids and you can stop worrying about it."

Sebastian cleared his throat. "Yes, about that...we've decided we're going to try."

It took Jake a moment to understand what he meant. "Try for a baby, you mean? I thought you couldn't do that together."

"It seems that isn't entirely true," he explained. "Because of the way this body of mine was made, I have enough genetic compatibility with humans to reproduce with them...in theory. Max ran some tests for us because we didn't want to risk a surprise. The results favor the possibility that Katherine and I could conceive. She wants to try."

Jake studied him and he saw the uncertainty in his eyes. "You don't look like you're completely on board with that."

"I would love to have a child with her," Sebastian assured him, "but I'm worried about the fetus growing too large for her to safely carry. I'm worried about complications and the birth itself. I don't want to lose my wife, Jake."

Jake considered this for a moment before giving the other man an encouraging, crooked smile. "It's always a little scary, thinking of things that could go wrong. I've got to tell you though, if Max says you can pull it off, he's probably right. You've got everything you need right here on the base to make sure Kath and the baby pull through okay, if you two succeed."

"I know." Sebastian relaxed a bit, inspired by Jake's encouragement. "I suppose I shouldn't worry until there's a reason to. She isn't even expecting yet."

"That's the spirit," Jake enthused. Inwardly, he wondered what a child produced by the couple would look like. It was unlikely to grow to Na'vi size, with so much human DNA. He wondered if it would have blue skin or a tail. Somehow, his mind conjured up a visual of an elf and he almost snorted.

* * *

In the time it took for Jackson's ISV to make it back into Pandora's orbit, most of the Nova survivors were almost adjusted to their new lives. Some required further psychological counseling and the amnesia sufferer still hadn't gotten his memory back. Max had him watched more than anyone else. Sleeper agents were a possibility he wasn't willing to overlook and Trudy agreed with him.

Foreman Jackson had the prisoners brought down first and they were immediately transferred to Hell's Gate's holding facility. They were treated well, despite what they had tried to do the last time they were on Pandora. An outdoor exercise yard had been constructed around the prison facility in preparation for the criminals' arrival. They would be there for the rest of their lives, whether they reformed or not. Max saw no reason why they shouldn't get the same consideration as inmates on Earth. Trudy and her security team had the foresight to keep the male and female prisoners in separate cellblocks. They could mingle in the common room and exercise yard but bathrooms and holding cells were kept strictly segregated.

"Can I ask why we're separating them like this?" Harris queried after they finished assigning cells to the prisoners. "They worked together. I don't think there's going to be a lot of infighting."

Trudy hesitated a moment before answering him. "I know most of these people are just soldiers that were following orders, but I also know some of them stood and watched while Phelps tried to rape the Ikran leader. I want to minimize the chance of something happening like that happening in here, get it?"

Harris paled a bit. He hadn't seen the entire incident but he had heard the commotion and witnessed Dr. Sully force the lieutenant off of the woman at gunpoint. "I get it. That might keep the women safe from the men but what about each other?"

Catching his meaning, Trudy ran her fingers through her hair and shrugged. "I'm hoping it doesn't come to that, but with animals like Phelps, there's always a risk. We've got security cameras everywhere except in the bathrooms and we'll have round-the-clock guards in there."

"What about...you know...willing stuff?" Harris looked a bit uncomfortable.

Trudy blinked at him. "What, like conjugal visits?"

He nodded.

She shrugged again. "We'll work something out. If any of them has a sweetheart in the next cellblock or someone on the 'outside', we'll just figure out a schedule. I'm not interested in giving anyone a case of the blue balls." She snickered a little at the term "blue balls". With the avatar prisoners, it was a literal fact.

"Hey Harris...why are you so worried about whether these prisoners get laid or not?" Trudy asked after a moment's thought.

The uncomfortable expression returned to his face. "Uh...Na'vi needs are stronger than human ones; at least in my experience. I don't think we want a bunch of sexually frustrated MP's on our hands. That would just make them more aggressive and I don't just mean the men."

Trudy sucked on her teeth and raised her eyebrows. "Good point." She made a mental note to sort out the conjugal privileges right away.

* * *

Trudy figured out part of the reason behind Harris' insistence in permitting conjugal visits for the prisoners, some two weeks later. She was crossing the compound to the hangar and she glanced at the exercise yard, where some of the inmates were socializing, playing basketball and doing exercises. She paused when she saw Private Harris standing at the fence, chatting with one of the female avatar inmates. Trudy's eyebrows went up when the two of them threaded their fingers together through the wire fence.

She felt bad about it, but she wanted to know what they were talking about. She trusted Harris but he could be somewhat gullible. Remembering his comment about Na'vi sex drives, she decided to find out if he was being unfairly influenced by his hormones and the attractive woman's attentions. She passed by a little closer, trying to look casual as she listened in on what they were saying.

"I was following _orders_," the woman was insisting. "Myers was our superior, Jeff. It wasn't anything personal; some of us were just doing what we've been trained to do."

"Well, you should have followed your conscience instead," countered Harris with a sigh. "You aren't a robot, Diana. You knew it was wrong and you shouldn't have gone along with it. I hate that you're in here but you did it to yourself."

Trudy had heard enough. She continued on, feeling low for spying on them. Things weren't always simple. Bad guys weren't always truly bad and she kept forgetting that. She sure as hell wasn't going to put in a suggestion for the prisoner's release, but she could at least do something nice for Harris.

"Never even knew you had a sweetheart, kid." Trudy sighed. She was getting soft.

* * *

"Yo, Harris! Come here for a minute." Private Harris stopped walking down the corridor and turned at the sound of Trudy's voice. The pilot was jogging towards him and she was holding a key card in her hand. He hastened to meet her half way and he couldn't hide the confusion on his face when she handed the key card to him.

"What's this?"

"It's your pass to Happy Fun Land," Trudy answered. "I've put Private Kelly on the conjugal rotation list. She can be escorted to one of the secured bunkers every Saturday, if you both want. You can spend the whole night with her. I've got to warn you, the bunkers lock from the outside and they'll be on a timer, so once you go in you'll both be stuck in there 'till morning. It's the safest way to do these things, you know?"

"Oh." He flushed. "So...you've noticed."

"I saw you holding hands through the fence the other day," Trudy confirmed with a cheeky grin. "I don't know how serious it is but you're on my team, so I thought I should cut you some slack. At least this way, you get to spend some private time with your girl."

He smiled a little and shrugged. "She's not really my girl. We like each other but we aren't an official item."

"Well, you can take it or leave it. Hell, you don't _have_ to use the conjugal to actually conjugate. It's not like there's a rule or anything."

His smile grew tentatively and he slipped the keycard into his breast pocket. "Thank you, Lt. Chacón."

"No problem." She reached up and patted him on the arm—or tried to, at any rate. She was too short to reach further than his elbow. "Just try not to think with your crotch too much. I don't want her putting any crazy ideas in your head, got it?"

"I'll be careful. Um, what happens if we need to use the bathroom?"

"The visitation bunkers are just like the sleeping quarters in the living space," Trudy chuckled. "They've got bathrooms. If you get hungry or need anything, you can use the intercom on the wall to ask the guards for it."

* * *

Harris and Kelly chose to take advantage of Trudy's generosity that weekend. Trudy had Diana escorted to the assigned bunker and Jeff met up with them. Evidently, his discomfort over being seen entering a conjugal bunker wasn't as strong as his interest in the woman. Private Kelly's shackles were removed and the couple was allowed to enter the private room together.

Trudy came by with Max later on that evening to check on Harris.

"Trudy, I'm sure he's fine. Considering the nature of the visit, I don't think you'll get an answer if you buzz him."

Trudy shrugged at her boyfriend. "Don't be so sure, Maxi. Harris is a shy kid and he told me they're not in that place yet." She stopped before the security door of Harris' visitation bunker and she started to push the buzzer on the intercom. "They're probably just hanging out, getting to know each other more."

A rhythmic bumping sound reached her ears, just as she was about to push the button. Trudy paused and her eyebrows went up as a husky, feminine moan of delight came from the other side of the door. A masculine groan followed it.

Max flushed bright and cleared his throat. "Oh, they're getting to know each other all right," he said with a nod.

"Uh, yeah." Trudy also flushed. "Like bunnies. I guess they don't need anything after all."

* * *

Most of the rest of Jackson's team proved useful. Jill took up work in pediatrics, resolving herself to permanent life on Pandora. She was thrilled to hear the news that Tom was a father and she spoke with him over the transmitter when she got settled in. Jackson himself had plenty of experience with running maintenance, so he helped with that. The others took up work where they were needed, getting to know the residents of Hell's Gate and their fellow operatives from the Nova.

Trudy now had more people on security staff than she knew what to do with. She remarked to Max that she was starting to feel like everybody's Mom.

"Who needs to have kids," she said to him one day after settling a dispute between one of the human pilots and one of the new avatars, "we've got a whole friggin base of big ones to take care of."

Max was more patient than his girlfriend. Some people still held grudges for the trouble caused by Myers and his followers. They projected their resentment onto the rest of the crew, even though they weren't to blame for the actions of their associates. Guilt by association was never completely logical, but understandable. He empathized with Trudy's feeling of becoming a sort of parent figure but he took it in stride to keep the peace.

Katherine and Sebastian were actively trying to conceive a child. Ramona and Lee were content to leave things as they were. Like Trudy and Max, they had no plans for children and they put most of their attention into their work and each other. Harris continued having both standard and conjugal visits with Kelly and he began to work on procuring her release when he thought she was beginning to accept responsibility for her part in the conflict.

The surviving Nova crew continued to get along well with others. The staff at Hell's Gate had no reason to dislike them, though it took time for them to trust them. Like Sebastian and Katherine, most people felt sorry for them. Corporal Ellis and Private Taylor began dating, while Howell started courting Jill.

With the exception of a few unavoidable incidents here and there, Hell's Gate was running smoothly.

* * *

As she grew heavier with her pregnancy, Neytiri was amused to find that her son liked to lay his head against her belly. He swore he could hear his sibling talking to him but Tommy was prone to exaggeration at times, when he managed to speak a coherent sentence. He was getting better at talking each day and he was full of questions for everyone.

"What dat?" Tommy pointed at the bowl in Norm's hand and crinkled his nose at the smell.

Norm glanced at the toddler and paused in his task of mixing salves. "It's medicine, Tommy. This is what we use on sores, to help them get better."

Tommy raised his arm and presented the healing scab on his elbow. "I haf one."

Norm smiled. "Yes, you do. It's healing pretty good, though."

"Can I haf mediswen?"

Norm looked over at Jake, who was trying hard not to laugh. He sighed good-naturedly, knowing that the child would keep asking until he put some of the salve on his elbow. "Okay, come here and I'll put some on you."

He set the bowl down and patted his lap. Tommy came to him and crawled aboard, watching curiously as Norm dabbed a bit of the salve onto his little injury. "There," Norm announced with a smile. "All better."

Tommy frowned at the scab. "Nuh-uh."

Jake spoke up. "The goop isn't going to make it disappear right away, son. Now come here and let your uncle Norm work."

Tommy squirmed out of Norm's lap but instead of doing as he was told and going to his father, he ran away giggling. Jake stood there with an exasperated look on his face for a moment and then he gave chase.

"Tommy junior, I mean it," Jake warned as the child dodged and weaved between the adults in the den. "I'm going to count to ten."

"My Jake, that never works," Neytiri reminded him as she watched her mate try to capture the giggling boy.

"It worked when Tom and I were growing up and it'll work now," Jake grunted. "Sorry," he apologized to a woman when he narrowly avoided colliding with her.

Tommy circled around the den and the clan watched with amusement as their Chieftain tried to grab him without running into anyone.

"But nothing happens when you reach number ten," Neytiri called. "It is an empty threat and our son knows it."

Jake pressed his lips together and changed tactics. He ran through the less populated area in the middle of the den and cut his son off before he could get past him. Tommy squealed as Jake picked him up with a triumphant grin.

"Gotcha, you little terror." Jake pretended to growl at the child and he swung him around, making him giggle harder. Smiling broadly, he eased up and held Tommy close, sighing at him. "You've got a stubborn streak, like your mother."

"No, he gets it all from you," Neytiri insisted as Jake carried their son over to her. "He is you at that age, Jake."

"How do you know?" challenged Jake. "Maybe I was a model kid."

Norm snorted. "Not likely."

Ni'nat approached the anthropologist from the fire pit, carrying a leaf plate of food to share with him. Norm put his salve aside and he smiled at his mate as she took a seat beside him. Grace made a peculiar sound and Norm frowned.

"Hiccups?" He guessed.

"Yes," agreed Ni'nat. "She nursed too quickly, I tried to burp her but nothing happened."

"Here," Norm offered, holding his hands out. "Let me see if I can do it."

Ni'nat took the baby out of the carrier and handed her over to her father. While Norm gently patted his daughter's back to encourage a burp, Tommy was listening to his mother's rounded tummy again.

"Tommy, I think you are hearing my food digesting," Neytiri chuckled, stroking her son's hair.

"No," he protested. "It's _tsmuk_." The child spoke in a mixture of Na'vi and English, having heard both dialects throughout his young life.

Neytiri smiled tolerantly, endeared. She parted her lips to say something when she felt the baby kick for the first time. Tommy gasped and pulled his head away to stare at her stomach with wide eyes.

Jake noticed his startled look. "What's the problem, kid?"

"The baby moved," Neytiri informed him. She took Tommy's small hand and placed it flat over her abdomen. "It is okay, my little Tommy. Feel _tsmuk_ move."

Tommy looked wary but he didn't try to pull his hand away. Jake's larger, adult hand rested above his son's and he smiled with anticipation. When the baby kicked again, Tommy gasped again and Jake winked down at him.

"It won't be too long before you'll get to meet your brother or sister in person, Tommy."

* * *

Jake handled the birth of their second child much better than he had the first. Norm helped with the delivery and Jake kept his swearing to a minimum. He didn't think there was ever such a thing as being "prepared" for the pain of childbirth but this time, he was expecting it. Neytiri was the anxious one, during this birth. Mo'at didn't come in time to be there and Neytiri had to give birth without the comfort of her mother advising her.

Just as she had the last time, Ni'nat sang outside the birthing alcove to sooth the laboring parents. Jake did his best to make up for the absence of Mo'at and that was probably part of the reason why he wasn't swearing up a storm. He encouraged his mate, comforted her and praised her as she struggled through the labor.

The birth of this child went faster than Tommy's birth. Neytiri didn't labor all through the night and another son was born to the couple, shortly after midnight. Norm did a fine job helping to deliver the baby and he handed him over once he'd cut the cord, cleaned and swaddled the infant. Jake had originally suggested they name the baby after Neytiri's father, if it was a boy. She didn't feel right about calling her son by her father's name so they chose to name him Tsu'tey, in honor of the fallen warrior Neytiri had originally been promised to.

The Omaticaya clan celebrated for two days over the birth of their leaders' newest child.

* * *

The call of nature was present everywhere; not just with the Na'vi tribes. While some couples at Hell's Gate like Katherine and Sebastian tried unsuccessfully to conceive, others found themselves expecting completely by accident.

"Oh, crud." Trudy stared at the device in her hand. She willed the results to change but they stubbornly remained the same as she stared. "Maybe I didn't pee on it right."

* * *

"It's action night, isn't it?" Max entered Trudy's quarters with a smile and he dug in his pocket for the data storage port. "I always get action night and comedy night confused."

Trudy shut the door behind him and she was oddly subdued. "Yeah, it's action night."

Max looked at her curiously, sensing that something was wrong. "Well, we don't _have_ to watch an action movie, if you'd rather pick something else. We don't have to watch a movie at all, really. Are you burnt out?"

"Nah, I love our movie nights." She gave him a little smirk. "Sorry I don't have the popcorn ready yet."

"Not a problem. We can make it together. Look, here's the list of video files I pulled up. See if any of them catches your interest."

Trudy took the slip of paper and stared at it as if it was written in another language. She handed it back to him and shook her head. "You pick. You're always letting me do it."

Max gave her a concerned look before glancing at the movie titles on the paper. "Okay...I'm not really a good judge of this category, but I'll try."

She nodded and walked away—or rather, paced back and forth. Max knew the pilot so well by now, it was obvious something was bothering her. "Trudy, what's wrong?"

She shook her head and chewed her fingernails, her ponytail swishing with the motion. "Just give me a second, Maxi. I've got to think of how to say this."

He stared at her mutely, growing more concerned by the moment. A horrible, sinking feeling grew in the pit of his stomach and he wondered if she was about to break up with him. "Trudy?"

She stopped pacing and regarded him with frightened brown eyes. She took a deep breath and spoke. "We've got ourselves a little situation, Max."

His dread increased. "What kind of situation? Did something go wrong with security at the prison?" He almost hoped it was something like that, instead of what he unreasonably feared.

"No, that's not it," she answered. "Everything with security is as smooth as a baby's butt." She suddenly laughed and there was a slightly hysterical edge to it. For a second, the laugh transformed into something like a sob but she quickly regained control of herself and wiped her eyes.

"Trudy, what is it?" Max dropped the paper unceremoniously and closed the distance between them. He rubbed her arms and gazed at her with open concern. "Did I do something wrong?"

She looked a little surprised by that. "What? You? No, no...damn, you're sweet. You didn't do anything wrong. If anything, _I_ did something wrong." She frowned in concentration. "I must have skipped a day or maybe when I had that cold last month...I hear antibiotics can screw it up."

She seemed to be talking to herself more than him. Confused by her rambling, Max's tension grew. "Trudy, will you just _tell me_ what this is about? Information, please."

Trudy came out of her private thoughts and she sighed. "Okay, here it is: We've had an 'oops', Max."

One of his eyebrows migrated upwards. "What kind of 'oops'? You said there hasn't been a security breach."

"Not the kind you're thinking," she snorted. "Here, take a look." She took his hands and guided him to the small bathroom at the back of her quarters. She opened the door and stepped aside, gesturing grandly. "And here we have exhibits A, B, C and D."

Max stared at the row of flat, long digital devices spread out over the sink. Each of them had a positive result flashing on the tiny screens. "Trudy, are those what I think they are?"

She blew her bangs out of her eyes and looked up at the ceiling. "If you think they're popsicle sticks, you're in the wrong career."

Max's eyes went from one pregnancy test to the other. He swallowed. "So by 'oops', you mean we...you're...I..."

"We slipped up," she provided, "I'm pregnant. You're the father. Any more questions?"

Max carefully removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. "These things can happen," he said slowly. He put his glasses back on and gazed at her warily. "Trudy, how do you feel about this?"

"Scared shitless," she admitted without hesitation, "you?"

"I think I'm too shocked to feel fear, right now." He felt a grin threatening, but he tempered it. They had already discussed the possibility of this happening, back when they first got serious with each other. He only hoped Trudy still felt the same now as she did then.

"Don't look so worried," she said with a rueful smirk. "I'm keeping it. I guess you're cool with that?"

He nodded so enthusiastically, his glasses slipped down on his nose. "I'm _very_ cool with that. I'm...I'm relieved to hear it."

Some of the fear faded from her eyes and she chuckled. "Good. I think you'll make a good Dad. You can make up for the sucky Mom this kid's gonna have."

"You are _not_ going to suck," Max admonished seriously. "If you can handle some of the ridiculous disputes that go on here between grown people, you'll do a great job with a child."

She took a deep breath. "If you say so. Uh, do I have to give up my chewing gum?"

Max struggled not to laugh. "It's sugar-free, isn't it? The gum should be fine."

"Okay. You're going to have to make me a list of what I should stay away from and what I need more of. I'm no good at this shit."

He rubbed her arms. "Don't worry. I'll take care of all that. We'll make sure you aren't suffering any vitamin deficiencies and we'll get you started on prenatal care, right away. I think we could both stand to wind down a bit. Why don't we choose a movie and get the popcorn ready?"

"Yeah, that sounds like a plan. I need to take my mind off this, for now." She bit her lip and then she impulsively hugged him close. "I'm glad you're being so calm, Maxi."

He rubbed her back and returned her embrace. "It's going to be okay."

* * *

-To be continued

**Translations:**

**_Karyu_** = Teacher

**_Sa'nok_** = Mother

**_Sempul_** = Father

**_Sa'nu_** = Mommy

**_Kato_** = Rhythm

**_Sempu_** = Daddy

**_tsmuk _**= Sibling


	42. Chapter 42

"Between worlds"

Chapter 42

* * *

**Author's note: See footnotes at the end of the chapter for Na'vi/English translations. Warning: Short lemon scene**

* * *

_*Disclaimer: I do not own Pandora and I make no profit from writing fanfiction based on the "Avatar" film._

* * *

A few months after the birth of Tsu'tey, Jake paid another visit to Hell's Gate to check on the construction progress and see how the new staff was getting along. He contacted Max to let him know he was on the way in and when he walked through the main gates, Trudy came to greet him. Jake stopped in his tracks when he saw her. At first, he couldn't figure out what was different. She had on the same combination of cargo pants, sleeveless shirt and army jacket that he was used to seeing her in. She wore her signature shades over her eyes beneath the exopack, her hair was in the customary ponytail and she was chewing on a stick of gum. As she grinned up at him and approached, he realized what was wrong with the picture.

Trudy's stomach was rounded in a rather obvious way. It wasn't protruding that far yet, which suggested she was somewhere in her second trimester if the bump was what it looked like.

Jake tilted his head and stared, at a loss. "Trudy? Uh...been eating too much of those fries?"

She chuckled and patted her belly. "Noticed it, huh? No, it's not a chubby bubble. This here's my baby. Well, me and Max's baby."

Jake almost rocked back on his heels. "You and Max...you're really pregnant? That's not a basketball you're hiding under there, is it?"

She popped her gum and stopped before him. "Nope. Here, have a feel if you want."

He squatted down and took the invitation as she lifted her shirt enough to show off her protruding belly button. Jake laid his palm gently over her abdomen. "I'll be damned. Nobody told me!"

She chuckled. "We wanted to surprise you. That look on your face is just what I pictured."

Jake laughed and rubbed the mound before removing his hand and standing back up. "So how did you two come to _this_ decision? You were one of the last couples I expected to fall into the baby pit."

"Uh, yeah. That's the thing; we didn't exactly volunteer. It's more like we got drafted. I don't know if my birth control just failed or if I goofed up with it. One day I started getting worried about some things that were off with the plumbing, you know? Peed on a stick, saw the results, peed on three more sticks and finally, I had to accept the facts."

Jake had almost forgotten that human women generally stayed on a fixed fertility cycle, unlike Na'vi women. "You seem to be taking it well."

Trudy snorted and fell into step with him. "Yeah, six months later I'm taking it well. You didn't see me when I found out. I was a nervous wreck, man."

"I'll bet. So how did you break the news to Max and how did he take it?" Jake couldn't imagine the patient, good-hearted scientist being anything less than thrilled but then, they hadn't planned on it happening.

"He didn't catch on at first when I started telling him," Trudy answered. "For a genius, he can be a little thick. I guess I wasn't doing too well saying it out loud either, but he got the idea when I showed him all the tests I left in the bathroom."

Jake could picture it and he started laughing again. "Holy shit...Trudy Chacón as a mother."

She grimaced. "My thoughts exactly. Good thing Max is the father, he ought to make up for my failings."

Jake felt bad for teasing her and he patted her on the shoulder, being substantially gentler about it than usual. "Hey, don't think like that. I'm just surprised because you always gave me the impression you never wanted kids. If I can do the parenthood thing, so can you and I'll bet you'll be good at it. You and Max are practically parents already, taking care of everyone on this base."

She chuckled. "Yeah, that's about what it feels like sometimes. Maybe you're right and I'll do better than I think I will."

Jake spotted the bio dome at the far south end of the compound. It was still under construction but it looked like it was coming along nicely. "Looks like it's moving along," he said with a gesture at the large structure.

"Yeah, we're thinking we should have the outer structure finished by next year," Trudy explained. "The interior buildings are going to take longer to finish but its not like we're running out of room for everyone in the meantime. Max wants to try and re-seed some of the leftover stripped land, once we've finished expanding."

Jake nodded in approval. "That's good. Use what you need, replenish the rest...I think the People will have more respect for the colony, this way."

Trudy shrugged. "Well, nobody wants a sand pit for a back yard anyhow. The only thing that bothers me is what we're going to do in a couple of generations. We're taking it slow but I don't know what the population's going to look like in forty years or so."

"I have a feeling the people here won't make the same mistakes as the people on Earth," Jake said optimistically. "There hasn't been a major population explosion yet, so it should be all right."

"Depends on what happens with the rotating ISV's," Trudy sighed. "We don't know what to expect next. I think we've got enough firepower and security now to keep the RDA from coming in and taking over but I want to knock on wood when I say that."

"Well, we've got a couple of years at least, before we have to deal with them again." Jake waved at a couple of people he recognized. "Don't stress yourself out right now. It's not good for your kid."

"I've been getting more advice in the past few months than I've gotten my whole life," she sighed. "Everyone's an expert."

Jake smirked. "They just want you to have a healthy pregnancy, flygirl. You're a celebrity now. Speaking of babies, what's going on with Sebastian and Katherine? Should I expect to see her with a bump too?"

Trudy frowned. "No. Not for lack of trying. It's not fair, Jake. The ones that are trying aren't having any luck and the ones that aren't end up like me. This should be Katherine gearing up to waddle around." She patted her belly.

He glanced down at her. "But would you trade places with her now?"

Trudy shook her head. "Nah. I'm already attached to the kid. When I first found out, I would have said: 'Here, switch places with me Kath'. Now I'm just trying to make sure nothing goes wrong before the little dude comes out."

"'Dude'," Jake repeated. "So it's a boy?"

"Yeah. We're going to name him Dustin. So how's your family doing, Jake? What's up with Norm and Tom?"

"My kids are doing great," he assured with a smile. "Tommy's learning fast and growing faster. Tsu'tey is pretty quiet for a kid of mine. Norm's family is fine and Tom and Tanhi's twins are healthy. I think Tom might have a shipment of medicine ready for you guys, now that you mention it."

"Yeah, we already sent someone to get it a couple of weeks ago," Trudy confirmed. "The lab is manufacturing more of it for pickup, if the next ISV isn't full of assholes that want to take over and strip-mine the place. We're hoping we can work out a trade compromise with Earth, eventually."

"I guess that depends on what kind of changes happen in the company," Jake replied.

They arrived at the lab building and Jake grabbed an exopack before going inside. Trudy took hers off when the doors shut behind them and she propped her sunglasses on her head. "Oh yeah, Max wants to tell you about an idea he has," Trudy informed Jake. "If he's right about this, we could make changes on Earth happen faster."

Jake gave her an intrigued look. "He thinks we can do something from all the way over here?"

"That's what he said," she agreed. "It was science talk. Something to do with tapping into the superluminal frequency to Earth."

* * *

"So what's the deal with this superluminal idea of yours?" Jake asked when he and Trudy were alone with Max in his office. "Oh and congrats on the baby."

Max smiled and shook Jake's offered hand. "Thanks. The 'deal' is that Sebastian thinks he and his team can eventually hack into Earth's superluminal transmission to send a message. Communications between our base and Earth are down now, either because of technical problems on their side or because the RDA is deliberately blocking us. If we can tap into the right frequency, we should be able to hitch a ride and broadcast through Earth's networks."

"'Networks', plural?" Jake tilted his head. "As in, international?"

"That's right," Max answered. "We could provide a window of opportunity to broadcast the truth, and show the world what's really been happening here. The RDA just might have to answer for the things they've done. People might not be that concerned with what they've done to an alien race on another world but they won't be happy to find out how much of their tax dollars have been wasted on secret projects and conspiracies."

Jake nodded, his eyes going blank as he considered the possibilities. "Whoa. And you think we can do this?"

"The good news is that we can. The bad news is that it's going to take a couple of years to finish perfecting the technology to pull it off." Max looked quietly excited. "Times are changing, Jake. We could make a real difference in the way Earth/Pandora relations are conducted. If we do this right, everything we originally hoped for when we joined this program could happen. People on Earth could get the cures we've come up with here, we could establish a real trade route and Human technology could help improve the lives of the Na'vi, instead of harming them."

"Hold on a second," Jake urged, alarmed by the final part. "What do you mean by 'improve', Max? You know the People don't need their way of life changed."

"I'm not talking about modernizing the indigenous," he said hastily. "I got excited and I misspoke. What I mean is on an environmental and medical scale. Look at what your brother did for the Kilvan people with his medicine. True, the pollution that caused their illness was the fault of humans to begin with but human technology is cleaning the mess up and making the land inhabitable again. Tom tells me there's a volcano near the Eastern Sea shoreline. It isn't active but it leaks sulfuric toxins into nearby water sources at times. Human pollution isn't all the Na'vi have to worry about, Jake."

"Okay, I agreed to let you convert that old plant into a water treatment plant to clean up the damage to the Kilvan territory," Jake sighed, "and I know technology and medicine can help the People in certain situations. I trust _you_ but I don't trust _them_." He jerked a thumb over his shoulder.

Max and Trudy both looked at the window into the hallway with confusion. "The janitors?" Trudy asked.

Jake glanced over his shoulder and saw one of the janitors passing by the uncovered window, mopping the hallway floor. "No, Earth," he clarified. He shrugged. "I don't know which direction it is from here."

Max chuckled. "Okay, I understand. I think you're getting a little ahead of yourself though, Jake. What I'm talking about is shaking the RDA power base until it crumbles. We can't do that without exposing them. As long as the same people remain in power, they're going to keep scheming and trying to find ways to take over. Jackson would have tried to get word out if he and his crew could have safely returned to Earth without risk of arrest or sabotage. We don't have that option now. We'll never obtain peaceful relations with Earth as long as the same people are running the show."

"Yeah," Jake sighed, "and we've got weasels like Selfridge telling people twisted versions of what happened here. That's only going to stir up more shit."

"Actually, I don't think Selfridge told his story to encourage more aggression against Pandora."

Jake stared at him. "I figured the only other reason was personal satisfaction. What's your idea?"

"Every account we've heard of Selfridge's report suggests he was deeply disturbed when making it," Max reminded. "Consider what he's telling people, Jake. His version of the events is that the Na'vi have some implacable power at their disposal that they can use against trespassers whenever they want. He's painted a picture of aliens that can brainwash mentally disciplined, trained men and unleash all of the wildlife on this moon against their enemies at will. Considering the kind of wildlife we have here, that's a rather daunting image."

"So he's making the Na'vi out to be some kind of supernatural demi-gods," Jake reasoned, "to convince the RDA to send out stronger opposition."

"I don't think that's what he wants to accomplish." Max looked into Jake's eyes. "I think he's trying to _discourage_ ventures to Pandora."

"Why would he do that? If his company loses the monopoly on Pandora materials, he takes a big pay cut."

"I think he's going to be taking a pay cut no matter what happens," Max theorized. "He failed to do his job and the base was lost on his watch. He'll be lucky if he has a job to go back to when he reaches Earth and in that economy, it's a serious blow. If he isn't fired, he could be assigned to rotate back to fix his mistakes. Selfridge didn't strike me as particularly interested in returning to this place, when I spoke to him myself."

"He's also the one that got in touch with Max about the Nova collapsing," Trudy remembered.

"Yes." Max had a grim expression on his face. "He sounded very anxious. I could be mistaken about this but I think Parker Selfridge is caught up in something he never intended to get deeply involved in. I think it began with the conspiracy to get you to Pandora in place of your brother, Jake. He's a man with no way out except his wits."

"So what, you feel _sorry_ for him now?" Jake scoffed.

"I do feel some pity," Max admitted. "You didn't see the expression on his face when he watched Hometree fall. He tried to give you a chance to move the Omaticaya tribe, and he didn't have to. I think what he'd done finally hit him when he saw that tree go down and watched people get crushed by it. Norm was there. I think he can vouch that the expression on Parker's face wasn't one of satisfaction, relief or accomplishment."

"Then what was it?" Jake pressed. "If the slimy bastard wasn't satisfied with his dirty work, what was he?"

"Desperate," Max answered with a sigh. "Hopeless. Even if he doesn't want to admit it, some part of him knows what he's done and he can't undo it."

"Sold his soul to the devil," Trudy agreed with a thoughtful nod. "He was always making these excuses and using that fake laugh. Good eye, Maxi."

Jake considered it and he hated to admit, Max's impression made sense. Selfridge really _did_ put off a vibe of desperation by the time things got heavy. "What are we saying, here? Parker's trying to _help_ us out of guilt?"

"He's probably trying to help himself more," Max said dryly, "but his actions could very well buy us more time. He's giving his people more reason to be wary of this world."

"Which could prompt them to send bigger guns, like Jake said," Trudy pointed out.

"Given how unpredictable the RDA has been, it could go either way," Max agreed. "That's why we're working on the broadcasting plan. The company is relying on secrecy to stay in power. If we take that away, we can make a difference."

"Okay," Jake said with a nod. "I see your logic. So what kind of broadcast are we talking about, Max?"

"Two feeds, actually," answered the biologist. "One will be a recorded message, complete with visual proof of what's been going on here. The other will be the official files we've saved and cracked. We'll upload them both to the world wide web while publicly broadcasting the former over every major television network."

Jake's eyebrows went up. "That's a hell of a goal."

"If we get things done right, we can do it," Max promised. "But we need the right person to speak to Earth. Someone whose video documents will provide half of the proof. Someone people have been hearing various stories about."

Jake grimaced. "Is this _someone_ you're talking about the only person in this room with a tail?"

"Bingo."

Jake sucked in a breath. "How do you know people will believe it's me?"

"All they have to do is compare the human Jake Sully in the video logs to the Na'vi Jake Sully speaking over the video broadcast," Max assured. "The resemblance and voice should be enough."

"Jake Sully, intergalactic celebrity." Trudy snorted with amusement and took a seat on one of the chairs.

"Intergalactic fugitive is probably more likely," Max said candidly as he regarded the tall form of their friend. "I'm not going to lie to you Jake, exposing the company is going to be like riling up a nest of wasps. They'll have people already bound for Pandora when we do this and I don't doubt the RDA will use the last of their resources to seek revenge, if we bring them down."

Jake nodded, clenching his jaw. He'd already figured as much himself. He thought of his two small children, his niece and nephew and Norm's little girl. He thought of the children he and Neytiri hadn't yet produced and he thought of the rich forests, mountains and rivers his clan depended on.

"You said it's going to take a couple of years to get this set up," Jake finally said.

"More or less," agreed Max. "We can't rush it too much and make mistakes."

Jake nodded. "We'll worry about it then. A lot could happen between now and then. If we still have to resort to this by then, I'm with you."

* * *

On his way out of the compound the next morning, Jake passed by the prison facility. Some of the prisoners were out in the secured exercise yard and one of them called out to him as he passed by.

"So which Sully twin are you, the doctor or the marine?"

Jake recognized the voice and he scowled, turning to look at the man who was standing on the other side of the fence, watching him. Phelps had a nasty, unfriendly smirk on his face.

"I'm the one that kicked your ass and knifed your superior," Jake answered with a smirk of his own. "How's prison life treating you?"

"Can't complain," answered Phelps. "I hear your brother had himself a set of twins with that mangy bitch from the Ikran clan. I guess he doesn't mind sloppy seconds."

Jake's ire rose and he was hard-pressed not to show it. He reminded himself that Phelps never actually got to rape Tanhi and the man was only trying to goad him. Jake shrugged. "Tom can get a woman without raping her. It's too bad you can't say the same."

"You _know_ this isn't the end of it, don't you?" Phelps continued when Jake started to walk away. "You've got yourself a nice bitch too. I wonder if she bites when she's getting it put to her, Sully."

Jake stopped again and his hands curled into fists.

Seeing the reaction, Phelps kept going. "Yeah, I'll bet they're going to send more people like me and when they do, someone's going to finish the job I started on that Ikran slut. They'll have some fun with yours too, before they chop down that tree you live in."

Jake turned and he began reaching for his bow. He couldn't get through or over the electric fence to kill the bastard with his bare hands but an arrow would go through the chain links, if his aim was true.

"What are you gonna do, shoot me?" Taunted Phelps loudly, drawing the attention of the guards in the exercise yard and on the turrets.

The guards were investigating and Jake had only seconds to act, if he was going to do anything before they intervened. He fitted and arrow and drew the bowstring back, not saying a word.

"Go ahead, Sully," dared Phelps. "Show everyone what a killer you really are!"

It occurred to Jake that the purpose of the taunting was just to stir trouble and make the people on the base wary of having him around. If he killed Phelps, they'd rightfully arrest him for shooting an unarmed prisoner.

"Jake, what are you doing?" He recognized the voice as Wilson's.

Jake swore under his breath and lowered his bow. "You're not worth it, Phelps."

He turned to walk away again and the guards relaxed.

"Too afraid to defend your woman's honor, eh?" Hollered Phelps. "That'll come in handy, when I get out of here!"

Jake suddenly whirled around and took aim with his arrow again. Phelps had his back turned and Jake was forced to recall what it felt like to get shot in the back with no warning. He made a split-second decision and loosed the arrow.

Phelps howled and reached for his backside in shock as Jake's arrow whistled through the air, through the links of the fence and thudded into his left buttock.

* * *

Trudy was putting her feet up in Max's office for a little break while he went over some data and made up the week's assignment list for his people. She was absently drumming on her stomach with her hands, when she felt movement inside of her. She stopped and let her palms rest on her abdomen. The movement stopped and she sighed and shrugged, changing her mind about interrupting Max to announce it. She started drumming again and she felt another kick—stronger, this time.

"Max...hey Max come here! I taught the kid a new trick."

Max stopped what he was doing and got out of his chair to see what she was talking about.

"Put your hand here," Trudy encouraged, grabbing his hand and placing it over her belly button. "Now wait." She started drumming lightly again on either side of Max's hand. At first she thought the kid wasn't going to do it again but after a moment, he kicked in response.

Max smiled broadly. "That's some nice activity happening in there. He must like the beat."

"Got ourselves a little drummer boy," Trudy agreed with a chuckle.

Sudden banging on the office door scared both of them so badly that Trudy almost jumped three feet off the couch. Max whirled around and slapped a hand over his heart, blurting out a rare curse. He reached for the remote in his pocket and unlocked the door. Wilson came in and his eyes went straight to Trudy.

"Sorry Trudy, but this is pretty damn important. There's been an incident at the prison."

Trudy got up with a grunt of effort. "What's up, Wilson? Did we have a riot or something?"

"No. Sully shot one of the prisoners with an arrow."

Max and Trudy shared a bewildered look.

* * *

Trudy and Max looked into the holding room, where Jake Sully sat with an exopack over his face and his wrists shackled before him on the table. Trudy shook her head and turned to Wilson. "All right, what the hell happened?"

"Well I was manning the south turret like you told me to and Sully passed by on his way to the gate. Phelps saw him and started talking to him. Jake got pissed and he looked like he was about to shoot him but then he acted like he was walking away. Next thing I know, Phelps shouts another taunt and Sully turns around and shoots him in the ass."

Max glanced at Jake through the observation window and then he suddenly snickered behind his hand.

"Max," Trudy remonstrated, though she was struggling with a grin of her own.

He cleared his throat. "Ahem. Sorry. Obviously he must have said something awful, to provoke Jake to shoot an unarmed man."

"I'm going in," Trudy sighed.

She walked through the door and Jake looked up at her silently. His face was set and hard, giving her pause. "Jake...why? Just tell me that, will you?"

His golden eyes stared into hers and his mouth was pressed into an angry line. "He had it coming. If he'd been facing the other way, he would have gotten it somewhere else. He's lucky."

Trudy's eyebrows shot up. She could easily guess which "somewhere else" Jake was referring to, just by his tone and the implication of his words. "Look, I know Phelps is a grade A, first class dick with a capital 'D'. The dude tried to rape your sister in law so I'm guessing he said something snarky about that while you were walking by. Am I right?"

Jake didn't answer. Trudy scratched her head, wondering what to do. They couldn't have Jake peppering people with arrows every time they pissed him off, but she knew the man and she knew Phelps probably _did_ earn it.

"Wilson, get in here," Trudy demanded, gesturing at the mirror against the wall. The door opened a moment later and Wilson came into the room. "You said you heard some of what Phelps said, so spill it. Jake's pleading the fifth here and I don't want to arrest my friend if I can help it."

Wilson gave Jake an uncomfortable look and sighed. "It was pretty damned vulgar. He was calling Na'vi women bitches and sluts. Uh, he basically threatened to rape Jake's wife...I mean mate...if he ever got out of there."

"Oh." Trudy blew a low whistle and looked at Jake again. He returned her stare and his jaw was tense with residual anger. "Shit, Jake...I...oh, hell."

Trudy walked over to him and got her keys out. She searched his eyes. It was a rare thing for Jake Sully to be so silent. "You wouldn't hurt a pregnant chick, would you?"

His angry look faded into one of exasperation as he snorted. He gave her an: "_oh, please_" expression.

"Just checking, big guy," Trudy smirked. She unlocked his manacles and stepped back as he stood up and rubbed his wrists. "I don't blame you, man."

Jake sighed and visibly pushed his anger down. "Thanks."

"So what happens now?" Wilson asked, his eyes going from the petite pilot to the towering Na'vi.

"We're gonna let this one slide," Trudy decided, her dark eyes looking up at Jake thoughtfully, "but Jake, from now on you can't go within thirty feet of the prison when you're visiting here. The guy may have asked for it but we're trying to keep order in this place and we don't shoot prisoners unless they're trying to escape or an immediate, physical threat."

Jake nodded wordlessly.

Trudy turned to Wilson. "When that asshole gets out of the hospital, have him put in solitary confinement until he learns to keep his filthy trap shut and stop making trouble. He's damned lucky Jake's arrow wasn't poisoned."

"I knew I forgot to do something this morning," Jake muttered. Trudy couldn't tell if he was kidding or not.

"All right, it's over now. You're free to go, jarhead." Trudy went to the door and opened it, stepping outside and moving out of the way to make room for her tall friend. Jake waited for Wilson to go out before he ducked through the door himself.

"Are you okay?" Max asked Jake when he stepped into the corridor.

Jake nodded. "I guess you were listening."

"I heard," Max confirmed with a nod. "Phelps has become notorious for provoking guards and cell mates alike. Nice shot, Jake. Oh and uh...don't do it again."

Jake smirked. "Well, I'd better get going. I don't want to lose daylight and I put myself behind schedule."

"See ya Jake," Trudy said, patting him on the arm. "Have a safe flight home."

"Thanks for not locking me up." Jake spared her a crooked little smile before turning to leave. He stopped at the end of the hall and looked over his shoulder at her. "Trudy? You're going to make a good Mom."

* * *

Jake stayed mad all the way home. Instances that kept him pissed off for this long were few and far between but he entertained fantasies of twisting Phelp's head off with his bare hands throughout the entire flight. Norm was the first person he saw when he walked into the village. The anthropologist was smoking some fish he must have caught earlier in the day and he greeted Jake when he saw him. Norm immediately noted the tense set of his friend's shoulders and the sour expression on his face.

"Wow, you look _pissed_. Don't tell me we've got another ISV coming in so soon."

Jake shook his head. "Nothing like that. I had a run-in with Lt. Phelps when I was leaving Hell's Gate and I'm still ticked off over it."

"Phelps...Phelps..." Norm considered the name, taking a moment to recall where he'd heard it before. "That was the guy that tried to...uh..."

"Rape Tanhi?" Jake supplied. "Yeah, that's him."

"But I thought he was incarcerated over there," Norm protested.

"He is. He shouted some taunts at me from the prison exercise yard while I was on my way to the gate. I lost my cool and put an arrow into his ass."

Norm's jaw dropped. "You killed him? And they didn't arrest you?"

Jake shook his head. "No, I didn't kill him. I mean it literally when I said I put an arrow in his _ass_, Norm. It would have been his crotch, but the bastard turned around at the last minute."

Norm stared at him. "What kind of taunts did he make to drive you to do that?"

Jake's mouth pressed into a hard line and he stared at Norm, willing him to figure it out. If he said it out loud, he was afraid he'd lose his temper and fly back to Hell's Gate to finish the son of a bitch off.

Norm's ears twitched with puzzlement as he studied Jake's expression and tried to read his eyes. Being the quick-minded person that he was, he went over the facts as he knew them. "Let me guess...it had something to do with what he tried to do to Tom's mate?"

"Yeah, but there's more. He dragged Neytiri into it and that's the most I trust myself to describe it."

Norm nodded slowly, his lips curling with disgust as he imagined what the man said about Jake's mate. "He's lucky you didn't kill him, if he made any insinuations about raping Neytiri."

Jake's expression must have confirmed Norm's suspicions, because the anthropologist winced. "No wonder you're so angry. What happened after you shot him?"

"They took him to the infirmary and I let them cuff me and take me in for questioning," Jake answered. "I knew what I was getting myself into when I fired that arrow."

"But you're only a couple of hours late getting back," Norm pointed out, puzzled.

"When Trudy found out why I shot him, she let me go," Jake answered with a smug grin. "That jackass isn't going to get any sympathy from her. Max even agreed he deserved it."

Norm smiled a little. "Good old Max and Trudy. So what else happened while you were there?"

Jake agreed it was time to change the subject. He explained Max's proposal about the broadcast relay as best he could and Norm was impressed. "Do you think they can really get a signal all the way to Earth?" Jake asked him, still a bit confused by the principle behind it.

"It's possible," Norm said thoughtfully. "The superluminal signal is out there. It's just a matter of finding it and hacking into it to get access to all those Earth networks. They must be researching ways to use unobtanium for new technology, by the sounds of it. The superconductivity could theoretically be used to—"

"—Hold it," Jake interrupted, pointing at himself. "Moron here, remember? You might as well be trying to explain it to a brick wall. I'm not understanding it any better from you than I did from Max; all I know is he wants to hop the superluminal frequency to tune into Earth and that's good enough for me."

Norm chuckled. "Point taken."

Jake told him about Max's perception of Selfridge and what he was up to next. After some thought, the anthropologist nodded and shrugged. "I can believe that. I spent most of the time staring at the video feed when they...did that...to old Hometree but I caught a glimpse of Parker's face too. He did look sick to his stomach. At the time I didn't give a damn about his feelings but now that I think of it, he could have been feeling some regret."

Jake heaved a sigh and decided it was time to lighten the mood. "Well, now I can give you the good news. You might want to sit down for this one, Norm."

Norm looked around and shrugged. He plopped down on the ground, since there was nothing close by to use as a stool or bench. "Okay, fire away."

"Trudy's pregnant."

Norm stared up at him wordlessly, his jaw dropping again. "Trudy? _Our_ Trudy? The one that said kids are a pain in the ass and she didn't have time to think about having them?"

Jake nodded and grinned. "Yeah, that's the one. She's sporting a cute little baby bump. She even let me feel it to prove it was real."

"Baby bump?" Norm frowned. "How far along _is_ she?"

"About six or seven months, I think," Jake answered. "Probably a little closer to seven, based on our talk."

"Why didn't she contact us and tell us earlier?" demanded Norm.

Jake shrugged. "She said she wanted to see the look on my face when I saw her belly. It's a good thing I didn't wait too much longer to visit there or she'd have been showing off a newborn instead."

"Wow. Trudy with a baby." Norm looked like he was having difficulty processing it. Then he said something supremely stupid. "And Max is the father?"

Jake gave him the hairy eyeball. "Who else would it be? Tom?"

Norm had the grace to look embarrassed. "Eywa, I'd _hope_ not. Okay, so I can be a moron too, sometimes. I'm just a little disoriented from the shock."

"Yeah, I was about in the same place when I realized she wasn't carting around extra weight from junk food." Jake chuckled. "But you know what? After the way she handled things when I lost my cool and shot Phelps, I think she's going to make a good Mom. With Max as the father, that kids getting some good genes. Cute, feisty little army girl mixed with a shot of genius and a side of patience? Great combination."

Norm's brows furrowed. "Jake, it's a child, not a cocktail."

"Sorry...I must have been channeling Trudy there for a second."

Norm smirked. "It sounds like something she'd say, doesn't it? So what about Katherine and Sebastian? I know they've been trying."

"No luck for them yet," Jake sighed, feeling sympathy for the couple all over again. "But they're young and they've got years to keep trying before they miss their window. Maybe Max can do something to boost their fertility."

"Maybe someone should tell Kath about the tail trick," Norm suggested, half-jokingly. "I'm sure it would work on Sebastian as well as it works on us."

"She probably already knows," Jake shrugged. "She's a scientist, after all."

"Her specialty is botany," Norm reminded, "and that's not a commonly shared secret. I didn't know about it until Ni'nat did it and I spent years studying up on the Na'vi."

Jake considered the information and scratched his chin. "Hmph. Maybe someone _should_ clue her in on that, then. Since you're the anthropologist, I nominate you."

"Jake, I'm really not comfortable with the idea of talking about that kind of thing with Katherine."

"Then contact Sebastian instead and he can tell her about it," Jake suggested. "You're both guys."

"Why can't you do it?"

Jake sighed. "Because I'm too damned crude. You're a scientist and you talk clinically about Na'vi anatomy all the time. You can probably explain it better without tossing in a lewd joke."

Norm grumbled under his breath before nodding in agreement. "All right. At least you can't see someone blush over a voice transmission."

"Great." Jake clapped him on the shoulder in satisfaction. "I'm going to find Neytiri and my kids."

"They're in the direhorse pasture," Norm told him. "At least, that's where they were the last time I saw them. Neytiri was taking them for a little ride around the pasture."

"Thanks, Norm."

* * *

Neytiri smiled down at the toddler she held in her lap as she directed the animal they rode on to walk around the meadow. Tommy was patting the horse with enthusiasm and looking around with awe, as if the world were entirely different from the top of a Pa'li.

"Just wait until the day you ride your first ikran, my son," Neytiri said to him in amusement. Tsu'tey squirmed a little in the harness on her back and he tugged on one of her braids, blurting a soft whimper to let her know he was hungry.

"We must return to the den now," Neytiri informed her oldest child. Tommy protested as she brought their mount to a halt and lifted him into her arms. She gracefully dismounted and began to carry her children away. "Do not fuss," she warned as the toddler reached out to the direhorse with grasping motions.

Neytiri caught a familiar scent in the breeze and she turned to see her mate striding into the meadow. Tommy settled down when he heard Jake's voice call out in greeting and he squirmed in Neytiri's arms, reaching for his father instead of the direhorse.

Jake sprinted lightly over to them and he smiled as he took his reaching son into his arms. "Sorry I'm late coming home."

"You are back safe," Neytiri answered benignly, pleased to see him unharmed.

She gave Jake a soft kiss on the jaw before changing Tsu'tey's position to feed him. She always preferred it when he traveled with others but sometimes, Jake didn't bother with an escort when he rode to Hell's Gate on Shadow. Nothing had ever dared attack him while on the back of the toruk but there was always a risk. She unfastened the back harness holding her smallest son and she eased it around in her arms, cradling the infant. She noticed Jake staring at her as she began to feed their son and she looked up at him curiously.

Jake had a soft expression on his face as he held their oldest child and gazed at her. There was something warm and intense in his eyes that she couldn't quite identify. It wasn't lust; it was something between love and fierce protectiveness.

"What is it, my Jake?"

He sighed and briefly tilted his head, giving her one of those dashing half-grins that always made her heart skip a beat. He closed the distance between their mouths and gave her a lingering kiss before brushing his lips over her cheek to her ear.

"Nothing. I just love you," he murmured.

She smiled at him, bemused but warmed by the tender declaration. It wasn't unusual for him to declare his affection but he normally used the Na'vi term: "I see you." The human declaration was more raw than the Na'vi, coming right out with something that two partners should know when they "see" each other. The way Jake said it just now, with so much sincerity and warmth, made her feel like the most important thing in his world.

Neytiri watched her mate retreat out of the meadow with Tommy in his arms and she wondered what had happened during his visit to Hell's Gate.

* * *

Norm mentally rehearsed the next day before using his transmitter to contact Hell's Gate. He didn't even know how to bring the subject up. He was usually fine talking about this sort of thing if someone else brought it up first or if he was directly asked about it. Starting the conversation was where he was going to fail. He mulled over it as the clan went about their morning business and he walked further away from the village. It was bad enough being stuck playing reproductive coach to the couple, without other tribe members overhearing the conversation.

When he was sure he was far enough away to have the privacy he needed, he decided that tact was best. He didn't have to just blurt it out right away, after all. He fiddled with the transmitter until he tuned into the correct frequency and he waited for communications on the base to answer. A semi-familiar female voice responded to the signal.

"This is Hell's Gate control room. We copy your signal. Who is this?"

"Dr. Norm Spellman," answered Norm. The base already had the codes for each individual transmitter, so there was no need to use a security code to reach them.

"What can we do for you this morning, Dr. Spellman?"

"I need to speak with Sebastian Thomas, if he's available."

"Hold on for a moment, Sir. I'll see if I can reach him."

Norm waited patiently and the operator informed him that Sebastian wasn't answering his pager or his phone. He sighed, resigning himself to speaking to Katherine about the issue. He asked for her and the operator came back again and told him she wasn't responding, either. Norm considered trying back later, but he had plans to work on a larger sleeping hammock with Ni'nat, to accommodate both them and their daughter when she grew out of infancy. There was one last person he could think of to speak with.

Gritting his teeth, he asked to speak with Ramona. He half-hoped she wasn't available but the operator got back to him with news that she was on her way to speak with him.

"Great," Norm said without any real enthusiasm. If nothing else, he knew Mona would pass the information on to Katherine. He was sure she'd get a huge kick out of it. The zoologist picked up the transmission after several minutes of waiting and she greeted Norm with cheerful enthusiasm.

"Where have you been, Normy? We haven't seen or heard from you in a while!"

"Oh, you know...I've been busy with my mate and daughter. How are you and Lee doing?"

"Just peachy, sugar. You've got to send pictures of that little girl of yours, the next time one of you comes for a visit."

Norm smiled and admitted to himself that he'd missed her perky nature, even if her outrageous flirtations made him a little uncomfortable. "It's a promise, Mona. Listen, I was trying to reach Katherine or Sebastian because I have some information that might help them out. I don't suppose you know where they are?"

"Probably holed up in the sleeping quarters they're sharing now," she speculated. "They're always late risers these days. I guess they've been wearing themselves out at night trying to make that baby happen. I could go bang on the door if you want."

"No, don't wake them," Norm said hastily, his sympathy for the couple in question increasing. "Maybe you could just tell them something for me—but you've got to take it seriously, okay? No joking around."

Ramona hesitated for a moment before answering. "Sure, Norm. But if it's that important, you should probably tell them yourself."

"It's nothing dire," he assured her, "it's just something that could potentially make a difference in their fertility problems."

She sounded intrigued. "Go on."

Norm took a deep breath before continuing. "Okay, there's a spot that Na'vi males have on the underside of their tails, close to the base. It's like an erogenous zone when it's massaged. It uh...well, it..."

"Gets them really horny?" She guessed. He could practically hear the smirk in her voice. "So does it work like a prostate massage or something?"

Norm predictably began to blush. "Something like that, but more intense. It kind of does away with the usual recovery time the male needs between encounters, understand?"

"You don't say. Wow, that's some information I could use too. Thanks, Norm."

Norm groaned inwardly. Lee was going to kill him for this. "I just thought they'd have a greater chance if they try it."

"I get what you're trying to say, Normy. If you throw triple the number of darts at a target, one of them is bound to hit." She sniggered.

"That's the basic gist of it, yeah." He sighed.

"I'll bet your face is like a blueberry right now," Mona guessed. "I can tell you're blushing."

"Just...get the information to one of them, please." Norm bit his lip. "I'm not relaying this information to be a pervert. This combined with cycle and temperature monitoring could give them the edge they need, without having to resort to artificial fertility treatments."

Ramona sobered. "Yeah, bless their hearts. I don't get the appeal in kids myself but they really want that baby. I'll talk to Kath about it, Norm."

He relaxed a little. "Good. Thanks."

* * *

Katherine barely had a chance to step out of hers and Sebastian's sleeping quarters before Ramona grabbed her and practically dragged down the hall. "Mona, give a girl a chance to wake up, will you?"

"Sorry, but I've been waiting for over an hour to talk to you, Kath. This can't wait!" Mona took her to her personal quarters, ushered her inside and shut the door behind them as she followed her in.

"What's so damned important?" Katherine snapped crossly. She hadn't even gotten the chance to have her morning coffee and she was late starting her daily research. She tugged her lab coat shut and resumed the task of buttoning it up.

"Cranky," Mona observed. "I just wanted to have a private word with you, before the day gets too busy. I've got a suggestion for you and Sebastian that might help push things further for you."

Katherine grimaced. "Mona, we tried your 'tiger trainer' idea to spice things up but we ended up laughing too hard for coitus. Honestly, Bastian and I don't have the right temperament for that sort of thing."

Mona gave her friend a surprised look. "Really? The tiger training game didn't get you two hot?"

"I think we're a little more soft core than you and Lee are," Katherine said dryly. "In fact, I'm surprised Lee goes along with letting you abuse his avatar body so much."

"Hey, it's not abuse," protested Ramona. "You'd be surprised what Lee goes for."

"I'd rather not have the details, thanks." Katherine smoothed some stray locks of hair into place on her bun and checked her watch. "Well, what is this idea of yours? I really should get started on my lab work for the day."

"It's about a neat little biological fact concerning Na'vi males that's not in the books," Ramona answered with a sly grin. "The guys share a common weakness for the tail scratching. Give your man's tail some attention on the underside near the base and you'll get an instant boner out of him."

Katherine blinked at her. "Where exactly did you hear this from?"

"Norm Spellman. I had a chat with him over the transmitter this morning and he's heard you and Bastian are trying to conceive. The advice came straight from the cat's mouth, girl. You ought to take it."

Katherine looked a bit mortified. "So now I'm getting sex advice all the way from the Omaticaya village? As if I'm not under enough pressure!"

Ramona brushed some lint off of Katherine's lab coat and squeezed her arm. "People just want to see you two get what you want, that's all. What's the harm in trying a natural method before you get desperate enough to use test tubes?"

Katherine sighed and lowered her eyes. "I _would_ prefer to conceive naturally, if possible. But you know, Sebastian isn't a Na'vi and he's not a common avatar, either. He may not have this special area."

Ramona shrugged. "You won't know until you test it. Don't tell me you aren't curious. I can see those gears turning in your head. The thought of making your honey purr makes you happy, right?"

Katherine tried to hide her smirk of intrigue but failed. "All right, I'll try it. At least it doesn't involve a crazy hat and a whip and leash."

* * *

Katherine felt a little nervous as she changed into a button-up shirt and panties for the night and waited for Sebastian to return to their quarters. She curled up on their bunk and turned the main lights off, leaving the bedside lamp on for reading. When he was forty-five minutes later than usual, she thought of paging him but then she heard the lock to their quarters click and Sebastian came in. She set her book aside and smiled up at him as he walked into the bunker.

"I'm so sorry I'm late," he apologized with a sigh as took his shoes off to place them in the closet. "We've been working hard on these new upgrades to the frequency system and I lost track of time."

"It doesn't matter," she assured him, watching as he removed his shirt and put it in the laundry basket. "You're here now."

He glanced at her and his golden eyes swept over her admiringly. "I love it when you wear your hair like that."

"It's not even styled," she chuckled. "I just brushed it and left it loose."

He unzipped his pants and pulled them down. "Yes, but you have a natural wave. It's very classy and feminine."

Katherine did some admiring of her own as he finished stripping naked and pulled on his bathrobe. "You don't need to shower right away, do you?"

She had tried to join him once but the showers in the private living quarter bathrooms were just too small. It was difficult to be intimate and sexy when she and Sebastian were crammed together like sardines in a can. The last time, he accidentally poked her in the eye with his finger while trying to caress her face and she got her arm caught between their bodies.

"Well I..." He looked her up and down again and he smiled. "I suppose it can wait. It isn't as though I do sweaty work all day." He changed course from the bathroom to their bunk and he climbed on next to her, drawing her into his embrace.

Katherine couldn't try out Ramona's idea with the robe in the way, seeing as there was no hole in the back to thread his tail through. She untied the garment and pulled it open, kissing him with loving passion as she slipped her hand into it. Sebastian was quite receptive and he stroked her thighs and bottom.

"I want to try something different tonight," Katherine murmured in warning against his lips. Since she didn't know how he would react to the tail stimulation, she was wary of taking him by surprise.

"I'll do my best to cooperate without turning into a giggling loon again," he promised with a grin.

Reminded of the first and last roleplay they attempted, Katherine chuckled. "I was just as much a giggling loon as you were."

"We're really horrible at that kind of play," Sebastian remarked.

"But what about this kind?" Katherine kissed his throat and worked her way down to his chest, sucking gently at the skin as she caressed it with her lips.

Sebastian stroked her hair encouragingly and his groin stirred against her thigh. "I'd say we're _very_ good at this sort of play."

Encouraged by his response, she slipped a hand around behind him, burrowing under the material of his parted robe. She started slow, not wanting to startle him. She fondled his bottom and admired the firm, toned shape of it as she neared her goal. Sebastian nuzzled her hair and stroked up and down her spine beneath her shirt.

His queue was tucked into the back of the robe and Katherine considered playing with it, knowing it gave him pleasure to have the hidden tendrils fondled. She decided to leave it for later, too curious to see if Ramona's information about Na'vi men's tails would apply to him. She slipped her fingers under the base of the tail and she gently stroked the underside with her fingertips, rubbing and scratching the soft skin carefully.

Sebastian's breath shivered and he held her closer. His body went still as he examined the sensation and Katherine stopped kissing his chest to look at his face. He had an expression that was half startled and half delighted.

"Do you like that?" Katherine whispered, continuing with the massage.

Sebastian swallowed and a little shiver passed through him. "I...oh yes...I like it very much, Kath."

The rapid swelling of his groin lent testimony to his admission. Katherine brushed her thigh against the hardening length of his sex and laid her head on his extended arm, smiling softly with satisfaction. She felt a little foolish for not having tried this before, given how often she teasingly tugged on the end of his tail and explored the rest of his body. The more she fondled the spot, the more restless he became and soon he was trembling, squirming and panting. His tail flicked beneath the robe and he started kissing her with eager passion.

"Kath...I need you," Sebastian groaned after a few minutes.

She was so aroused by his responses that she needed little preparation. She urged him onto his back and took advantage of his carnal state.

* * *

Late the next morning, Ramona was startled when Katherine burst through the doors of her lab with an open smile on her face. She hastily moved away from the insect specimen she was studying as her friend hugged her in an uncommon show of affection. The two women's exopack masks bumped together in the collision of bodies and Ramona laughed with puzzled amusement.

"What's this all about?"

Katherine pulled away and took a deep breath to compose herself. "Thank you. I mean that with every fiber of my being, Mona. Last night was...well, it's always been great but we were _literally_ up all night! I never imagined that any man could have _that_ much stamina but...thank you, Mona!"

Katherine started to run off but Ramona grabbed her lab coat before she could. "Hold on there, Speedy! Since I gave you the idea, I want some juicy details."

"You know I don't give those," Katherine admonished with a smirk. "But it definitely worked."

"It must have been really good, for you to be so ecstatic about it," Ramona said thoughtfully.

Katherine got a dreamy look on her face and she flushed a little. "It worked, all right. Thanks again, Mona. I'll have to thank Norm too, when I get the chance. I'll see you at lunch!"

Katherine probably would have skipped out of Ramona's lab, except that she was moving gingerly in a subtle manner that suggested she was sore.

Ramona shook her head and chuckled as her friend disappeared through the doors again. "That good, eh?"

She decided to try and give Lee a call on the satellite phone. She got hers out and dialed his number, hoping he wasn't in a flux zone yet.

"Hey you," Lee answered on the other line. Ramona could hear the rotaries in the background and she guessed he was in flight. "Is everything all right?"

"Hey baby. I just wanted to call and tell you not to drop the link with your avatar body right away when you get back this afternoon." Ramona grinned, imagining the fun they could have. "I've got a new trick to teach my pet tiger."

Lee didn't answer immediately and when he spoke again, it sounded like he had his hand cupped over the phone to keep his voice from carrying. "Is this the kind of trick I'm going to like, or the kind that's going to make me cower under the bed for a week?"

Ramona laughed briefly. "Evidence suggests you'll like it very much."

"Okay, then. Couldn't this have waited until I came back?"

She shrugged. "It was fresh on my mind and I wanted to make sure you stayed in that blue-striped body when you got back."

"Does my normal body get a treat later, for going along with this?" he asked.

"It always does, doesn't it? You know I love both your bodies, hot stuff."

He chuckled. "Then you've got a deal."

* * *

-To be continued


	43. Chapter 43

"Between worlds"

Chapter 43

* * *

**Author's note: See footnotes at the end of the chapter for Na'vi/English translations. There's a lot of focus on Hell's Gate couples and events in this chapter, because I thought it was needed for plot advancement. Warning: excessive cursing and picking on Max.**

* * *

_*Disclaimer: I do not own Pandora and I make no profit from writing fanfiction based on the "Avatar" film._

* * *

A little more than two months after the incident between Jake and Lt. Phelps, Max and Sebastian went up to the orbiting ISV with Jackson to help with some technical upgrades. The plan was to set up a direct link between the Star Chaser and Hell's Gate, so that the ISV could be moved around behind Polyphemus, to hide it from other ISV's when they came in. This would theoretically deter any hostile takeover attempts and cover up the fact that Jackson and his crew was in the Alpha Centauri star system.

"It's been years since I've set foot in an ISV," Max said to his companions as the Valkyrie shuttle completed its attachment to the interstellar transport.

There was a slight shudder through the frame of the shuttle as it locked on. He and Jackson had devised a rotation of staff since the foreman's arrival, so that the ISV was under constant maintenance and supervision without anyone going stir crazy. This would be the first time Max went up himself to help with inspections and work on their plans. Earth had tried contacting the Star Chaser several times to check on its travel status, both during the return to Pandora and after its arrival in orbit. Max and Lyle both agreed that ordering communications silence between the ISV and Earth was for the best. The suspicious interest the RDA had in the Star Chaser's status only served to confirm Max's fears about their plans for the crew and passengers.

Locked into the seat across from the scientist and the foreman was Sebastian. He was tense and nervous as the Valkyrie attached to the ISV and he gave another start when a second shudder passed through the shuttle.

"What was that?" Sebastian asked, clutching at the bars securing him to his seat. He looked this way and that, as if expecting sections of the shuttle to break away into outer space.

"Relax," Max soothed. "It was just the loading bay attaching to the cargo hatch." He looked sidelong at Jackson and muttered uncertainly: "That's what it was, wasn't it?"

Jackson nodded. "There's nothing to worry about. The maintenance and tech crews have been keeping these vehicles in top shape. We haven't found further evidence of sabotage attempts since we discovered and fixed the flaw in the fusion system."

"Which could indicate that whomever was responsible for rigging it is currently incarcerated in our prison at Hell's Gate," Max said thoughtfully.

Sebastian swallowed, visibly trying to relax. Jackson noticed and gave the avatar an encouraging smile. "Relax, son. This ISV isn't going to collapse like the Nova did. We've got the whole operation in tip-top shape. All we need is for you to finish patching the transmitter connection between here and the base."

Sebastian sighed and looked at the other two men sheepishly. "I suppose if I were a cartoon character, I'd be dubbed: 'Sebastian the Cowardly Cat'. I apologize for being so skittish."

Max chuckled and responded kindly to the self-berating. "Your last experience on an ISV nearly resulted in your death or a permanent state of mental instability. After what you've been through and what happened to the passengers on the Nova, I really don't think anyone could call you 'cowardly' for being nervous."

An elegant female voice spoke over the intercom. "Star Valkyrie one, your passengers may now disembark."

The interior lights in the passenger bay brightened and the exit hatch opened slowly. The other passengers began lifting their security bars and unbuckling their safety belts. Jackson and Max did the same, followed by Sebastian. Max smiled as he floated out of his seat like the others and Sebastian looked more discomforted than ever.

"You'll get used to zero gravity," Jackson assured. "Just pull yourself along using the handle grips throughout the ship, if you're not comfortable free-floating."

"It's a piece of cake," one of the avatar women from Jackson's crew encouraged with a smile. She pushed away from her seat with her feet and floated gently over to Sebastian, grabbing the overhead grips to stop her motion before she went past him. "Check _this_ out."

Sebastian watched as the woman gave a little push and did a slow flip in mid-air. "See?" She enthused. "It's pretty fun, once you get the hang of it."

"All right, Miss Daniels," Jackson admonished, "you can show off another time. Mr. Thomas is here to help you with a job, not play."

She gave her superior a contrite nod and cast one last smile at Sebastian before moving on. Other passengers followed her, made up of both human and avatar crew. Max, Jackson and Sebastian waited for the others to leave the shuttle before leaving themselves.

"I think someone thinks you're cute," Max remarked to Sebastian in a murmur as he and the computer tech pulled themselves along into the attached, brightly lit corridor.

Sebastian cleared his throat and held up his left hand, drawing attention to the silver wedding band on his ring finger.

"You might want to make sure she sees that, son," Lyle suggested in an amused tone. He floated along beside the two of them, not bothering with the handholds.

"I'll be sure to advertise it as we work," Sebastian agreed.

* * *

Wilson and Harris were assigned to a team sent out to start re-seeding the land near the surrounding forests. They took a land rover and a crew with them for the job and spent most of the morning fertilizing damaged soil and planting seeds to replace what the RDA had cut down. They didn't get more than a mile of land re-seeded before their vehicle struck a large, sharp slab of metal stuck in the ground. How it got there was anyone's guess but it seemed to be a piece from an old RDA mining machine.

They collected it for scrap but unfortunately; the hit punctured the fuel tank in the rover and caused a slow leak. The crew was forced to return to the base early or risk the vehicle running out of fuel and needing a tow. Harris grumbled all the way back and old nicotine cravings ate at him. He had taken up smoking on rare occasions again and he had some cigarettes rolled, but he couldn't exactly smoke while wearing an exopack.

It occurred to him as the rover returned to Hell's Gate that he'd never actually tried smoking with an exopack on. Harris shrugged.

* * *

Jill Turnley spotted the soldier that had been persistently courting her as she walked from the lab building to the native gardens to get a snack. Private Howell was playing basketball in the avatar court with Corporal Ellis. If it weren't for the guns holstered at their hips, they would have looked like any standard avatars, out for some exercise.

Like the rest of the Nova crew, the two of them had undergone psychological evaluation and trial assignments before being given basic firearm privileges and regular military duty. A fourth of their surviving team wasn't so lucky and they were considered too unstable to be assigned to work on the base. Jill knew that the personnel at Hell's Gate were still keeping a close eye on all of the Nova survivors; even the ones they believed to be stable and trustworthy enough to join the staff.

She paused to watch for a moment and she listened to the men's friendly, competitive banter.

"You call that a dribble, Private? My Gram could have done better than that."

"Well your dunks aren't exactly awe-inspiring, Sir." Howell grinned at his superior and tried to find an opening to shoot the ball.

Ellis caught sight of Jill and he looked at his fellow soldier and jerked his chin in her direction meaningfully. Howell glanced her way and he stopped dribbling the ball when he saw her.

He looked at his superior and smirked. "Permission to take a break and hang with my girl, Corporal?"

"I'm not—" Jill began to protest.

"Permission granted, Private." Ellis took the ball from Howell and resumed practicing on his own as the private jogged over to Jill.

"I'm not your girl," Jill finished when Howell came up to her and tossed her a wink. "Not yet, anyway."

"I'm looking to change that," Howell said, unperturbed. "So where are you heading, Dr. Turnley?"

"To the garden," she answered, avoiding looking at him. "It's my lunch break, so I'm grabbing a bite to eat."

"I could eat."

She sighed and glanced at him, her eyes sweeping over his bare chest before she could control them. "All right. There are better ways to request my company, though."

"So, what color was your hair before you went through the avatar procedure?" Howell asked brazenly as he walked along with her. "I'll bet you were a redhead."

"Why would you say that?" She queried, procrastinating on answering the question.

"Well, the name 'Jill' sounds like a redhead to me," he answered with a shrug.

"That's it? You're basing your guess on my given name?" her lips quirked.

He grinned at her and stuck his hands in the pockets of the cargo shorts he was wearing. "That and your temperament."

She raised a brow. "I'm not temperamental."

"I didn't say that. I said temperament. Not all redheads are loud about it. I'll bet you've got a slow fuse but once it's lit, you surprise yourself and everybody else."

Jill thought of how easy it was to use her medical knowledge as a weapon to help save the children of the Ikran tribe, when Jake Sully ran his covert operation on their first base. She smiled softly and lowered her gaze.

"So am I right? You were a redhead."

She looked up at her taller companion again. "I don't think that's any of your business, since you haven't even given me your first name yet. You've been asking questions about me but you never say anything about yourself."

He grimaced. "You want my first name, huh?"

"If you want to know the answer to your question, you have to give me something too."

He shrugged. "I guess that's fair. It's Baxter."

Jill smiled at him. "Baxter Howell," she repeated, tasting the name.

"Yeah, it's a weird sounding name, I know."

She shook her head. "No, I like it. It's interesting."

"You think I'm interesting, do you?" He winked at her again.

Jill covertly cleared her throat to hide a chuckle. "I said your _name_ is interesting, Baxter."

Even though he had expressed dislike for his first name, he seemed to enjoy hearing her call him by it. He smiled winningly at her and put an arm around her. "I'll bet you think _I'm_ interesting too."

Jill stepped out of his embrace and gave him a warning look. "Don't get cocky. That wasn't an invitation for you to start taking liberties."

He gave her a suspicious look. "You weren't a nun before you took up the medical field, were you?"

Impulse drove her to slap his bare stomach, just hard enough to sting and make him blurt a startled little "woof". Howell rubbed his gut and chuckled. "See? I _knew_ you were a redhead."

Jill laughed softly and shook her head. "All right, I admit it. I was a ginger. What about you?"

"Shit brown."

She stopped walking and blinked at him. "Pardon?"

"My hair," he explained. "It was shit brown. Sorry, you're a lady. Let me rephrase that: it was poo brown."

Jill rolled her eyes and continued walking. "I'm sure it was a lovely shade. Do you have to be so crude?"

He jogged a little to catch up with her again and then he fell in step with her. "Sorry. I guess I'm used to all the crude banter in the military."

His ID tags flashed against his chest in the daylight and Jill suffered a moment of self-berating for being stupid enough not to look at them to get his first name in the first place. He didn't seem to notice, or else he thought she flirting with him when she asked him to say it. Maybe some sub-conscious part of her _had_ chosen not to notice the dogtags until after she asked him for his given name.

They reached the gardens and Jill looked around thoughtfully, trying to decide what kind of fruit, nuts or vegetables she wanted as a snack. There was a selection of native plant foods and she still hadn't tried them all. She only knew the names of some of them, in fact. She knew that she liked the fruit that grew from the palm trees they were walking under. They were shaped like pears and green in color, but they had a tough, porous layer of outer skin and segmented, juicy pulp inside like a citrus fruit. To Jill, they tasted like mandarin oranges with a hint of peach flavor.

"I think I see what my girl wants."

Baxter's declaration brought her out of her decision-making process and she gave him another warning look. "I told you, I'm not—"

"Here," he interrupted, reaching up to pluck one of the plumpest of the fruits from the tree. He blew on it and wiped it off on his shorts before offering it to her.

"Er...thank you." Jill took the fruit from him and despite her annoyance at being interrupted; she thought the gesture was sweet. He was certainly a persistent cuss.

"Anything for my girl," he said with a wink. When she huffed and raised her eyebrows at him, he put up his hands defensively. "Okay, my _future_ girl. Better?"

She began to peel the outer layer of skin from the fruit. "What are you going to have?"

Baxter looked around and scratched his head. "I'm more of a carnivore, but those nuts over there look okay. I'll just—"

_*BANG!*_

Before he could finish his sentence, there was a small explosion across the courtyard, diagonal from the avatar grounds. Jill cried out in startled fear and she saw that one of the ground transport vehicles had a fuel tank mishap. The occupants were jumping out of it and security was already rushing to put out the flames. She started to relax but then she saw Howell a couple of feet away from her.

The soldier had drawn his gun and he was looking around with wide, panicked eyes. He took uncertain aim at the people rushing to bring the situation under control and his hand shook. She knew the signs of impending hysteria and she walked to him, careful not to sneak up on him.

"Baxter, it's okay," she said as calmly as she could. She gasped when he aimed the gun at her and gave her a wild, mistrustful look. "It's Jill. Please, don't point that at me."

He lowered the gun and swallowed, licking his lips. He looked like he was going to say something but a shout from one of the guards across the courtyard startled him again and he aimed his weapon their way. Jill approached him and gently laid a hand on his tense shoulder.

"Baxter, it was just a minor accident. Something went wrong with the rover's fuel tank, that's all. It's okay."

"That's how it started," he said in a tight voice, "something minor. Just a little explosion in the right place and then...and then..."

He was going to lose it if she didn't calm him down. "Baxter, what happened on your ISV isn't happening here. Look and see for yourself." She stroked his arm with one hand and pointed at the source of the explosion with the other. "They've already got it under control. You're safe. Please, lower the gun."

He wavered, shutting his eyes tightly.

"Nobody here is going to hurt you or your crew," she promised. She dared to run her hand over his arm, past his elbow and down to his wrist. She gently persuaded him to lower the weapon he held in his trembling hands. "They're only putting out the blaze."

With her coaxing, he slowly lowered the SN-9 Revolver. He was breathing heavily and his body was tense. Jill felt more pity than alarm now and she murmured soothingly to him, hoping she could get him into the infirmary for some help before another loud noise spooked him. He took a deep breath and opened his eyes again, looking at her with an expression warring between embarrassment and fear.

"I thought I had it together," he informed her with a swallow. "They must have too, or they wouldn't have assigned a weapon to me, would they?"

She smiled tentatively. "It's like you said before; some people are slow burners. Sometimes you can't really tell until the right trigger lights the fuse."

He heaved a shaken sigh and looked down at the gun still clasped in his lowered grip. He reversed it in one hand, checked the safety and offered it to her. "I think you'd better hold onto this. After freaking out like that, I...I don't trust myself with it."

She gingerly took the weapon and placed it in the pocket of her lab coat. "Thank you for being so sensible. Here, why don't you come with me to the infirmary and they can give you something to calm you down, okay?"

He nodded in agreement and Jill took his hand and encouraged him to walk with her.

"Man, I'm so embarrassed," Howell complained in a shaken undertone. "I was trying to be smooth and then I went all mental on you."

"You've been through a traumatic experience," she excused, deftly steering him away from the damaged rover and the people cleaning up the mess. "You shouldn't be embarrassed."

"I'm going to hold you to that, the next time I put the moves on you." He looked around with a frown as they passed the basketball court. "Where's Corporal Ellis at?"

* * *

Darren Ellis went straight inside to the housing sector and made a beeline for his quarters, as soon as the explosion occurred. Now he stood in his bathroom and he opened his medicine cabinet, hastily reaching for the prescription bottle of pills sitting on the bottom shelf. He swore softly as he struggled to open the cap with shaking hands and he shook out two of the tablets into a palm when he won the battle. He tossed the medication into his mouth before setting the bottle aside and cupping his hands under the running water.

After downing his pills, he splashed some water on his face and stayed hunched over the sink for a moment. His hands gripped the metal sides of the utility and he closed his eyes, steadying his breathing as much as he could.

Like his subordinate Howell, Ellis reacted badly to the sudden explosion. He felt the panic overwhelming him and as soon as he started getting the alarmingly vivid flashbacks, he got his ass away from civilians as fast as he could. Unlike Howell, he'd been having nightmares since the event and he knew he wasn't fine and dandy.

Ellis slowly lifted his head and gazed at his reflection in the mirror. The face was more or less the same one he was born with, save for the Na'vi features and skin coloring. The eyes were once a vivid green, but now they were amber and the once-blond hair was now black—not to mention, about four feet longer than it had been before.

He watched the droplets of water slide over his cyan-striped skin and he tried to will his heart to stop pounding so hard, tried to will his adrenaline to ease up. He was in better mental condition than some of his troops that were permitted to take up tasks. If that blast affected him this strongly, anyone in worse condition witnessing it was bound to be having an episode right now.

Thinking of this, he decided he should force his own issues aside long enough to check on his people and be sure none of them were having a meltdown. They were still his responsibility. He started to tear his hands away from the sink but through the mirror, he saw the walls behind him collapse. He clenched his teeth and hissed through them as he watched his crew get sucked into the blackness of space all over again. His body shuddered and he fought the hallucination with everything he had, until the stress and effort of it made him lose consciousness.

Corporal Darren Ellis fell to the tiled floor of his small bathroom, knocking over his bottle of anxiety meds and scattering the pills everywhere as he went.

* * *

"You've got to open the doors and let them in! Goddammit, they're dying! It's all caving in like a fucking tin can!"

Trudy stopped on her way to her latest checkup and she stared as the screaming avatar was wheeled past her, heavily restrained on the gurney. She caught a glimpse of his face in passing and she recognized him as the Nova survivor that had been suffering amnesia since the incident.

"Guess he remembers something now," she muttered, eyes wide. Disturbed by his demented yells, she put a hand over her extended belly and she wished she could give her kid headphones to drown out the sound. She approached the first nurse she saw and asked what the hell happened to set the guy off like that.

"They had a little explosion outside a few minutes ago," Obliged the nurse. "There was a fuel leak in one of the returning transport rovers. Some idiot riding on it tried smoking a cigarette under his exopack and when he burned his chin with the hot ash, he tossed the butt away. You can see where this is going, I'm sure."

Trudy groaned. "How many morons do we _have_ on this base? Okay, so Private Kennedy obviously got his memory jogged by the blast and had a conniption, am I right?"

"That's what witnesses say," agreed the nurse. "He wasn't the only Nova survivor to suffer a traumatic episode from it. We have a Private Howell in here that was escorted by Dr. Turnley, just moments after the accident. He was shaken, but relatively in control of himself."

"Tell me they've got the fire under control," Trudy said, fighting a headache.

"Yes Ma'am. It wasn't that severe and the vehicle wasn't too severely damaged, from what I hear."

"Well, that's something, at least." Trudy sighed and looked down the halls where the medical staff had wheeled the screaming private through the doors. "Look, I think I'm going to skip today's checkup and take a nap."

"But Lt. Chacón, Dr. Patel said that you should—"

"Max isn't here right now and I need a breather," interrupted Trudy. "He can give me a checkup himself whenever he comes back from poking around on that ISV. Do you have the name of the nitwit responsible for tossing a lighted cigarette on a leaky fuel tank?"

"Uh, one moment," the nurse said. She pulled a small holopad out of the pocket in her scrubs and filtered through some notes entered into it. "Yes Ma'am. It was a Corporal Wilson."

Trudy's jaw dropped. "You're kidding me. _My_ Corporal Wilson?"

"I...I think there's only one Corporal named 'Wilson' on this base, Lieutenant."

Technically, Trudy was now a General, given her command status. Everyone still referred to her as Lieutenant because she preferred it that way. Regardless of title, she was a force to be reckoned with and the increasingly wary expression on the nurse's face showed that as Trudy glared at her.

"Let me see that." She snatched the holopad out of the woman's hand before the nurse could even offer it to her and she scanned over the information with her eyes. "I don't believe this crap."

Trudy thrust the pad back at the nurse and started to turn away. It was then that she felt a tightening in the muscles of her abdomen and pelvis. She paused, her expression of anger fading into confusion as she laid a hand over her stomach. It made her think of a fist, slowly clenching with increased force. She grunted as her muscles strained and it dawned on her what was happening.

"Oh, shit."

* * *

"I can't believe you did that," Harris complained. He and Wilson stood in the street together, watching the cleanup crew take care of the residual fuel mess on the concrete. They started the assignment feeling good about themselves, because they were re-seeding the barren landscape closest to the surrounding forests. The return to the base ruined that feeling of accomplishment.

"Hey, I didn't know it would go like that," Wilson defended. "I was sure there was enough space inside the mask to have a few puffs."

"But you don't even smoke!"

"I used to," Wilson admitted. "I quit before shipping out to Pandora. Everything's been so haywire around here lately, a smoke now and then helps chill me out."

"Couldn't you have just _waited_? There are designated places in the recreation building for that. Smoke all you want; just don't kill other people with it."

"Don't start with the health lectures," Wilson warned him.

"I think that nearly blowing up a rover full of your own mission team counts as a damned _health hazard_!" Harris' voice rose with his ire.

"I didn't do it on purpose!" Harris yelled back.

"So the cigarette crawled up under your mask and lit itself?" Harris crossed his arms over his chest.

"No, smartass...but I didn't mean to toss it like that! I tried to grab it back up but it was too late. Why the hell am I talking to you about this anyway? I out-rank you and I outta have you thrown in the brig for disrespecting a commanding officer."

"Both of you shut up."

Wilson and Harris both abruptly did as the voice commanded and they turned to face Trudy, bearing equal expressions of guilt. "Lieutenant, Ma'am," Harris greeted with a salute.

Trudy ignored him and waddled up to Wilson. He shifted uncomfortably at the angry glare she gave him. "You picked a _really_ bad time to fall off the tobacco wagon, pal. Do you know you're boneheaded move put _two _people in the hospital and could have gotten someone killed?"

The avatar officer and the human officer exchanged confused looks. Harris spoke up on his companion's behalf, despite the argument they had just had. "Lieutenant Chacón, in Wilson's defense, nobody on the team or in the vicinity was injured and the damage to the rover was minimum."

"I'm not talking about the passengers," Trudy gritted out. "I'm talking about the two Nova crew survivors that were out here when it happened. The explosion spooked them and now one of them is a raving lunatic. Great going, Wilson."

"It was an accident," Wilson defended, "and it isn't my fault the base is letting those people run around unsupervised if a little noise is going to make them go off the deep end."

"They were fine until you decided to be Smokey Joe and light up some fireworks," Trudy growled. "Not to mention the damage you did to property and the risk you put the other guys in!"

She stopped and took a few sharp breaths, putting both hands on her stomach.

"Trudy?" Wilson said, forgetting about his screw up in the face of concern.

"Is something wrong?" Harris asked, equally worried.

"I'm having contractions."

Both men's eyes popped open wide. "What?"

Trudy raised her eyes from her stomach and glared at them each in turn. "I said I'm having mother-fucking _contractions_! Can't you hear?"

"Well...what are you doing out _here_?" demanded Harris. "You should be inside the maternity ward, getting ready!"

"I wanted to kick Wilson's ass first," she snarled. She waddled precariously around behind her copilot and made a feeble attempt to boot him in the rear. Her foot only made it to the back of his knee.

"Good enough for now," she grunted. "Now help me get back inside and one of you contact the Star Chaser and tell Max to get his ass back down here."

"I'll get you inside," Harris offered. He scooped the pilot up in his arms and lifted her, despite her protests.

"I'll call Dr. Patel," Wilson said.

* * *

When she found out about the incident with the rover and the effect it had on her two fellow officers, Private Taylor immediately began searching for Darren. He wasn't in the hospital checking in on Howell or Kennedy and she knew this was his day off duty, so she went to his quarters to look for him. He had given her a spare key card since they got romantically involved. Though she still had doubts about the wisdom of dating her superior officer, her feelings for him kept her from backing off. The fact that he had carried her to safety in his own arms when the collapse began only served to increase the infatuation she had already harbored for the man.

"Corporal Ellis?" She called softly as she opened the door. "Darren?"

The cabin was dim and she couldn't make out any lumps in his sleeping bunk that suggested occupation. She started to leave, but she noticed light coming out from the partially opened bathroom door.

"Darren?" She called again, frowning.

Janet took a few more steps into the cabin and she spotted a sneaker-clad foot lying sideways on the tiled floor of the bathroom, just near the edge of the door. Her heart jumped in her throat and she bounded through the room. When she stepped through the bathroom door, she found her commanding officer and love interest lying curled up on the floor by the toilet. His arms were stretched out before him and there were pills scattered everywhere.

* * *

"Mr. Jackson, we have an emergency transmission from Hell's Gate," a crewman reported when he found the Foreman in the control room with Sebastian and Max.

Everyone went still and Jackson gave the young man a wary look. "Please don't tell me they've picked up another ISV so soon."

"No sir, it's for Dr. Patel. They said to tell him that Lieutenant Chacón has been taken to the maternity ward with contractions."

Max had been fighting to keep his glasses situated on his face instead of floating away from his head. He forgot all about them when he heard the news and the oval framed spectacles began to steadily drift away.

"Oh my god, I forgot the date! I knew she was due sometime this week!"

Sebastian smiled from ear to ear, resembling the Cheshire Cat for a moment. "Dr. Patel, don't you think you should take a shuttle back so that you can be with her?"

Max looked around helplessly, hating to abandon his work on the project at short notice but hating the thought of missing the birth of his son even more. It occurred to him that his vision was blurry and he hastily reached out and grabbed his glasses before they could make a full escape.

"Lyle, I'm sorry to rush off but—"

"You're having a baby," Jackson chuckled. "I think we can make allowances. Mr. Evans, please tell the crew to prepare a Valkyrie for Dr. Patel immediately."

The messenger nodded. "Right away, sir. Dr. Patel, please follow me and we'll get you home as quickly as we can."

Max pushed away from the wall he was hovering by with a bit too much force. He couldn't stop his momentum or change his direction when he realized he was heading straight for one of the avatar crewmen. He started to blurt a warning but he face-planted in the man's torso first, so all that came out was: "Explufe mmf."

The avatar eased his body to the side and supported Max by the shoulders with a little smirk of amusement. "No harm done, Doctor."

Max heard soft snorts and chuckles of amusement in response to his blunder and he wished he could just teleport himself out of there and down to Hell's Gate.

"This way, Dr. Patel," Evans urged, beckoning to him from the hallway outside the open door.

"Uh, would you mind giving me a little push?" Max requested of the young man he'd bumped into. His face was ruddy with embarrassment and he had to push his glasses up on his nose again to keep them in place. It was a good thing his collision with the avatar hadn't been any lower, else the ISV crew would have _really_ had something to snicker about for a while.

The avatar obliged him, aiming him carefully toward the open door before propelling him by the material of his lab coat.

"Don't worry Dr. Patel," Sebastian called after him, "We can handle this. Congratulations."

Evidently, news of the upcoming birth distilled the last of Sebastian's fears of outer space and boosted his confidence.

* * *

A few hours later, Trudy was in full labor and Max was doing his best to coach her and support her. Unfortunately for him, Trudy didn't take kindly to being issued orders while struggling to give birth.

"Push, Trudy," Max urged with an excited smile. "You're doing fine. Keep pushing!"

She abruptly _stopped_ pushing and glared at him through the sweat-dampened, dark locks of hair that had fallen over her eyes. "What the hell do you _think_ I'm doing? How about we switch places and _you_ do this instead!"

Max winced. "Whoa, all right...so telling you to push clearly isn't the way to go."

"Just shut up and hold my hand," she demanded, reaching for him.

"Shutting up. Holding your hand." He winced again as her small hand clutched his with force that hurt. "Ouch."

Hunched over at the bottom of the hospital bed to help deliver, Roy chuckled.

Trudy gave the older man a glare. "Don't laugh it up too much, Chuckles. My foot's really close to your head."

Roy cleared his throat. "I take that to mean I should shut up too, then."

"Damned...straight." Trudy grunted as another contraction hit and she bore down with it.

* * *

Within an hour, Dustin was born. Dr. Jacobs cleaned him up and Max cut the cord before taking the bundled infant into his arms and showing him to his mother with a bright smile. Trudy turned her sweaty, flushed face to examine the baby. Like both his parents, Dustin had dark hair and a tan complexion. He had inherited Max's natural curls and he had Trudy's nose and eyes. He wasn't complaining much and he looked around with inquisitive, deep brown eyes as his father held him and his mother smiled at him.

"Hey kid," Trudy said in a hoarse voice. She reached out and touched one of the groping, chubby little hands with her fingertips. "Don't worry; I'm not going to yell at you like I yelled at these guys."

Max gave her a shyly proud smile. "I think we did a good job."

"Yeah, we sure did. No offense but I'm not interested in doing that again anytime soon, all the same."

He chuckled under his breath. "I don't blame you for feeling that way. On the bright side, you got a perfect little son out of it."

Trudy gave the baby another tired, awed little grin. "Yeah, he _is_ perfect, isn't he? He's quiet, like you. That's good."

"I wouldn't count on that to last," Roy warned with a smile.

"Don't spoil the moment, Doc," advised Trudy.

* * *

Darren woke to a splitting headache. His heart was racing and everything seemed to be too bright. The first thing he saw was Janet's fine-boned face looking down at him with concern. He opened his mouth to speak to her and found that his throat was peculiarly raw. He swallowed painfully and frowned.

"Janet...where are we?"

"The infirmary ward," she answered softly. She stroked his hair. "I found you lying on the floor in your bathroom. There were pills all over the place."

He recalled the terrible flashback he'd been treated to when he looked at his reflection in the mirror and he shuddered. "Why does my throat hurt so much?"

"I...thought you might have tried to...the pills, you know? They pumped your stomach."

He struggled to sit up and he made the unpleasant discovery that he was restrained to the hospital bed. "You thought I tried to kill myself?"

"I didn't know what to think," she answered, lowering her eyes. "I know you've been having problems like the rest of us, but you never talk about it. When I found you unconscious with all those pills on the floor..."

"I didn't try to kill myself," he said firmly. He shut his eyes as another wave of panic threatened. "I just took my regular dose of medication. I must have knocked the bottle over when I blacked out."

"They said they only found two pills in your stomach," she said with a nod. "Howell said you two were playing basketball outside, just before someone had an accident with the equipment. Were you there for the explosion?"

"Yeah, I was there." He sighed and tried swallowing to moisten his sore throat. "I heard it happen and saw the rover catch fire. I ran to my quarters to take my meds because I felt a panic attack coming on and I didn't want to be around people if that happened."

"But what made you black out, if it wasn't an overdose of medicine?"

He thought about the flashback again and took a deep breath. "It must have been stress. The last thing I remember was taking those pills and then I woke up here." He looked down the length of his body and frowned. "Are these straps really necessary?"

"They were worried you might get violent," she explained. "Since they couldn't figure out what caused your blackout, they just wanted to be careful. Kennedy was there when the rover lit up too and he went berserk. It jogged his memory in a really bad way. I guess they were afraid you'd end up like him."

"Kennedy has his memory back?"

She grimaced uncomfortably. "His memory of the ISV collapsing, yes. They don't know if the rest has come back to him or not because they had to sedate him."

Ellis shut his eyes. "Shit. Of all the memories he could get back. Are you okay?"

She offered a smile to him and nodded. "I've been going to therapy every day...something I wish you and the others would do."

"I'm fine," he insisted, though he knew it was a lie.

She lowered her mouth to his for a kiss. "I think you're in denial."

"I'm at least fine enough to be let loose from these restraints," he insisted. He gave her a quick smooch back.

"I'll go and tell the nurse you're awake and I'll ask them to take the restraints off, okay?"

He nodded and he watched her walk out of the small room. What happened to Kennedy had been exactly what he'd been afraid of and once again, he had failed to act in time.

* * *

While Max and Trudy familiarized themselves over the next few days with being new parents, their friends and colleagues came and went to see the baby, leave gifts and congratulate them. Max moved his and Trudy's personal belongings to a two-bedroom suite while she recovered. For now, there were plenty of the larger living quarters available but he knew that the space would fill up eventually and he pushed for the construction crews to move a bit faster in finishing the bio dome and some of the housing there.

Trudy recovered from the birth of her son quickly and to the amazement of some, she carried him around in a sling with her while she did her work indoors. If she needed to go outside for anything, she left Dustin with Max or the emergency nanny they had set up. Max of course spent ample time with the baby as well, keeping him with him when he did scheduling, organizing or paperwork of any kind. When he was doing lab work or taking care of sick people, he gave him over to Trudy or called for their nanny.

It seemed to be a very balanced and fair system the two of them had worked out, enabling them to give as much attention to their child as they could without sacrificing too much work in the process. Harris and Wilson started calling the pilot "Mama Trudy", much to her disgust. She put up with it anyway because the two men had somehow become like annoying brothers to her.

* * *

Sebastian returned from the ISV six days after Dustin was born and he and Katherine resumed their efforts to conceive a child of their own. He was even later getting around to his daily work than usual, since she learned that trick with his tail. He couldn't imagine her not conceiving eventually if it was possible at all, given the amount of sperm he was contributing to it. Tests had already confirmed that she had a receptive womb and healthy eggs, and he had healthy sperm and a good count.

The couple began to resolve themselves to the possibility that they simply weren't biologically compatible enough with each other to conceive. Katherine began to bring up adoption and Sebastian reminded her gently that there were no orphans on the base to take in. The last thing he was going to do was wish death on a child's parents just so he and his wife could adopt.

Nearly a month after the birth of Max and Trudy's son, Katherine got excited because she had skipped a period and she was feeling mild nausea in the mornings. She took a personal pregnancy test in the bathroom and waited as patiently as she could for the result. When it came up negative, she started to cry.

Sebastian came in to grab some things for work and he heard his wife's soft, steady weeping coming from the bathroom. Guessing the cause for it, he approached the closed door and rested his cheek against it. He stroked the cool metal barrier between them as if it was her face and he tried to think of something to say. He could leave without her ever knowing he heard her crying. Knowing Kath as he did, she would probably prefer it that way. He couldn't in good conscience leave her in misery, however.

"Kath?" He called softly through the door.

The crying was abruptly stifled—probably behind her hand.

"Will you please come out and talk to me?" His ears drooped to reflect his mood.

"W-we both have work to do, Bastian." She sounded like she was trying so _hard_ to control her emotions.

"Hang work. I want to talk to you. Our work can wait."

There was no response.

"Katherine, I'm not leaving until you come out and speak to me."

He heard a soft sigh and the rustle of recycled toilet paper unwinding from its roll. He heard her blow her nose and he smiled.

"I'll be out in a minute."

Sebastian waited patiently by the door. When it finally opened, Katherine looked up at him with red-rimmed eyes and a pink-tipped nose. Sebastian didn't speak immediately; he just pulled her into a gentle embrace.

"I'm sorry," Katherine murmured against his chest. "I thought...I really thought that this time, we might have done it. I've had all the early symptoms, but I was wrong."

Sebastian glanced over her head and saw the test lying on top of the sink. He saw the damning negative results and he felt more awful for his wife than for himself. He rocked her and held her close as she struggled to keep from crying again.

"Katherine, I never wanted you for children," he began softly. "I knew when I woke up in this body and discovered what it meant that I would probably never be a father. I love you even more for trying so hard for me, for being willing to give me something that could come at such a risk to you."

He pulled away a little and cupped her face, gazing down at her warmly. "Some people aren't meant to have children. Perhaps we fall into that category. It doesn't mean that we can't keep trying but I want you to stop tormenting yourself. You have nothing to be sorry for, Kath."

"I've started to want this baby as much as you," she sighed. "I didn't realize it until I thought we finally succeeded. I've had letdowns before in my life but this really hurts."

He embraced her again. "Then _I'm_ the one who's sorry, Kath. You might not have felt this way if I weren't so bloody obvious about my own desire to be a parent."

She sniffled and stroked his back. "Maybe we should stop trying. That's how Dr. Patel and Lt. Chacón got their baby."

He managed a chuckle. "Yes, it does seem like not trying is the best way to go, but I've been enjoying the effort immensely." He pulled back a little again and bent over a bit to bring his mouth down to hers. He kissed her softly and wiped away the remaining traces of tears with his thumbs. "I'm with you, no matter what."

* * *

Katherine sighed as she waited on the examination table for Max to come back with the results of her latest examination. She still suffered symptoms normally associated with early pregnancy and she still hadn't started her cycle. At first, she thought that she had tricked her body into mimicking the behavior of pregnancy with her desperation to make it happen. She had heard of other women doing the same.

Given the results of the test she had taken last week, she thought these symptoms of hers should go away by now. They stubbornly remained and she didn't want them if she wasn't expecting a child. What was the point of enduring such things, if there wasn't a baby to look forward to at the end of it? Convinced that something else was wrong with her, she set up the appointment with Max, trusting him to find the answers and correct the problem.

When Max came back into the examination and shut the door behind him, Katherine sighed again. "All right, so what's wrong with me?"

He was staring at the results in his hand with a perplexed frown. "Katherine, you said that you took a pregnancy test last week, didn't you?"

"Yes and it was negative. There must be something else causing these symptoms."

Max raised his eyes from the results and looked at her. "I doubt it. Katherine, you've had a false negative."

She stared at him and she swore her heart stopped beating for a second. "What do you mean?"

He turned the holopad around and showed her. "I mean the last pregnancy test you took was in error. It gave you incorrect results." He smiled at her. "Congratulations."

She stared wide-eyed at the results. "This...are you sure this is right?"

Max nodded. "I'm positive...and so is the test." He chuckled at his own joke and then cleared his throat and sobered when she didn't laugh. "This _is_ what you wanted, isn't it?"

"Yes, but...I need you to test me again."

"Katherine," he argued gently, "these tests are conclusive."

"Test me _again_, Max!" She calmed herself with effort, placing a hand over her chest. "I'm sorry, but I need to be sure, this time. I can't allow myself to believe it until I'm absolutely positive."

He nodded, his expression softening with sympathy. "Okay, I understand. We'll do another test."

Katherine took a deep breath. "Thank you, Max. I'm sorry to be such a nuisance."

"You aren't a nuisance," he chastised.

He got more of the required samples from her and left her again to run more tests. Katherine bounced her knee restlessly as she waited. It seemed to take forever, this time. Max came back and the smile was on his face again as he handed her the second test results.

"You see? Same thing. You _are_ expecting. May I congratulate you now or do you want to run another test?"

She shut her eyes and tilted her head back. "It's real. It really happened."

Max patted her gently on the shoulder and helped her down from the table. "Yes, it's really happened for you. I know how much you and Sebastian have been wanting this and I can only imagine what you must be feeling right now."

"Just...relief," she sighed. Her eyes burned warningly and she hastily turned away and wiped at them. "Thank you, Max. I have to tell Sebastian."

She started walking to the door and Max halted her with a gentle hold on her arm. "Whoa, don't go out without getting dressed, first. I had my fill of patients charging out the door in hospital gowns with Jake Sully."

"Oh," Katherine looked down at herself, mortified. Her thoughts were hopelessly scattered. "Where are my clothes, again?"

"Right where you left them, behind the curtain."

* * *

Sebastian was working on the last steps to link communications between Hell's Gate and the Star Chaser when Katherine came into the control room and told him she needed to speak with him. Knowing she had set up an appointment earlier to find out what was causing her symptoms, he immediately worried that they had found something serious. He put his work on hold and walked out into the corridor with her.

"Is everything all right?" he asked, searching her eyes. She looked bewildered.

"The test I took last week gave me a false negative."

His ears flicked and his tail swished with confusion. "A false negative? So...does that mean...Kath, are you..." He couldn't finish the question.

"I made Dr. Patel do the test over again to be sure," she answered, her face relaxing into a smile. "As it turns out, my symptoms actually _were_ caused by pregnancy. You're going to be a father, Sebastian."

He stared at her and he knew his eyes were growing wider by the second. The world spun around him and he swallowed, struggling to respond to the realization that something he'd given up on was going to be his, after all.

He managed to blurt out: "Kath!" before he fell to the floor, out cold.

* * *

Katherine stared down at her unconscious husband with bewilderment. Movies and books were clearly bold-faced liars about events like this. Some husbands didn't pick their wives up and twirl them around with joy or shout at the top of their lungs and rush off to tell everyone. Some of them just...fainted.

"_Not_ the reaction I expected," she announced as she knelt beside poor Sebastian and began trying to revive him.

* * *

-To be continued


	44. Chapter 44

"Between worlds"

Chapter 44

* * *

**Author's note: See footnotes at the end of the chapter for Na'vi/English translations. Lemon warning at the beginning of this chapter. There's a lot of location/character switching in this chapter to further individual progression and a lot of Katherine/Sebastian. This is also probably one of the longest chapters I've written so far. I'm sorry it took so long to upload. I had to make some revisions and I've been spending time with my better half this week, who returned from an overseas trip. Heartfelt thanks to everyone who has given me feedback! **

* * *

_*Disclaimer: I do not own Pandora and I make no profit from writing fanfiction based on the "Avatar" film._

* * *

"Gently," cautioned Tom as his mate rocked on top of him. He held her by the hips and gazed up at her, trying to balance common sense with pleasure.

Tanhi smiled down at him in a sly manner. Of course, she could sense how much he was enjoying the act of mating. _Tsahaylu_ made it impossible to hide from her. She purred his name and teased his nipples, shutting her eyes.

Tom's jaw tensed and he fought the urge to thrust harder. It was difficult enough to convince Tanhi to take it slow, without contradicting himself and giving into his urges. It had been so _long_ since they last mated, restraint was difficult to practice. The birth of the twins had been so hard on Tanhi's body; Tom absolutely refused to risk mating until she was one hundred percent recovered from the ordeal. The recovery process was quite slow, but it was worth it to ensure her safety.

"T-Tanhi, you're getting too rough," he warned as the motions of her hips quickened. It felt so damned good, but the last thing they needed was for her progress to get set back by carelessness.

"I am fine," she gasped, "stop worrying so much, my Tom." One or both of the twins could require attention at any moment. He sensed her desperation to enjoy coupling with him while she could.

Tom made a quick decision, seeing that she wasn't going to cooperate as long as she had control of the pace. He lifted her and rolled, pinning her beneath him. She growled a protest but he pacified her by entering her again. He kissed her and began to move with slow, steady pumps.

"If you aren't going to practice restraint, you don't get to be on top," he murmured between kisses.

Tanhi purred with delight and gave him another one of those sly smirks that told him she was up to no good. Her hands glided over his back and down to his flexing bottom.

"No, none of that," Tom warned, stopping when he felt her hand curl around the base of his tail. "Do you _want _me to hurt you, Tanhi? Because, I certainly don't want that."

She practically pouted. "You stopped."

He chuckled breathlessly. "Let go of the tail and I'll keep going."

She sighed. He could feel her frustration and he emphasized with her whole-heartedly, but he wasn't going to compromise her well-being. Reluctantly, she released his tail and contented herself with caressing his bottom. Tom resumed his careful, gentle thrusts and he brushed his lips back and forth across hers.

"We just...have to be careful...ease back into it," he explained haltingly. "We can be a little more...aggressive...when we know it won't hurt you. Okay?"

"Very well," she agreed. A low moan followed her husky response and she squeezed his bottom encouragingly. "Ah, Tom...don't stop, Tom!"

Hearing her moan his name like that nearly undid him. It took great effort for him to resist using more force and he groaned into her hair, panting heavily. He wished he could prolong their lovemaking but these moments didn't last for long and they needed to take advantage of what time they had. As he strove to satisfy both of them, the pleasure built and built. Tanhi's fingernails dug into his back as his steady pumps eased her into her climax. She bit her lip and shuddered beneath him, whimpering. Tom smiled down at her with satisfaction and he managed to keep going for perhaps two more minutes, before he joined her in the final bliss.

Sated and pleased, he kissed her languidly for a few moments before easing out of her. He rolled onto his side and pulled her into his embrace. "I feel so much better now," he admitted breathlessly.

Tanhi stroked his back and rested her cheek against his chest. "You did very well, my Tom."

He grinned, as susceptible to praise as the next man. He was going to respond to that with modest thanks, but Karyu chose that moment to wake up and start crying. Tanhi immediately started to get up to retrieve her before she disturbed her brother, but Tom delayed her and offered to get their daughter. Tanhi relaxed while he rose and walked over to the woven baskets against the left wall of the tent. He lifted Karyu out of hers and held her against his shoulder, patting her back and murmuring to her soothingly. A smell reached his nostrils and he looked to his mate with a smirk.

"I think I know what the problem is. Just rest and I'll see to her."

Tanhi favored him with one of her reserved little smiles of gratitude. While Tom changed their daughter's baby wraps and placed the soiled ones in the clay-fired soaking tub, he reflected on how his life had changed. He never would have imagined a one-night stand turning into something permanent. He still wasn't sure when the tense, dramatic relationship with the Ikran chieftess evolved into a devoted, loving partnership. It just happened on its own and he wondered if the old Tom would have even recognized the man he was now.

"There now, that's better," he said to Karyu when he finished securing her fresh diaper and her whimpering stopped. He snuggled her for a moment before replacing her in her basket. He returned to the sleeping pallet and lay down beside his mate, who drew his head to her breast and stroked his hair. Tom sighed and shut his eyes, relaxing under Tanhi's attentions.

* * *

Jake and Norm couldn't resist paying a visit to Hell's Gate after hearing of the birth of Trudy and Max's son. They gave the couple a few weeks to adjust and took care of tribal affairs before making the journey to see the new baby. Norm dutifully took pictures of both their families, so that their friends at the base could see how their children were growing. Besides, he feared that Ramona would skin him if he didn't produce pictures of his daughter for her.

They didn't take a party of hunters with them as an escort, since Jake chose to ride his toruk. Norm jokingly warned him that his ikran would soon start to get jealous of Shadow, if he didn't start paying more attention to him. Jake grinned and made a promise to take Aungia on a hunt when they returned. They made it to Hell's Gate by mid-day and Norm was practically assaulted by Ramona on the way to the lab building. She was playing with Fang in one of the yards when she spotted the two men and she intercepted them.

"Not so tight," Norm grunted when the zoologist squeezed him around the waist in a hug. He patted her on the back and smiled down at her, nonetheless.

"Sorry Normy, I just haven't seen you in so long!" She released him and Fang sniffed at his leg, re-acquainting himself with Norm's scent.

Norm reached down and let the viper wolf smell his hand before giving him a pat. "Yeah, sorry I haven't visited sooner. Things have been really busy and I don't like to be away from Grace for long."

"Speaking of your daughter, _tell_ me you've got pictures," Mona demanded. "I won't forgive you if you don't."

Norm lifted the flat, digital camera that hung around his neck. "I knew it wouldn't be good for my health to show up without them. Here, have a look." He took the camera off and handed it to her, instructing her on how to turn it on and cycle through the photos.

"That's Grace when she was two days old," Norm explained. "Her ears were still a little wrinkled." In the picture, Ni'nat was cradling the infant.

Ramona practically squealed with delight. "Isn't she a doll!" She cycled through other pictures in the "Spellman family" folder, chuckling at some of the more candid ones and complimenting how great Ni'nat looked. She looked through Jake and Neytiri's pictures next and she gushed over little Tsu'tey and marveled at how fast Tommy Jr. was growing. Finally, she looked through Tom and Tanhi's photos to see the pictures Norm took of their twins during his visit to the Ikran village.

"God, everyone's having babies." Ramona grinned broadly. "The Ikran chieftess looks kind of thin and pale in these. Is she okay?"

"She had a hard birth," Jake explained. "Tom nearly lost both her and their son, but he pulled a rabbit out of his hat and saved them both." He was smiling with pride for his brother. "Tanhi's recovered now, so you don't have to worry."

"So have you suffered any 'baby rabies' yet?" Norm asked the zoologist. "It usually starts a chain reaction when couples are surrounded by newborns."

"Oh no," Ramona said firmly. "I'm the boss; not my maternal instincts. Lee and I are still happily baby free and we plan to stay that way, thank you very much."

"But you seem to like children so much," Norm pressed. "Are you _sure_ you aren't going to change your mind?"

"Just because I think they're cute doesn't mean I want a litter of my own," she insisted with a shrug. "Sorry Normy, I'm still standing strong against the pressure."

Jake shrugged. "It's not for everybody. I think it's good that you know what you want. If every single couple had kids this place would be overpopulated in no time."

"Exactly," she agreed. "Somebody has to draw the line. Oh and speaking of couples having kids, Kath is finally preggers."

"She is?" Norm blinked. "I was starting to think it was a lost cause, to tell you honestly."

"Yeah, so was she. I think she and Bastian were about ready to give up and then lo and behold, she found out her pregnancy test lied to her and she's got a bun in her oven. Props to you for sharing that tail idea with me, Norm. I really think that helped them make their goal."

Norm and Jake exchanged a grin. "I'll bet you've been making use of that little tip yourself," guessed Jake. "Can Lee's avatar even walk anymore?"

Ramona snickered. "Sure. He just can't stand any friction against his tail, when I finish with him."

Norm cleared his throat and replaced his camera around his neck. "Okay, let's change the subject. When did Katherine get confirmation of her pregnancy and how is she holding up so far?"

"She found out about three weeks ago. She's been having normal symptoms so far, except she's got a craving for native food."

Jake winced. "I hope she's not eating any of it."

"Actually, she tried some root veggies last week. I thought Sebastian was going to have a conniption but her pregnancy has done something to change her chemistry. She can actually eat Pandora food without getting sick, now."

"Really?" Norm looked amazed. "So she can consume whatever the fetus needs the most, at least while she's pregnant. That's interesting."

"Yeah, Max has been running tests on her and keeping an eye on fetal growth and hormonal changes. So far everything looks kosher, but Kath is going to have to be watched like a hawk until she gives birth."

"We'll have to congratulate them while we're here," Norm said. "Let's go; I want to see Max and Trudy's baby."

* * *

Norm carefully took the baby as Max laid him in his arms. "I forgot how small human babies are," said the anthropologist with an amazed smile. "I can practically hold him in one hand!"

Jake stood beside Norm and grinned down at the infant. "He's a cute little guy. How'd that happen, Max?"

Max chuckled good-naturedly and scratched his head. "I think we have his mother to thank for that."

"Speaking of his mother, where is she?" Norm asked. Dustin looked up at him with inquisitive eyes and his little hands played with the camera around his neck.

"She's out on a resource gathering mission right now, but she should be getting back before sunset."

"You two work too hard," Jake observed.

"No harder than you and Neytiri," countered Max. "Trudy and I have a system that works well for us, though. When we're both too busy to watch after Dustin, we have a nanny to turn to. She's very good."

"I guess that isn't much different from Neytiri and I asking Mo'at or Norm to look after the kids when we have to go somewhere." Jake leaned against the wall and crossed his arms over his chest. "So how's the work with the ISV coming along? The last time I talked to you about it, you said they were getting ready to move it behind Polyphemus."

"They moved it last night," Max confirmed. "We've secured the communication link and we're working on upgrading both systems. The ISV is going to play a crucial part in our plan to expose the RDA to the public. We'll be transmitting the message from here to the ISV and then the ISV will use its lock on the superluminal signal to send it back to Earth."

"Which is why it's so important to hide the Star Chaser from other incoming ISV's," reasoned Norm. "We don't want anything happening to it."

"Precisely," Max agreed. "I doubt anyone in the RDA suspects we could use the ISV's signal transmitter for such a thing, but it's better for everyone if word doesn't get back to them that the Star Chaser is intact and orbiting this moon."

"I'm not so sure they'll be convinced someone successfully sabotaged it, if they don't find evidence in space," Norm pointed out. "You know they'll be telling the other transports to investigate on their way here and back."

"I know," sighed Max. "They've been consistently trying to contact Jackson's crew. Even the Venture Star has been sending messages. The Star Chaser crew is under strict orders not to answer any incoming signals except for those sent by us. We're pushing to finish upgrading before the next ISV rotates in, so that we can get the message sent without worrying over discovery or interference."

"With any luck, they'll give up and assume Jackson's ISV was destroyed and lost in space," Jake said.

"Yes," agreed Max. "With any luck."

* * *

Later that evening, Jake and Norm sat in one of the lounges with Trudy and Max, sharing news about what else had occurred since they last visited.

"Yeah, the day I went into labor, we had an incident in the street that put three guys in the hospital," Trudy informed them. "Wilson decided to try smoking a cigarette under his exopack. It didn't go as well as he thought it would and the dipshit got burned by the cherry."

Jake held back a snicker. "Okay, it was a dumb move but how did that put three people in the hospital?"

"His rover had a fuel leak and he tossed the lit cigarette onto it," Trudy answered with a smirk. "Lucky for him and the other guys riding that thing, there wasn't much fuel left in the tank and the explosion was just a small one. Some of the Nova survivors were outside when it happened and it spooked them."

Norm winced. "So it triggered an episode," he guessed.

"Yeah. Corporal Ellis and Private Howell handled themselves okay, but Private Kennedy had a full-blown breakdown." Trudy finished feeding Dustin and she threw a rag over her shoulder and burped him.

"Wasn't that the guy that had amnesia?" Jake asked.

"Yes," answered Max. "The explosion nudged his memory enough for him to recall the accident. He's still being detained for psychiatric care and we don't know if his other memories are going to return or not."

"Poor guy," Norm sighed. "What about the rest of the Nova crew? Are they making any progress?"

"Most of them are," Max answered. "Aside from Kennedy and the two we put into cryo, there is a Private by the name of Johnson who's not doing so well. Physically he's almost recovered but his ordeal has left him mute. The rest are doing well, but I'm having trouble convincing Corporal Ellis to have regular therapy. Jake, maybe you could speak to him for me while you're visiting."

"What do you think I can do?" Jake asked with a frown.

"You're a marine," Trudy answered before Max could. "You might not wear the uniform anymore but you get guys like Ellis. He might listen to another jarhead, you know?"

"If his own people can't convince him, I don't think I'll do any better. Has he had anymore problems since the rover accident?"

"No, on the surface he seems fine," replied Max. "Very level-headed and responsible. He tried to turn in his gun but Trudy didn't think it was necessary. I'm not sure I agree, but she knows military people better than I do."

"So he seems fine since the accident and you guys aren't worried he'll try to shoot himself or anyone else." Jake shrugged. "Sounds like he's got it handled, to me."

"His girlfriend has expressed some concern for him," Max argued.

"Look, some guys don't _need_ a lot of couch time with a shrink to deal with their problems," Jake insisted. "You should let the man handle it his own way. You said he's got a good head on his shoulders. He probably knows his own limits and he'll come in for help if he thinks he needs it."

"That's just it though," Trudy said, siding with her boyfriend, "The guy's handling himself okay now but if he thought he needed to turn in his gun, he must not be totally confident. Just talk to him, Jake. If you still think he doesn't need help after that, we can drop it."

Norm looked at Jake sidelong. "They've got a pretty good point. You know the way a guy like Ellis thinks and you've dealt with your share of trauma. Maybe you _should_ check it out, Jake."

Jake heaved a sigh. "Damn, you've all ganged up on me. All right, I'll talk to the guy."

* * *

Jake swore when he located Ellis. The corporal was too close to the prison perimeter and Jake wasn't allowed to go within thirty feet of the building or exercise yard, since his incident with Phelps. Ellis was fiddling with his electronic organizer; probably going over a checklist of things he needed to do. Jake scowled when he looked at the exercise yard and saw Phelps amongst the prisoners there. So far, the man hadn't noticed him but he was going to soon and Jake didn't think he had the wits to keep his mouth shut.

"Corporal Ellis," Jake called. When the other marine looked up from his task, Jake beaconed to him. "Mind coming over here for a couple of minutes? I need to talk to you."

Ellis nodded, though he looked a bit confused as to why Jake wasn't coming any closer. Phelps heard the Omaticaya leader's shout and he walked over to the fence, limping slightly from his ordeal with the arrow.

"What's the matter, Sully? Afraid to get any closer to me?"

Ellis slowed down as he passed the yard and he frowned at the incarcerated lieutenant. "What's your problem, buddy?"

"Don't pay any attention to him," Jake advised. "Just come here so we can talk."

"Yeah, that's right," Phelps taunted, "keep walking. This is between me and chickenshit, over there."

Jake sensed another encounter brewing as Ellis stopped completely and glared at the prisoner. It was common knowledge that Phelps was army and while the two military branches generally got along and worked well together, marines looked out for their own.

"You've got some balls calling Corporal Sully a chickenshit, when you're hiding behind prison sanctuary laws," Ellis pointed out. "The only reason you're talking trash is because he can't touch you, dog."

"Just ignore the idiot," Jake again urged. "Stirring shit is his hobby." If Ellis was at risk of a breakdown like Max feared, Phelps had a good chance of bringing it on with his barbs. The man knew how to push hot buttons and Jake didn't want to see Ellis get in trouble.

Darren scowled at Phelps once more when the lieutenant continued throwing taunts at both he and Jake. He jogged the rest of the way over to Jake. "What's up, Sully?"

"I just wanted to see how you and your crew are holding up," Jake said smoothly. "I'm not allowed to go within thirty feet of the prison, or I would have just come to you."

"Pussies!" Phelps hollered.

Ellis growled softly and shot an annoyed look over his shoulder at the obnoxious prisoner. "Because you shot him, right? Everybody's been talking about that since it happened." He grinned at Jake and held his hand up. "Nice."

Jake grinned back and slapped the offered palm. "I guess I don't have room to talk about ignoring the bastard. Let's walk. I can keep my cool but if he starts mouthing off some of the things he said before—"

"Hey Sully, how's that fine piece of ass you've got at home doing?" Phelps hollered. Jake had been speaking in a low voice but he either heard him or decided on his own to use something he knew Jake was vulnerable to.

Jake pressed his lips together and answered Phelps by giving him the finger.

Ellis turned around and responded verbally. "You want another arrow in your ass, bitch?"

"Easy," Jake murmured. "The guy's just trying to get a rise out of me."

"He's got a fucking death wish," Ellis grumbled, falling into step with him as Jake began to walk away. "He got beat up by three other prisoners last week. You'd think he'd have the sense to at least keep his mouth shut around you, after what you did the last time."

"He thrives on misery," Jake said with a shrug. "I don't think he wants to die but he doesn't really care if he lives or not. He probably knows he's never getting out of there so he's going to cause as much trouble as he can."

Behind them, two of the guards reacted to Phelp's shouts and they dragged him away. Ellis glanced back and smirked. "Enjoy solitary confinement again, punk."

"How many times per week does he end up in there?" Jake asked, grinning a little.

"Howell's been keeping tabs on it and making wagers with some of the other staff. He says he usually spends three days a week in there. He messes with the female prisoners and guards all the time. The guy's out of control."

Jake scowled. "Maybe he'll piss of the wrong person in there some day soon and have an 'accident'."

Ellis nodded. "That's what I'm thinking. So, what do you want to know about my people's status, Sully?"

"I just wanted to hear how you think they're doing," answered Jake. "The staff here is good, but they don't know your crew like you do."

Ellis put his organizer away and absently fiddled with his ID tags. He looked ahead thoughtfully as he answered. "I think most of them are coping good. The ones that aren't have been going to regular therapy sessions."

"That's good." Jake glanced at him. "What about you?"

Darren shrugged. "I'm holding up okay. They gave me a prescription for anxiety meds so I just take one or two of those when I start getting too anxious. I don't want to get dependent on them, so I've been careful to only use the pills when it gets bad."

Jake nodded, careful not to ask too many personal questions. "I wasn't into therapy either, when they diagnosed me with post traumatic stress. I went for a little while though, until I was sure I could deal on my own."

"Is that a hint?" Ellis smirked sidelong at him. "My girlfriend wants me to go. She thinks I'm keeping too much bottled up."

"What do you think?" Jake asked seriously.

"I think some things should stay private, like my feelings over what happened," answered Darren. "But other people disagree."

Jake empathized with him. Neytiri and Norm were the only two people he opened up to besides his brother, and it took time for him to share his feelings with them. He still wasn't entirely comfortable with being open about what was on his mind and in his heart.

Ellis suddenly gave him a dawning look. "They sent you to talk to me, didn't they?"

"'They' who?" Jake asked innocently.

"Your friends. Dr. Patel, especially. He brings it up almost every time he sees me."

Jake chuckled under his breath. "I won't lie to you, they _did_ ask me to talk to you. They figured I might be able to tell if you really need therapy or if you're just blowing it off to be tough, since we're both marines. Before you start getting fed up with Max, there's something you ought to know about him. If he was a super hero, his name would be 'Captain Humanitarian'. The guy's got more compassion in his pinky than most people have in their whole bodies. He just wants you and your crew to get all the help you can and he's going to feel responsible if anything happens to you."

Ellis nodded. "I got that feeling. Dr. Patel's an all right guy, even if he's too persistent. So what's your verdict?" They stopped walking and Darren watched him curiously.

Jake considered his words before answering. "Nobody knows you better than yourself—not your parents, not your girlfriend and not the doctors. I don't care how many credentials they have; doctors don't know everything. If you think you don't need therapy, then you probably don't."

Ellis nodded. "I'm sensing a 'but' in there."

"Yeah, there's always a 'but'," agreed Jake. "When I took counseling after Venezuela, I did it because everyone pushed me to. It turned out that talking to some guy I barely knew about my feeling so he could analyze me wasn't the kind of therapy that worked for me."

"So it didn't help at all?" Ellis didn't seem surprised.

"It helped a little," Jake corrected. "I got to know the guy enough to trust him. Even when I quit going, I knew I had support to fall back on if things ever got bad. Sometimes it helps to talk to someone that isn't personally involved in your life, you know? You can vent without friendship or family ties getting in the way of honesty."

"So what would you do, if you were me?" Ellis asked cautiously.

"Well, you said your woman wants you to talk to someone. I think if it were me, I'd do it to make her happy. Besides, it'll get her off your back about it for a while. The ladies don't give up easily when they want their men to do something—especially if they think it's for their own good. Me, I've learned what I can and can't get away with when it comes to my mate and I don't cross her when she's determined about something."

Ellis snorted. "Makes sense. That's some woman you have, Sully. I don't think I'd cross her either."

Jake grinned, thinking of his beautiful mate and how fierce and proud she was. "Yeah, she's something else. Yours is a tough lady too though, to go through what she has and keep her cool like that. The only advice I'm going to give you is that if she's anything like Neytiri, she'll keep at you until you cave. It's got to be your decision, though."

Ellis thought about it for a moment. "I guess if it will ease Janet's mind, I'll try it. Only for a little while, though."

Jake nodded. "Good call."

* * *

The next morning, Corporal Ellis surprised his girlfriend and some of his subordinates, by showing up for the morning group therapy session. Howell stared and blinked as he took a seat between him and Taylor. Janet smiled at her boyfriend, who gave her an uncomfortable smirk and a shrug.

"We have a new participant," Dr. Dean observed. "Why don't you tell us your name and why you're here, son?"

The subtle smile Darren gave to his girlfriend faded and he looked from the doctor to the circle of participants, sitting in avatar-sized chairs. Evidently, this therapy group was strictly for the Nova crew. "Everyone here already knows who I am and why I'm here, sir."

"It's all part of the process," insisted the doctor. "Your recovery begins with introducing yourself out loud and admitting you've been troubled by your ordeal. Sharing your feelings with the others and talking about it will help you overcome your grief and anxiety."

Darren didn't believe that for a second and he hated being singled out. The others were watching him expectantly and he swore he saw Baxter hide a grin. He almost changed his mind about participating, but Janet placed her hand over his and gave him an encouraging, hopeful look. Darren sighed, rolled his eyes and stood up. He looked straight ahead as if reporting to a commanding officer and he spoke in a flat voice, wanting to just get it over with.

"Corporal Darren W. Ellis, USMC. I'm here because my girl won't stop pestering me—"

"Darren," warned Taylor, dropping rank formality since they were off-duty. The other soldiers and the two scientists present chuckled.

"Corporal Ellis, if you don't take this seriously we can't help you," admonished the older man who led the group. Dr. Dean was very small in comparison to everyone else in the room, but he didn't seem intimidated by the tall avatar bodies surrounding him. "Why don't you start with _why_ your girlfriend is 'pestering' you, hmm?"

Darren gave Janet a look that said he wasn't going to easily forgive her for this, but in truth, it was Sully who ultimately talked him into trying therapy so he supposed he couldn't put all the blame on her. He steeled himself and began to describe the events that occurred on his ISV.

* * *

Jake and Norm visited for a few more hours and they gave their congratulations to Katherine and Sebastian. They left before noon, so that they could get back to Hometree before dark. Norm snapped a few photos of Trudy and Max with Dustin before they left and he noticed the way Jake tensed as they walked past the prison on their way to the main gate. Phelps wasn't outside this time. Jake had told Norm that he tried to stir more trouble with him the day before so the anthropologist guessed that the lieutenant was being punished to solitary confinement again.

They were only a few miles from home when a shadow fell over them. Norm looked up and his heart lodged in his throat when he saw a toruk gliding overhead, keeping pace with them. Jake swiveled on the back of his mount and looked up at the predator as well. He reached for his bow with one hand and patted Shadow on the neck with the other, ordering the animal not to attack the threat without his permission. Shadow made an excited half-shriek and looked up at the other Toruk.

"Easy boy," Jake said again. "Norm, you take it easy too. Don't dive yet...it's trying to figure us out and any sudden moves will only provoke it."

Norm swallowed and his knuckles whitened from the force of his grip on his bow. The wild toruk wasn't as big as Jake's mount, but still quite dangerous. "I think it's a female," Norm called to Jake after studying the creature following above them for a moment. He stayed hunkered defensively on his ikran and he spoke soothingly to the animal when he tried to bank away.

Jake had a better look at the wild toruk. "Yeah, I think you're right. Just stay level and don't attract her attention, Norm. She might not attack, since there's two of us and Shadow is bigger than she is."

Norm took a deep breath and tried not to let the wild toruk's presence distract him from watching where he was going and sticking close to Jake. They traveled on, keeping an eye on the female toruk as she fell behind and tailed them.

"She's persistent," Norm remarked, raising his voice over the wind. "I wonder what she's waiting for? She should have lost interest by now, if she isn't going to attack."

Jake glanced down at the animal he rode thoughtfully and Norm wondered what was going through his head. When they reached Omaticaya territory, the wild toruk was still following them and she kept calling out, almost inquisitively.

"Norm, let's ease in for a landing down there in that clearing," Jake said with a pointing gesture. "Not too fast; I think I know what's going on but I could still be wrong."

Norm wasn't sure he liked the idea of landing and making themselves vulnerable to a swooping attack. Jake sounded confident though. He obviously didn't think there was any danger in a slow descent so Norm conceded and went with it. They eased down, gradually decreasing their altitude until they landed in the spot Jake had pointed out. To Norm's surprise, Jake dismounted from Shadow's back and he raised the protective little wind lenses on his headband to look up at the sky. Norm looked up too. The female toruk had begun to circle above them and she still didn't appear to be preparing for an attack.

"Uh, Jake...I have to confess, I'm ignorant. What's going on?" Norm juggled his attention between his friend and the circling animal above, puzzled by Jake's behavior.

Jake grinned and he disconnected his queue from Shadow's antenna before patting him on the neck. "All right boy; go get her."

Shadow looked up at the other toruk and made a low, chortling sound. He hunkered down for a moment before flapping his great wings, stirring up bits of moss and leaves before launching into the air. Norm's eyebrows went up as Jake's mount headed straight for the wild toruk.

"Jake, do you think that's a good...idea?" Norm's question faded into puzzlement as the two animals wheeled in the sky together. Rather than attack, they looped around one another and snapped at each other in an almost playful manner. "It...looks like a courtship."

Jake nodded. "Uh-huh. Shadow's got a girlfriend."

They watched as the Toruk's connected their antennae together and flew off toward the distant mountains. Norm started to smile before he even realized he was doing it. He turned to Jake, impressed. "Now I feel a little stupid for not figuring out what was happening. How did you know, Jake?"

The other man shrugged casually and approached Norm's ikran. "The way she kept following us and the way she and Shadow were both acting. The pitch and tone of her voice when she called out sounded like she was asking; 'Where are you taking my man, punks?' Besides, I kept sensing that Shadow knew her. I guess riding on a Toruk has taught me a thing or two about reading their body language."

"So Shadow might be siring a clutch of his own hatchlings soon," Norm guessed. "Well, it _is_ mating season for the ikrans. Since toruks are cousins of theirs, I shouldn't be so surprised."

"Yeah, must be something in the air. Mind if I ride the rest of the way back with you?"

"Of course not," Norm assured. He scooted up a bit on his mount's back and offered a hand down to Jake. The other man took it and climbed up behind him. Norm directed the ikran to take to the air again and they flew the remaining distance to Hometree. He wasn't worried about Shadow and his new mate producing offspring too close to their territory. Like ikrans, the toruks had favorite breeding grounds and the Na'vi respected that territory and never settled close to it.

* * *

As weeks passed, Sebastian learned just how odd food cravings could get for pregnant women. Katherine's were the most unique he'd seen to date; but he assumed any of the enhanced avatar women would have similar appetites. Jake and Norm thoughtfully left behind a decent supply of hexapede venison for the couple; not only to satisfy Sebastian's pallet for native meat but to give Katherine more natural protein options as well. She minced some of it and made venison hamburgers for the two of them—which Sebastian really enjoyed. What was odd about it was how she mixed canned meat from the Earth supplies with hers, as well as tomato slices and pineapple.

Sebastian thought that the cravings for pickles and ice cream were a myth, until he caught his wife munching down on it in the community kitchen. She didn't keep them separate, either. She literally chopped up little sweet gherkins into a bowl of soy-based ice cream for an afternoon snack one day. He stood there watching while pouring a cup of coffee and he was so fascinated, he kept pouring even when his cup was full.

"Bastian, your cup runneth over," Katherine advised, her spoon-full of ice-cream/pickle goop partway to her lips. "Literally."

He absently glanced down and he gave a start when he saw the mess he'd made on the counter. "Oh...how careless of me. I'll just...clean this up." He hastened to dig through the cabinets and drawers for a dishrag to soak up the puddle of coffee he had spilled over the counter.

"It's not like I'm eating brains and eyeballs," Katherine said after swallowing a bite of her treat.

"No," agreed Sebastian with a self-conscious smile. "I didn't mean to stare, love. I've heard of pickles and ice cream cravings before, but I never imagined anyone combining the two in one bowl."

"It's good," she insisted. "Dill would have been another story, but the sweet pickles add a nice twang to it. Here, why don't you try a bite?" She scooped up a small spoonful and held it out invitingly.

Sebastian couldn't quite hide his grimace. "My dear, if I were pregnant as well, I'm sure it would be a delight."

"Are you afraid?" she teased, waving the spoon back and forth.

He sighed. He didn't want to be rude and make her feel abnormal, after all. Sebastian tossed the soiled dishrag in the collection bin for them and he approached his wife with a wary little smile. He opened his mouth and bent over a little so that she could feed him the concoction. He was a bit surprised to find that it wasn't vomit-inducing, as he feared it would be. The tangy, sweet pickles added a little bite to the vanilla flavored ice cream.

"Well? What do you think?" Katherine prompted when he swallowed.

Sebastian licked a dab of ice cream from the corner of his mouth and shrugged. "It's edible."

She chuckled. "But it's not your cup of tea, I take it. At least you gave it a try." She resumed eating, before the ice cream could melt into a soup.

Sebastian smiled and began doctoring up his coffee. He wasn't a fan of the stuff, but it gave him the boost he needed at this time of the day. He watched her eat and he admired her table etiquette. Even with an increased appetite, she managed to eat without haste and without slopping.

"You're leaving for the ISV tomorrow morning, right?" Katherine said as he took a seat at the counter island beside her and sipped his beverage.

Sebastian nodded. "Yes. We're hoping to have the transmitters ready sooner than we anticipated. I think if we keep the pace up, the work should be done shortly after our child is born." He frowned, disliking the visits to the ISV even though they were necessary. Aside from the discomfort of being in space, he hated being parted from Katherine for days at a time.

She noticed his discomforted expression and she reached out and laid a hand over one of his. "I'll be fine, Sebastian. The work you're doing is important to everyone's future. I'll contact you with the results of my Tuesday examination, okay?"

He forced a smile and turned his hand over to squeeze hers. "Okay. I'll try not to be a worry wart."

* * *

As time passed, most of the Nova survivors' emotional and mental states began to improve. The more severe cases of trauma took longer to work through and some were denied complex work for their own safety, as well as the safety of others. Private Kennedy slowly became more lucid but he was kept under restricted medical watch, only allowed to leave the hospital under supervision of a guard, a doctor or one of his stable crewmembers. He was getting snatches of his old memories back, slowly becoming something like the man he used to be. His guardians and friends were careful not to mention anything about the accident to him whenever they took him out of the confines of the hospital for some exercise—else he might have another episode.

Ellis grumbled about it, but he kept going to therapy once per week. Janet would have liked him to go for the three scheduled days each week but she stopped pressuring him, resigning herself to being happy he was going at all. Howell was more cooperative about it. There was speculation that he was doing it as much to impress Jill as to cope. Loud noises no longer spooked him and he felt safe to take back the firearm he'd relinquished. He continued romancing Jill and there were rumors that he laid a big wet one on her in the indoor terran garden. She wasn't easy to win over, though. Whether they would become an actual couple was still up for debate.

Phelps nearly started a prison riot, two months after Jake and Norm visited. He had a following on the inside, to the amazement of some. It wasn't so much that people liked his personality but some of the incarcerated operatives agreed with his ideas and beliefs. Like Phelps, they believed their actions were justified because any good soldier followed orders, no matter whether those orders were moral or not. They believed they were being lied to about the RDA's attempted cover-ups and there was no convincing them otherwise.

Factions formed within the prison, between those that sided with the RDA and those that regretted their actions. Harris worked extra hard to get his girlfriend out of there, particularly after finding out that Phelps and some of his goons were sexually harassing female prisoners that didn't side with them. So far, security prevented any sexual assaults from actually occurring but Harris wasn't willing to take any chances, where Diana Kelly was concerned. He went to Trudy and literally begged her to let his girlfriend out on probation for good behavior.

* * *

"Oh for crying out loud," Trudy complained as Harris went to his knees in her quaint little office. "Don't you think you're laying it on a little thick, here?" Even on his knees, he was still a head taller than she was. She kept her voice down despite her annoyance, because her son was sleeping in the baby stroller in the corner of the room.

"I thought humbling myself might make you a little more sympathetic," he excused, also keeping his voice low.

He stayed where he was and Trudy wondered if he even realized what he looked like, kneeling there with such a forlorn, innocent expression. His ears were in a dramatically drooped position. Trudy was reminded of a classic she and Max had watched a few nights before, called "Shrek 2". The cat character in the film used that same expression on people when he wanted something from them. She was tempted to look for a ball of yarn to toss at him.

"I run tight security in that place," she reminded him, though her resolve was weakening. "Your girlfriend is going to be fine, Jeff."

"But there was the near riot last week," he argued. "And there could be a blackout or something. Come on, Lieutenant! She knows what she did was wrong and she hasn't caused any trouble for anyone. She follows the rules and she doesn't take the bait when those goons bother her. I don't want her in there with that maniac. I used to serve under him and I know what he's like!"

"Keep your voice down," Trudy reminded him, casting a glance at her son when the infant stirred a little. "You wake my boy up and I'll kick your ass."

"I'm sorry," he apologized swiftly in a whisper, "but this is _really_ important to me."

She stared at him thoughtfully for a moment. Yup, he had it bad. She could relate, but she worried that he would let his feelings get in the way of common sense. Private Kelly was still a security risk as far as she was concerned, no matter how infatuated Harris was with her. Still, if the right measures were taken she supposed a compromise could be made.

"All right, I'll tell you what," Trudy began.

"Thank you!" Harris said sincerely, before she could finish.

"Shut up and listen," she grumbled. When he quieted, she continued. "I'll make arrangements for your girlfriend to be released from prison custody, but it's on a _trial basis_. If she screws up even once, she's going right back in there with the rest of her regiment. She'll be on probation and you'll be responsible for her. She has to check in with me every weekend and she'll be under curfew restrictions. That means she's got to be back in your quarters by eight pm every night. Until I'm sure this chick isn't a threat, you're going to have to give up your access privileges and go back to basics. You turn in your keys, access cards and weapons—just like you do when you have your conjugal visits with her.

"When you're out on assignment, you can get your stuff from the security office but you have to turn it back in when you come back. As long as you're taking responsibility, you've got to give a few things up. If you're right about her, you'll get it all back after I'm satisfied she's cool. Do you have a problem with any of that, Private?"

"No Ma'am," he answered readily. "I'll do whatever it takes."

Trudy sighed again, fighting a grin. "Must be love. Get up, Harris. You look ridiculous."

He cleared his throat and got to his feet. He looked down at her with open gratitude and he saluted her. "Thanks, Lt. Chacón. I'll start getting my quarters ready."

"I should have the paperwork done in an hour," she told him. "I'll drop a line to you when you can go and get her. Don't make me regret this, pal."

* * *

As they suspected she would, Katherine began showing sooner than the average single fetus pregnancy. The medical and science staff kept a careful eye on her and her weekly checkups were bumped up to twice a week, to be safe. Roy and Max were her primary doctors, being the most knowledgeable of Na'vi anatomy on the base. Sebastian came back from his bi-weekly work on the ISV in time to be there for the first holoscan. He went into the examination room with her and held her hand while Max and one of the nurses scanned her belly.

"And there it is," Max said with a smile when he had the best image. "It looks like everything is okay, but the fetus is larger than a typical human one at this stage. Not by as much as we feared, though."

Katherine and Sebastian looked at the monitor, both feeling a blend of relief and concern. "How much larger would you say it is, Dr. Patel?" Sebastian inquired.

"No more than two inches all around," answered Max. "It isn't the size of a Na'vi fetus at this point of development, so I think we can safely say Katherine will be able to carry to term."

Sebastian smiled at Katherine and relaxed.

"However," Max added, dampening their relief, "I think you both need to be prepared for the possibility that a cesarean could be necessary, when the time comes. This baby doesn't seem to be growing too large for Katherine's body to sustain it but a vaginal birth might not be possible."

"I've been prepared for that possibility from the beginning," Katherine assured him. "My biggest concern will be what kind of air our child is going to need to breath, when it arrives."

"We'll have both oxygen and carbon dioxide based gaseous mixtures on hand in the delivery room, so that we can quickly administer a breathing mask of one or the other if the baby has trouble breathing when it comes out. I think it's best that you give birth in an oxygenated atmosphere, Katherine. An exopack would be uncomfortable and possibly complicate your breathing exercises. With any luck, this little fellow will inherit Sebastian's adaptive ability to both atmospheres and we won't have to worry about it."

"Do we know it's a 'fellow'?" Sebastian peered at the screen, trying to spot any signs of the gender.

Max chuckled. "No, I meant that in a gender neutral way. We'll do another scan in a couple of weeks and maybe by then, we can find out the sex."

* * *

The progression on upgrading the communications systems was coming along nicely. Max hoped that the work would be completed nearly a year before expected, the way they were going. Along with the feeling of excitement over successfully creating new technology from the old was a growing sense of anxiety. Would exposing the RDA's actions to the public and the government help or hurt them, in the long run? Would this endeavor bring peace to Pandora or start a war that would bury them all?

While Max pondered the dilemma of balancing his desire to make a difference with concerns for what it might cost his little son, he and Roy stacked on some extra work trying to develop a baby formula for Katherine and Sebastian's child, in case it would be needed. There was a good chance that standard formula would be fine but with the Na'vi biology mixed into the infant's bloodline, it might not be enough. Given that fact, Max compared the ingredients in terran formula to what was available on Pandora and he sent people out to gather specific ingredients.

Sebastian was quite willing to be their test subject. The logic behind it was that since Katherine was temporarily endowed with the same ability to ingest native and terran foods, the baby would also share Sebastian's digestive versatility. It was possible that the Pandoran elements were a requirement for the little one to get the vitamins and minerals it would need to grow properly, once born. Sebastian became the "taster" of each variation of formula Max and Roy concocted. He dutifully drank the full glass each time and informed them with words or actions whether the formula was drinkable or not.

The first three batches got decent results, save for some indigestion Sebastian suffered from the second one. The fourth proved to be a disaster. Sebastian took one swallow and promptly vomited on Dr. Jacobs' shoes.

Roy was stoic about it. He raised his eyebrows at Max and fiddled with his holopad. "I think we can safely classify formula number four as a swing and a miss."

"My apologies," Sebastian gasped, wiping his mouth with the sterile cloth Max offered to him. "It came from out of nowhere. It was chunky and chalky at once and the taste was...well, I still recall the smell of sour eggs and it reminded me strongly of that."

Max grimaced. "Well, that's three out of four so far. Let's hope the next batch brings more promising results."

* * *

Katherine and Sebastian continued to prepare for the birth of their first child. They learned they were having a girl when they had their next scan. For the most part, Katherine was doing well. As she grew heavier, she started to experience shortness of breath at times. Being a scientist and having done extra research on pregnancy upon conceiving, she remedied this problem by sitting up straight in a chair for a while and relaxing. She stuck to her exercise routine, careful not to overdo it.

Things didn't start taking a bad turn until she reached her final trimester. She was studying some new plant specimens in her lab and Ramona was helping her. Sebastian was in the ISV again, working with the tech crew. Though she kept quiet about it, Ramona was concerned for her friend and she made a promise to Sebastian that she would stick by Katherine when he wasn't around. Katherine was onto her, but she also kept quiet because she found the perky zoologist's presence comforting.

"Mona, could you please give me that...that..." Katherine trailed off and gripped the edge of the counter, taking several deep, steadying breaths.

"What's wrong, Kath?" Ramona was at her side in an instant, supporting her as she staggered. "Short of breath again?"

"No, it's worse." Katherine felt a buzzing in her head and her vision was rapidly going dark. "Mona...get someone. I'm about to—"

She didn't get to complete her sentence. The world dropped out from beneath Katherine and she didn't feel her friend guiding her to the floor as she passed out.

* * *

When Katherine opened her eyes again, she was in the hospital and Sebastian was standing over her. She could hear the steady beeps of the heart monitor and she returned the pressure of his hand. "What happened?"

"You passed out, my dear," Dr. Jacobs answered from somewhere to her left, before Sebastian could speak up. "Your blood pressure dropped too low, but don't worry. I've run several tests and the baby is fine."

"I came as soon as Mona sent word," Sebastian murmured. He stroked her hair and gave her a nervous little smile. "It was lucky she was there with you, otherwise you might have struck your head on something when you went down. She caught you before you hit the floor."

Katherine sighed. "I'll have to thank her. Dr. Jacobs, you're sure everything is okay?"

"Well, it's not perfect," corrected Roy. He looked over the test results on the nearby monitor before turning to regard the couple. "Even though it doesn't appear to have been caused by anything serious, fainting spells can be dangerous in themselves. I've spoken with Dr. Patel about it and we both think you should consider going on moderate bed rest, until you're ready to deliver."

"Bed rest?" Katherine looked between the doctor and her husband. "But, I have so much to do! Not just with work, but with getting ready for the baby!"

"You've been very good about knowing your limits," Sebastian placated gently, "but Katherine, this could lead to something more serious."

"Listen to him, Dr. Thomas," Roy agreed with a nod. He showed Katherine the test results. "Right now, you aren't in serious danger but this isn't the average pregnancy. I'm not suggesting you take strict bed rest but I think you should limit your activities to only those that are necessary for your health and your baby's. Anything more could put too much strain on your body. You've made it this far and you've only got a couple more months to go."

"So you aren't suggesting I spend every moment in bed from here on out?" she asked cautiously.

"Of course not," Roy soothed. "Actually, I wanted to suggest it but Dr. Patel seems to think it's too drastic. You should spend most of your time resting in bed, but three to four hours of mild activity per day should be fine...spread out, of course."

"Three to four hours?" Katherine felt like a voice recording stuck on an eternal loop. "How can I get anything done?"

"Let me handle it," Sebastian offered. "Just tell me what you need done and I'll do it. I'll bring you a holopad computer so that you can work on your data in bed. Can I do that, doctor?" He looked at Roy questioningly.

"I have no objections to that and I'm sure Dr. Patel won't, either. If you ask him to issue one to Katherine, I have no doubt he'll comply."

Sebastian turned his hopeful gaze to Katherine. "Would that suffice? I can even bring plant specimens from your lab, if you want."

"No, you can't," she corrected with fond exasperation. "The atmosphere in our quarters would kill most of them. Terran air doesn't have the right balance of gases to sustain them."

He looked crestfallen. "Oh."

Katherine reached up and brushed his long, soft hair over his shoulder. "I think I can put off the lab work until the baby is born. The personal mini computer will be enough, if that's what I have to do to carry safely to term. What about your work, though?"

"I'm taking a sabbatical from it, until our child is safely delivered and you've recovered," Sebastian answered.

"But, what you're working on is so important!"

He shrugged and smiled ruefully at her. "Dr. Patel insisted. He said that I'm too distracted and he understands. He said he would rather delay completion of the project than keep me away from you or risk errors occurring because my mind isn't on my work. I really didn't argue with him, because he's right. The work is too important to make mistakes and you and our child are too important for me to put you out of my thoughts to concentrate."

Katherine smiled at him. "You're going to give yourself an ulcer, if you aren't careful."

"Have you two decided on a name, yet?" Roy asked, breaking the private moment between the couple.

"We have a few in mind," answered Sebastian, "but we've chosen to wait until we see her, before we decide on one."

Katherine nodded in agreement. "There's always the chance that none of the names we've listed will suit her. We want her to have a name that fits, if that makes any sense at all."

Roy scratched his chin. "It's an interesting approach, but I'd say it makes perfect sense."

* * *

Katherine went into labor two days before her due date. They tried to allow a standard birth since the baby wasn't much larger than a hefty human baby, but in the end, a cesarean had to be done. Katherine was losing strength too fast and both hers and the baby's heart rates were spiking. They wheeled her into surgery and Max gently urged Sebastian out of the room while the nurse put Katherine under. Outside the room, Mona waited with Lee and Trudy. The three of them tried to keep Sebastian calm as his wife was prepped for the emergency c-section.

"They do these things all the time in here, Bastian," Trudy reminded the distraught hacker. "There's no way in hell Max or Roy will let anything happen to either of your girls, if they can help it."

"I should be in there with her," Sebastian insisted in a tight voice, pressing a hand against the observation window.

"Sweetie, she's already out," Ramona said gently. "You being in there right now would only get in the way of the docs doing their job. Trust them."

For once, Lee didn't mind his girlfriend using a term of endearment on another man. He gave Sebastian a supportive squeeze on the shoulder. "Can we get anything for you?"

"Scotch?" By the anxious look on his sculpted features, Sebastian wasn't entirely kidding.

Trudy of course took it literally. "One scotch, coming up."

Lee stopped her as she started to go. "Uh, isn't it against the rules to drink alcohol in the hospital?"

"Puh," she snorted, "I'd like to see them say something to me about it. I'd say this situation warrants it. Anyone else want something to drink?"

"I think I'd throw up," Ramona said, placing a hand over her abdomen. They were just finishing prepping Katherine for the surgery and Ramona had an ashen tint to her dark skin.

"I'll have a beer," Lee said. He glanced at his girlfriend. "Maybe some clear soda for her. Hey Mona, it's going to be okay."

"I know," Ramona said, rubbing her arms. "I know. It's just nerve-wracking."

* * *

The baby was born that night. She choked when they first cleared her airways and Max immediately started to fetch the Na'vi atmospheric breathing mask for her but Roy stalled him when the infant stabilized. She could breath terran air and that was good enough for the time being. Roy cleaned the infant up while Max went to work on suturing the incision they had made in Katherine's abdomen. Sebastian and the others were still standing outside when Roy handed the bundled newborn to a nurse. Lee, Ramona and Trudy were absorbed in distracting Sebastian with conversation, so they didn't realize it was over. Sebastian himself had his back turned to the window.

The infant let out her first wail and Sebastian heard it. His ears flattened and he whirled around to place his palms flat on the window as he peered through it. He saw his daughter for the first time and all he could do was stare. It didn't matter to him that her skin was a faint, pale blue rather than the typical Na'vi shade. It didn't matter that her striped markings were light and more of a lilac color than cyan. It didn't matter that she was much bigger than a regular human baby, yet smaller than a regular Na'vi one. All he saw was his newborn child's brown-flecked, green-rimmed golden eyes looking at him through tears as the nurse carried her to the window for him to see.

He noticed little things, like how perfect her five little fingers and toes were. She had wrinkled, Na'vi ears that didn't sit as high on her head as other avatars and Na'vi. The damp crown of hair crowning her head was dark, but not black. It appeared to be a rich brown color, darker than Katherine's but lighter than the raven shade of Na'vi hair. He couldn't tell whether the swaddled infant had a tail or not. She had a Na'vi nose but it was thinner than average, with a more human shape to it.

Sebastian tore his attention away from his new daughter and looked at his wife, who was still sedated on the gurney. They were cleaning her up and changing her IV drip, prepping her to be moved to recovery. He pointed at her and asked the nurse if she was okay. The nurse turned around, asked the doctors a question and then faced Sebastian again. She gave him a soothing smile and nodded. He slumped with relief, looking between his wife and his daughter as Max and Roy worked over Katherine.

Someone patted him on the shoulder. "See? It's all going to be okay," Ramona said softly. The relief in her voice implied that she hadn't been as confident as she was trying to sound.

* * *

"She'll be fine as long as she gives herself time to recover," Max explained to Sebastian after allowing him to hold his daughter for a while. "Cesareans aren't as brutal on a woman's body as they used to be, but Katherine is still going to have to give the incision time to heal before she goes back to her normal activities."

Roy nodded in agreement. "Plenty of rest, lots of fluids and protein-rich foods. Dr. Patel and I have a theory that if Katherine intends to nurse, she should be able to keep eating native foods with her human diet for as long as she's breastfeeding."

"That is, provided she can nurse," Max added. "We won't know that until she has the strength to try and that's really something for the two of you to discuss and decide between yourselves."

"But if she can't nurse, how will we feed the baby?" Sebastian looked down at the newborn he was holding and he tried to quell his anxiety. The thought of his little daughter starving to death for lack of digestible nourishment made his stomach clench.

"Do you remember testing the formula Roy and I were putting together?" Max reminded.

Sebastian relaxed a little. "I forgot all about that. Do you think it's safe to give to her?"

"We'll try the one you favored the most," Roy said, "in small doses to monitor your daughter's reaction. If she has trouble with it, we still have seven more we can try."

"I'll go and get it ready," Max offered, glancing at the infant hybrid when she began to cry louder.

While he went to take care of that, Roy sighed and regarded Sebastian with a paternal expression. "I'm afraid there's some bad news and you might as well hear it now, Sebastian."

Sebastian tried to stay calm even as he worked to soothe his daughter. "Is it Katherine? She's going to be okay, isn't she?"

Roy nodded. "Oh yes, she'll recover from this well if she takes care of herself. However, there were some complications caused by the pregnancy. Her uterus was damaged and there is scar tissue blocking one of her fallopian tubes. It's highly unlikely that she'll ever be able to conceive again and even if she can, she won't be able to carry another pregnancy to term. This took a heavy toll on her body, son."

Sebastian went through a series of emotions, upon hearing that. First, there was guilt for putting her through this. Following the guilt was gratitude that they had managed to have even one child together. Finally, he was simply relieved that she would eventually recover, though he wasn't sure how she would take the news that she was almost certainly barren.

Max returned with a bottle of prepared formula and he handed it over to Sebastian. "Just give her a little at a time, at first," he advised. "If she doesn't show signs of digestive problems, you can give her a full feeding."

* * *

When Katherine recovered enough to wake up, Sebastian was seated in the chair beside her bed and he was holding their newborn daughter. Katherine blinked and weakly reached up to wipe at her eyes, trying to clear her vision. He noticed the movement and he held the infant closer to her, giving her a gentle, encouraging smile.

"She's okay?" Katherine asked groggily, trying to work moisture back into her mouth.

"She's better than 'okay'," answered Sebastian. "She's strong and beautiful, like her mother."

Katherine snorted. "Now _that_ was corny." She smiled at him nonetheless before peering at her daughter. "What an interesting combination of pigment and patterns on her skin! Does she have a tail?"

"Yes, she does," answered Sebastian. He shifted the baby toward his chest and carefully loosened the swath around her to show Katherine the little tail that poked out the back of the cloth diaper. "I've accidentally ruined three diapers, trying to modify them for her. Here, would you like to hold her?"

Katherine felt a wave of uncertainty. "I'm afraid I'll drop her," she admitted, even as her arms ached to reach for her.

"Nonsense." Sebastian re-adjusted the swath and eased the baby into Katherine's hesitant arms. "It will be fine, Katherine. I'm right here, in case you do feel like you're losing your hold on her."

Katherine carefully took her daughter from him and Sebastian adjusted her bed, raising the head of it so that she could hold the baby in a half-sitting position. She looked down at her daughter's face and her anxiety melted away, along with her uncertainty. She wasn't sure she would be able to feel the instant love that new mothers were supposed to feel when they met their offspring for the first time. She feared she didn't have what it took to be that sort of woman, but now that she held her baby close and looked into her pretty eyes, Katherine changed her mind.

"Hello there," she whispered, smiling without consciously realizing it. "I'm your mommy."

Sebastian was beaming as he leaned over her and kissed her on the crown of her head. "You see? I knew you would bond immediately."

"What will we do to feed her?" Katherine asked, her anxiety returning. "I don't think I can even try to nurse her yet—not while my milk could be laced with medications."

"Don't worry," Sebastian assured her, "Dr. Patel and Dr. Jacobs created a baby formula that will suffice. You want to try nursing when you've recovered?"

Katherine nodded. "Call me a crunchy granola mom, but I think it would be best for her if I try. I'd prefer to give her at least six months on the breast, if I can."

"There isn't anything 'crunchy' about wanting to give our daughter the best start in life that you can," Sebastian chuckled. "I wasn't going to push it but I'm glad you've chosen to try, Kath."

She lowered her eyes modestly and winced a little as her tender surgical wound throbbed. She wouldn't be able to hold the infant for much longer. "So, what are we naming this beautiful little girl we've created?"

Sebastian gazed at the baby thoughtfully. "Looking at her coloring, I think I prefer Savanna over all of the other names we picked for her. What do you think?"

Katherine looked down at their daughter and thought about it. Savanna—it conjured images of one of the few places remaining on earth still un-marred by massive human development. The vast stretches of African terrain, the exotic animals with their patterned fur, Mt. Kilimanjaro at sunrise...these images were forefront in Katherine's mind as she studied her daughter's pigment, stripe patterns, hair color and eyes.

"I think Savanna is perfect for her," Katherine finally said, smiling in satisfaction. "Bastian, can you take her? I'm starting to lose my strength and I don't want to lose my hold on her."

"Of course." He took Savanna from her and cuddled the infant, before his eyes went back to Katherine. "I do have some unfortunate news. I wish that I could put it off but I think I should tell you now."

Katherine tensed, her thoughts immediately going to things that might be wrong with their child that he hadn't mentioned before. "Go on."

"The doctors have told me that you can't have more children," he answered gently. "There was some scarring. Surgery might correct it but your womb was too heavily strained from carrying this pregnancy to term. Kath...I'm sorry. If it weren't for me—"

"Don't," she interrupted, shaking her head. She was surprised by how disappointed she felt, but at the same time, there was a sense of relief. During the final leg of her pregnancy, Katherine had already decided that she didn't want to repeat the experience for at least a few years. "We're lucky to have Savanna and I'm not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. I won't dwell on what I can't have when I'm thankful for what I _do_ have. I'd rather have one child with you than several with another man, Sebastian."

He gave her a tender look. "That makes me feel very special."

She felt a stab of guilt. "I have to confess, even though I fell immediately in love with our little girl, I wasn't keen on having another one anytime soon. It might be for the best."

Sebastian nodded, though he looked as if he thought she was only giving him lip service to salve his guilt. Savanna started to fuss and Sebastian smiled at her. "I think it's time for another feeding. I'll go and get some formula ready for her. You just rest and recover your strength, Kath."

Katherine sighed gratefully, knowing that once she began nursing, she wouldn't get reprieves like this. "Good idea. Thank you."

He smiled and leaned over to give her a soft kiss, before getting out of his chair to carry Savanna out of the room.

* * *

As with most first time parents, it took time for the couple to get used to having the new addition in their lives. Katherine successfully began to nurse Savanna after a few tries, once her system was clean again. As she recovered from the birth, she began to resume her normal lab work—but at a reserved pace. She took it in steps, gradually increasing the amount of time she spent analyzing and cataloging specimens.

When she felt comfortable doing so, she began expressing milk into bottles for her daughter so that when Sebastian watched her, he could feed her without relying on formula and upsetting Savanna's diet. With great hesitation, the couple exposed their daughter to Pandora's atmosphere. Sebastian was ready to put a breathing mask over Savanna's mouth and nose if she couldn't adjust but to his and Katherine's relief, the infant shared his ability to adapt.

While life continued in the base, the work on the communications upgrades resumed. It went much faster, now that Sebastian was finished with his paternity leave. When he wasn't on the ISV, he took care of his daughter whenever possible to give Katherine some breathing space. It wasn't easy to divide time between work and family but he borrowed a page from Max and Trudy's book and worked out their own schedule.

* * *

It took longer than they thought it would to complete the upgrading process. A little more than two years later, the day came for Max to contact Jake and set the plan into motion. He also contacted Tom and asked him to come, explaining that visual proof of his survival would make the allegations of conspiracy against the RDA more believable.

* * *

"Come right in," Max invited as he unlocked the conference room door. "The camera is set up, the data is ready and I've got everything you need to say entered into this holopad." He handed the device to Jake and slipped his exopack over his face before opening the door.

"So you've got the atmosphere in this room set for Na'vi biology?" Norm asked as he followed Jake and Max inside. Tom came in behind Trudy and Neytiri and he coughed as his lungs adjusted to the change, answering the question for Norm.

"I changed the settings and left it filtering all day long," Max answered. "It's best for you to address the public without a mask obscuring your features. People need to get a clear look at you."

"Smart move," Jake complimented. He glanced at the holopad in his hand and looked around. "So I guess I'm supposed to sit at that table in front of the video recorder?" Sebastian was behind the device and he waved a greeting, which Jake returned with a smile and a nod.

"That's right. The rest of us will stand behind the camera with Sebastian—except for you, Tom. We're going to get you into the broadcast when Jake gets to the relevant part of the message."

Tom nodded and took a seat behind and to the right of his brother as Jake sat down to prepare. Jake took his exopack off and scrolled through the "report" he was supposed to give. He snorted.

"Max, this reads like 'Live Action News at eleven', except for the big words you've thrown in."

"This is your chance to play Anchorman, Sully," Trudy said with a grin as she took a spot behind Sebastian with Max, Neytiri and Norm. "Just go with it."

Jake sighed and shrugged. "Okay, but I'm going to have to improvise a little. No offense Max, but we're not sending this message to a science convention. Common people need to understand what I'm saying to them."

"Which is just one of the many reasons I wanted you to make the announcement," Max agreed mildly. "You're one of those common people and you know how to speak to them."

Jake raised a brow at him. "Okay, I don't know if that was a compliment or an insult."

Max chuckled. "It was just an observation. You're right; just say what's on the documents in your own words, Jake." He took a small device with a screen on it out of his pocket and he made a gesture at Sebastian. The action was lost on Jake, because the warrior had glanced down at his holopad again.

"Cool," Jake said. "I've got this." He cleared his throat and put on a dramatically serious face. "Tonight on Live Action news: For years, the Administration of Resource Development has been demonstrating that they are, in _fact,_ colossal dickheads."

Max's eyes bugged out behind his glasses and he made a "cut" gesture across his throat. "Jake, you're _live_," he hissed.

Jake blinked at the camera, noticing for the first time that the green light was blinking. "Oh, so this thing is _on_?"

Sebastian slapped a hand over his mouth quickly and his shoulders trembled suspiciously as he nodded. Trudy was likewise trying to stifle snickers, while Norm rolled his eyes and gave Jake an exasperated look. Neytiri watched Jake with a puzzled expression that said she didn't find anything wrong with his words. Behind him, Jake's brother groaned softly.

Jake cleared his throat and sobered, feeling warmth creep into his cheeks. "I'm Corporal Jake Sully. Some of you watching this broadcast know the name. I served in the marine corps with some of you. We've taken temporary control of all major broadcasts to bring the people of Earth this message. The RDA has been using _your_ tax dollars to strip mine Pandora and get rich. The medicine they've promised you won't get into the hands of the sick and dying, as long as the same people are in charge of the Pandora trade department. They've had a massive, on-going conspiracy happening for years now and I got dragged into it, along with my brother Tom."

Jake paused again and considered his words before speaking. "Some of you might have heard that I was killed in action, or that I'm a traitor to Earth. None of that is true and I'm about to explain what _really_ happened. Those who knew me or knew _of_ me will probably recognize this picture. Pause for ten seconds."

Max slapped a hand over his mask and groaned softly. He shook his head as he fiddled with his device and inserted an image of human Jake in full uniform over the broadcast, temporarily blocking the live image. Jake looked at him in confusion as Max handed the device for Trudy to hold onto and hurried over to him.

"You're not supposed to _say_: 'pause for ten seconds'," Max explained in a whisper, "that's why it's in brackets and italicized. Those are to let you know when I'm feeding images or videos into the broadcast."

"Oh," Jake muttered back, feeling more stupid by the moment. "All right. Got it."

"Maybe I should signal you from now on," suggested Max before hurrying back to his previous spot behind the camera. He gave Jake the thumbs-up sign and Jake resumed speaking.

"A lot of you are probably wondering why I'm talking to you in this body," Jake said, keeping his cool as best he could. "It started when the military came to me with an offer to join the Avatar program one night..."

* * *

"Tonight on Live Action news: For years, the Administration of Resource Development has been demonstrating that they are, in _fact,_ colossal dickheads."

The Star Chaser crew feeding the broadcast from Hell's Gate through their superluminal communications burst into raucous laughter, while Jackson himself frowned in perplexity at the image on his monitor. "What in the _hell_ is he doing?"

Evidently, Jake wasn't aware that the broadcast had already begun and he quickly worked to correct the slip-up. As bewildered as he was by the unexpected, candid opening line, Jackson was fighting a grin of his own.

"You've got to admit sir, Sully's going to get their attention fast with an opening statement like that," remarked the tech woman closest to the foreman. She coughed to cover up another chuckle.

"Yeah, he'll get their attention, all right," agreed Jackson. Jake Sully had a knack for making strong impressions and Lyle predicted that there were going to be a lot of corporate executives shouting for his head on a pike, before the broadcast was over.

* * *

_ Meanwhile, on Earth:_

He stepped out of the company car and took a deep breath. His nose wrinkled from the smell of sewage and air-born pollutants, reminding him that home had its own drawbacks. He looked up at the towering apartment building, smiling a little. It was one of the most luxurious apartment buildings in the city, and the company had arranged to have his utilities and rent paid for him during his long absence.

He had a busy week ahead of him, full of reports, explanations and probably groveling. The head of his department had already assured him that he wouldn't lose his job, so obviously they still had some use for him. When he got everything back on track, he'd see how the furniture looked these days and possibly redecorate his apartment. Right now, all he wanted to do was have a shower in his own bathroom and sleep in his own comfortable bed. His legs still felt weak from being in zero gravity. Going in and out of cryo the whole way home hadn't helped much either.

He turned to look at the baggage handlers as they procured his belongings from the trunk of the car and began to stack them on a dolly.

"Careful with that," he advised, "Just one of those bags is worth more than a full month of your salary."

"Yes sir," the one on the left said. The one on the right cast a nasty look the executive's way that wasn't lost on him.

He shrugged. He'd gotten worse than a dirty look from people that mattered a hell of a lot more than some bag boy. If the kid thought he was an asshole now, he'd probably shit himself if he found out some of the things he'd done on Pandora.

The ever-present, ever active media screens scattered throughout the city flashed overhead and on billboards, up and down the street. He watched the billboard across the street with mild curiosity, interested to see how much commercials had evolved since he'd left. So far, it seemed to be the same old bullshit: tampon ads, weight loss commercials, vacation advertisements promising the recipient beautiful green landscape—if they were willing to travel halfway around the world to get to it.

He frowned, his mind unwittingly going to the lush jungles of Pandora. As much as he hated the goddamned place, he had to admit the flora was impressive. Oh, there were a few places here and there on Earth that were preserved but civilization covered so much land now, there weren't many left. If you wanted to see a tree without traveling across the country or overseas, you had to visit one of the parks in your city of residence.

He frowned when the ad billboard suddenly went out, leaving static snow and an annoying "FFFFFFT" sound echoing in the street. He looked up and down the block curiously, as well as overhead. _All_ of the media screens were doing it, not just the one across from his building. Other people going about their daily lives stopped what they were doing to look at the screens as well, so accustomed to having constant music videos, advertisements and public broadcast programs surrounding them day and night. The luggage handlers also stopped what they were doing to look up at the screens and the driver leaned out of his window.

"Must be a satellite problem," the executive muttered to himself. He glared at his bag boys. "Hey, don't worry about the damned ad screens. Come on people, let's move!"

They started to do just that and he turned around, grumbling under his breath as he fished his keys out of his pocket and started walking up the steps to the lobby entrance. The doorman was supposed to greet him but the man was staring right over his head, his brows furrowed beneath the rim of his uniform hat. The executive was about to ask him what his problem was when a voice he had never hoped to hear again came blaring over the sound systems rigged to the media screens.

"Tonight on Live Action news: For years, the Administration of Resource Development has been demonstrating that they are, in _fact,_ colossal dickheads."

He froze, feeling an interesting combination of dread and utter bewilderment. He began to slowly turn around as the hated voice spoke again.

"Oh, so this thing is _on_?"

When he looked at the billboard across the street, his fears were confirmed. Jake Sully's golden eyes seemed to be looking directly at him as he resumed speaking. He was in his avatar body—which made the executive wonder if he ever left the damned linking room or if the people at Hell's Gate had found data that enabled them to copy the permanent linking process that the company didn't want anyone to know about.

"Un-fucking-believable," he muttered as he stared at the Na'vi face of the man who had cost his corporation billions of dollars and nearly cost him his job. "How the hell?"

"I'm Corporal Jake Sully. Some of you watching this broadcast know the name. I served in the marine corps with some of you. We've taken temporary control of all major broadcasts to bring the people of Earth this message. The RDA has been using _your_ tax dollars to strip mine Pandora and get rich."

The businessman's jaw dropped. He didn't know how they pulled it off but he was pretty damned sure the science team at Hell's Gate was responsible for this surprise transmission.

"What, do they have a goddamned timer?" He gritted out as Sully continued speaking. "I _just _got back! What, are these people just determined to ruin my life?"

"Shh," a woman behind him hissed. She had just stepped outside of the apartment building when the broadcast started and she was staring up at Jake Sully's face with wonder and amazement.

The executive clenched his jaw and looked up at the screen again. He didn't know why so many women had a thing for the blue monkeys but he remembered how easily Sully's charming, crooked little smiles made the women on base want to fawn over him—both in his human body and in his avatar one.

"Some of you might have heard that I was killed in action, or that I'm a traitor to Earth," Jake continued. "None of that is true and I'm about to explain what _really_ happened. Those who knew me or knew _of_ me will probably recognize this picture."

A military photo of Jake fully outfitted in his uniform blinked onto the screen.

"Pause for ten seconds," Jake's voice said when the photo came up.

The businessman was puzzled and he wondered if Sully was advising his viewers to pause or if it was just some damned random bullshit thing that came out of his mouth.

Knowing what was coming, he started to shake his head slowly. "Don't do it, you crazy idiot."

Of course, Jake couldn't hear him and even if he could, there was no way he would heed the warning. Jake went on to explain how he joined the Avatar program, what he was told and what actually happened when he reached Pandora. He backed his allegations against the RDA with video and photo evidence, showing the world media that was supposed to be buried so deep in classified files, nobody should have been able to find them. The images of young Na'vi bodies peppered with bullets made viewers on the streets gasp. Several people put their hands to their mouths and the woman at the lobby entrance whispered a prayer.

Sully broadcasted everything...every company secret that the RDA had been covering up for years—even things the businessman never knew about. The watching executive looked away when the video footage of the destruction of Hometree came up. He swallowed heavily and licked his lips, forcing himself to look up at the billboard screen again.

"They tried to have my brother killed to get me into the Avatar program because they weren't happy with the way the scientists were handling things," Jake went on. "But Tom Sully never really died. He's right behind me." Jake twisted in his seat and looked over his shoulder. The camera shifted to focus on a Na'vi male that looked just like him, except he was wearing full human clothing and he wore his hair differently.

"Oh shit," the executive said shortly. He had no idea Tom Sully was alive. They told him he was dead. When a video message featuring one of the scientists in charge of the enhanced Avatar procedure came on next, the mystery behind Tom's miraculous return from the dead was answered.

Dr. Owens' lined face was solemn and dignified as he spoke. "Quaritch, I want you to know that I'm agreeing to this under protest. I understand your situation and the only reason I'm doing this is to save lives. Never approach me with a task like this again...this is a one time good deal. I'll arrange to get Tom Sully out of your way, but there's going to be a catch to it and you'll have to find a non-violent solution to deal with it."

For the remainder of the broadcast, all the businessman could do was stare, slack-jawed as his life began to flash before his eyes. Jake described the enhanced Avatar program, reading a lot of the information from some kind of document. It was obvious the words weren't his own as he revealed the secrets of the permanent transferal process and the purpose behind it.

"The RDA have lied to the citizens, the government and even their own people," Jake went on. "They were told that Hell's Gate wasn't under hostile takeover, but they didn't relay that information to the teams they had in rotation. These people came here under false orders to take back control of the base and line the company's pockets. Some of them were willing to step over the bodies of dead children to carry out those orders. Others came to their senses and refused to be a part of it."

Jake explained the events of the first attempted invasion and the threats to gas the Ikran clan's children with Earth atmosphere to deter resistance. He followed up with the sabotage and destruction of the Nova Cruiser and the Star Chaser.

"Over a hundred and fifty of Earth's soldiers and scientists were murdered," Jake finished grimly, "all because the company decided their existence was too big a liability. They didn't want people at home to find out about it. Now men and women who shipped out thinking they were helping Earth are dead. This is what your taxes are supporting. This is what the government is supporting when they deploy military operatives to Pandora. The people here have cures for some of the worst diseases on Earth."

Jake rattled off the names of several debilitating and deadly diseases that thousands of people worldwide suffered and died from daily. "The RDA promised to bring back any treatments they developed and release it to the public," Jake said, his gaze piercing, "but all they've done so far is strip mine this world, drive the natives out of their homes and kill innocent people. The medical and science teams at Hell's Gate have these cures ready for transport, along with all the information and resources Earth needs to duplicate them and give them out to the people. The problem is, the only ISV that made any effort to ship this stuff back is missing now—probably destroyed like the Nova."

Jake took a sip of water from a cup someone handed to him and he nodded in thanks to the unseen person before continuing. "Citizens of Earth, your kids are dying. Your mothers, fathers, wives, husbands and siblings are _dying_. They are dying from diseases that can be treated or cured, but somebody's got to be willing to bring it back to you and have it approved for release. The way the RDA has been handling things, even if they _do_ start negotiating a trade route with Pandora, they'll jack up the prices on this medicine so high that only the insanely rich can afford it.

"It's up to you. The people here at Hell's Gate say Earth could have found a way to manufacture a synthetic alternative to unobtanium by now, if the RDA didn't choke every effort made." He paused and sighed before continuing. "You can pretend you never saw or heard any of this. I know the problems of an alien race, light years away from your back yard aren't that important to you, even if what you've seen in this broadcast is upsetting. I have a feeling when it comes to your own families and your hard-earned money, it's a different story."

Jake paused again and his eyes swept back and forth as if he could see all the people watching. "You can hold the RDA accountable for what they've done—to the people here, to their own operatives and to you. As long as they stay in power, things aren't going to change and peaceful trade negotiations won't happen."

Jake went silent for a moment, lowering his gaze in a considering manner before speaking once more. "We're sending classified information pulled from the RDA databanks directly to the world wide web and government officials all around the world. Not even the company can wipe out this much data before the right people see it. We're also going to upload this broadcast. Spread the word. Don't let them get away with this. I guess that's all I've got to say. This is Jake Sully, signing off."

The picture went to static again and after a moment, it flicked back on to the regular scheduled program. The executive blinked, hardly believing everything he'd heard and very conscious of the fact that his name had been brought up more than once during the damning broadcast. The bag boys were staring at him and he could see contempt in their eyes.

"Bring my bags," he ordered.

The young man on the right let go of the dolly, gave him a disgusted look and got into the car.

"Bring it yourself, _sir_," the second luggage handler said with a sneer. He joined his companion in the car and the vehicle took off.

Parker Selfridge stood at the top of the steps to his apartment building, seeing judgment in the eyes of people who passed by and recognized him. He blurted a hysterical laugh. He was ruined for sure now. Either his company was going down, or they were going to can him just to have someone to take out their wrath on.

"Goddammit," Parker said raggedly, pressing the heels of his palms against his eyes. His uneven laughter hitched, threatening to turn into sobs. "You've really done it this time, Sully. Why the hell couldn't you just leave it _alone_?"

Everyone was staring at him. Some of them he recognized as neighbors, but they had aged more than ten years and he was still basically the same age he'd been when he first left for Pandora. Selfridge pulled himself together with difficulty and walked down the steps to get his luggage. Nobody offered to help him as he struggled to get the dolly up the steps with muscles weakened by lack of use. He was too shaken to consider the convenient lift just to the right of the steps. The doorman at least had the compassion to hold the door open for him when he made it to the top.

As Parker Selfridge wheeled his belongings into his expensive apartment complex to the elevators, he decided the first thing he needed was a drink, rather than a shower. In fact, if his memory was correct he had a full, unopened bottle of Crown Royal waiting for him in his liquor cabinet.

* * *

-To be continued


	45. Chapter 45

"Between worlds"

Chapter 45

* * *

_**Author's note: See footnotes at the end of the chapter for Na'vi/English translations. For those who are confused about the timeline; a little over five years have passed between the beginning of this story and the broadcast at the end of chapter 44. The broadcast was a live feed transmitted through the ISV's superluminal signal, so Parker was more or less watching it as it was being filmed. I'd also like to clarify that "Savanna" can be spelled with or without an "h". I chose the former because "Savannah" is also a river in Georgia and it looks awkward to me if I use the second spelling, for that reason. This is another exceedingly long chapter, I'm afraid. Thank you kindly for all of the feedback! Sorry for talking your ears off in this author's note.**_

* * *

_*Disclaimer: I do not own Pandora and I make no profit from writing fanfiction based on the "Avatar" film._

* * *

A few days after the broadcast, Mo'at came to visit Hometree. She rode with E'quath, Peyla and two other hunters from the Tree of Souls and they landed in the ikran nesting area near the top of Hometree. Jake and Neytiri were expecting them and they greeted the group when they landed.

"Mother," Neytiri said warmly as she approached. The two women embraced for several moments, equally happy to see one another.

Jake smiled at his mother-in-law and he exchanged greetings with the others while he waited his turn. He exchanged an embrace with Mo'at when Neytiri stepped away from her. "How has life been at the Tree of Souls, Mother?"

"Very good," answered Mo'at. "We have seen the birth of four children, this year."

"Would any of those happen to belong to these two?" Jake nodded at Peyla and E'quath with a grin.

"Sadly, no." Mo'at gave the couple a fond, pseudo-impatient look. "But we cannot rush these things."

"I am in no hurry," Peyla admitted candidly.

"What about you, E'quath?" Jake asked the tracker.

E'quath shrugged, his eyes betraying warmth as he glanced at his petite mate. "When Peyla is ready, she will let me know."

His attitude wasn't surprising. E'quath was the kind of person that took life as it came and it was obvious that he adored Peyla. Jake thought the two of them were a great match.

"Where are my grandchildren?" Mo'at inquired.

"They're down at the base of the trunk," Jake answered, "playing with Gracie and some of the other children."

"We will take you to them, Mother," Neytiri offered.

The group walked to the entrance leading inside of the tree and made their way down the winding branch staircase to the den at the bottom. Tommy was the first one to spot Mo'at coming out from the den and the five year old put his carved wooden toys down and ran to her with his arms outstretched.

"Gramma!" Tommy practically collided with the former _Tsahik_. She laughed softly with delight as he hugged her around the thighs. She barely had the chance to regain her balance before Tsu'tey and Gracie hurried over to greet her. At the age of three, Tsu'tey was the youngest of the group.

"Gamma!" Tsu'tey cried, his chubby toddler legs clumsily supporting him. He had started talking later in his young life than his older sibling, but he was picking up on it fast.

Mo'at squatted down, allowing the toddlers to come into her arms. "Look at you all," she exclaimed. "How you have grown!"

"We missed you, Gramma," Grace announced guilelessly, kissing Mo'at on the cheek.

Norm walked over with a slightly embarrassed smile on his face. "Grace, sweetheart, Mo'at isn't really...that is, she's not..." he couldn't seem to bring himself to tell his daughter that Mo'at wasn't her grandmother.

"I can be her grandmother too," Mo'at assured him with a soft smile of amusement. "Such a beautiful child...she will have many admirers when she comes of age."

"That's what I'm afraid of," Norm muttered.

"I'll protect her," Tommy announced boldly.

"I am sure you will," Mo'at said to him solemnly, her eyes studying him with shrewd wisdom as well as maternal affection.

* * *

Life wasn't working out perfectly for everyone at Hell's Gate. Baxter and Jill broke things off after only a month of dating, because their personalities clashed too much. The marine suffered an unfortunate accident shortly after the breakup. In a fit of self-pity, he drank more than he could safely handle and when he stumbled past the prison compound, Phelps mouthed off to him. With his judgment impaired, Private Howell reacted to the taunts and tried to climb the fence, intending to jump into the exercise yard and beat the hell out of Phelps.

He didn't take into account the electrified security wires at the top of the fence and he got zapped so badly, it put him into a coma. When it became clear to the doctors that he wasn't likely to wake up for a long time—if at all—they decided to put him into a cryogenic capsule. The decision was made in the hopes that it would give his brain time to heal itself without his muscles wasting away from lack of use.

Harris was officially in a steady relationship with his girlfriend, who finally earned her pardon and began working with the staff on base. Ellis continued to go to therapy once per week even when he felt like his anxiety disorder was gone, because it made his girlfriend feel better. Ramona and Lee were still going strong, though they still entertained no thoughts of having a marriage ceremony.

The next ISV came into orbit nearly a year after Jake's broadcast and the people at Hell's Gate were ready for any trouble it might bring with it. The corporate administrator on board asked for landing clearance so that she could have a meeting with the people in charge. She gave her word that her crew had no hostile intentions and she insisted that it was very important that she speak with Max and Trudy in person. They gave landing permission to one Valkyrie shuttle and they warned the administrator that any attempts to bring in the second one would be seen as a hostile act.

Max and Trudy talked about it in their modest new apartment within the bio-dome while they waited for the babysitter to arrive.

"I wonder how this is going to pan out," Trudy said to Max as she helped Dustin change his clothes. She sighed when the toddler's squirming impaired her progress. "Hold still, kid. I can't put your shoe on if you keep fiddling. You're as bad as your old man."

"I'm hoping it ends favorably," Max sighed. "Administrator Hamada sounded like a civilized woman, when I spoke to her. Let's keep our fingers crossed that my impression is right."

"Yeah, but what can you tell about a person by the way they talk?" Trudy said as she finished putting on Dustin's left shoe and began to tie the laces.

Max hid a smile at the irony of her words. If one went by the way Trudy spoke, it could easily be assumed that she was rough and unfeminine. In truth, she was simply her own kind of "feminine" and he wondered if she even realized how many women on the base admired her for being so candidly honest and comfortable in her skin.

"You've got a good point," Max conceded.

* * *

Mrs. Hamada was a handsome Japanese woman in her fifties. She wore her shiny, dark hair in a carefully styled bun. Her nails were short and manicured and she wore only a golden wedding band and diamond ring on her left finger. She was dressed in a deep blue business skirt-suit and she had a sapphire pendant around her neck. A matching pair of teardrop earrings donned her ears.

Max invited her to have a seat in one of the armchairs in his office and he waited for she and Trudy to sit down before sitting down in his desk chair himself. "I apologize for seeming inhospitable to your crew," he began politely. "We've had to take some unfortunate measures to ensure the safety of these facilities."

The administrator nodded elegantly, her dark eyes shifting between Max and Trudy thoughtfully. "So I have heard. It's unfortunate that my transport didn't arrive before the conflicts occurred. My crew consists of crafters, engineers and agricultural specialists. We were sent to assist in the maintenance of this base, to improve the living conditions here for the staff and families."

"So you don't have any military people on board?" Trudy asked.

Mrs. Hamada shook her head. "Only a handful of security guards for peacekeeping on board and protection, if it is needed. We have livestock on board, as well as agricultural supplies, medical equipment and imports."

"What kind of imports?" Trudy questioned hopefully. She ran out of gum last year and she horrified Max by telling him she was thinking of taking up smoking to substitute her chewing habits. She was only kidding but he took it seriously and lectured her for thirty minutes about the health risks of smoking.

"A great variety of leisure items," replied the older woman. "Things that you can't manufacture here, such as name-brand clothing, beers from around the world, cola, microwave meals, salon hair products and confectionaries."

"Confectionaries as in candy?" Trudy pressed. "Like gum?"

"I believe we have a variety of popular chewing gum brands, yes."

Trudy looked at Max. "We've _got_ to trade with these people."

Max coughed into his hand to hide a chuckle. "What are your people supposed to bring back in return for this produce, Mrs. Hamada?"

"Originally, we were to bring back shipments of unobtanium," she answered, "but there have been substantial changes within the company since our ISV left Earth's orbit. The United States government is taking over the RDA. The change was brought about by the broadcast your people sent to Earth."

Max and Trudy blinked at each other, equally stunned by the news even though they had hoped something like this would happen. "What does the government want from us?" Max inquired cautiously, wondering if this news meant good changes or bad ones.

"For the time being, they want the medicine you've produced here that Mr. Sully alleged to be cures for Earth diseases." She reached into her breast pocket and produced an electronic organizer. She fiddled with it for a moment before reaching into her other pocket for a pair of encased reading glasses. After placing the glasses on her face, she began reading a list she had stored in her device.

"They also want the names of the military personnel that are currently being held here."

"We can't release them to your custody," Max informed her carefully. "They committed crimes against this community and the neighboring Na'vi communities as well."

"If we let them go, they could come right back and start trouble again," Trudy added, "especially Phelps."

"I understand," said the administrator in a pacifying tone. "The president isn't interested in taking the offenders into custody. They acted outside of government sanction, under the orders of a faction within the RDA."

Trudy frowned. "Then what do they want their names for?"

Mrs. Hamada looked directly at the pilot with a solemn expression. "They will be dishonorably discharged from the armed forces. I understand there is a mixture of Army, Marines, Navy and Air Force in your prison, is that correct?"

Max nodded. "That is correct." He knew his eyes were wide but he couldn't control his surprise and excitement. "Can we take this to mean the government doesn't approve of hostilities against Pandora?"

"Un-necessary hostilities, yes," she agreed, "which they have proclaimed the recent actions committed under the RDA to be. However, you should know that the UN will be holding a summit this year and the company will have new departments, run by government officials from around the world. The RDA as you know it will soon be no more. It will be official property of the united Earth governments."

"And they don't want unobtanium imports anymore?" Trudy pressed suspiciously.

Mrs. Hamada shook her head. "The information I was given said that NASA believes the minerals harvested from Mars can serve a similar purpose to unobtanium. Now that the RDA no longer has a monopoly on development and research of other worlds, it should only be a matter of time before alternatives can be manufactured.

"I knew it," Max sighed happily. "And since Mars is a lifeless planet except for the human colonies, nobody will get hurt."

"Exactly," agreed the administrator. "There _are_ stipulations to all of this, however."

"Knew there had to be a catch," Trudy grumbled. "So what is it?"

"When the UN reaches an agreement and the changes to the company are complete, they want to build a colony here on Pandora."

"A separate colony?" Max didn't care for what he was hearing.

"I was told to inform you that they have no interest in taking command of this base or interfering with your relations with the Na'vi. They understand that their presence here would jeopardize the progress your people have made with the indigenous people. Hell's Gate is now officially considered to be under its own government. They want to build a colony under Earth government, in a separate location."

"And they think that's going to make the Na'vi less suspicious of them?" Trudy snorted.

"All I've been told is that they want to begin a colonization program and sign a treaty with the Na'vi. The terms can be negotiated when they set the operation into motion."

"The Na'vi aren't going to agree to allow humans to populate this world," Max warned. "They won't agree with the destruction of their forests or further strip-mining."

"There are locations on this moon where a colony could be established without deforestation, Dr. Patel," the administrator pointed out with dignified patience. "There are unfinished facilities in several locations as well that could serve as a site for the colony. As far as strip mining, the information I received made no mention of it. They don't intend to spread out and build multiple compounds. This could change by the time the summit is completed but the proposal is to build a single colony under the Earth's governance, primarily for importing and exporting medicine and goods between our planet and Pandora."

It didn't sound so bad the way she put it, but Max was quite wary of hidden agendas by now. "How will this treaty be proposed?"

"I assume they'll send government officials to meet with the clan leaders and yourselves," she answered. "I wasn't given the details about that. I will caution you, however. They are going to be sending supplies, construction machines, weapons and military operatives when they put this into motion. I've been told to warn you that failure to cooperate may result in use of force, and they _will_ be sending enough weaponry and forces to overtake this compound, if they have to."

"Let them try," Trudy dared, flushing with anger as she glared at the older woman.

"Trudy, please," Max soothed gently. "Mrs. Hamada, with all due respect, sending us threats isn't going to accomplish anything except mistrust."

"That's why they sent a warning," she said coolly. "Doctor, they don't want to use force. Peaceful negotiations would be better for everyone. They could possibly change their minds between now and then, but if they go ahead with this plan, they aren't going to let your people interfere with negotiations. Whether this means a permanent takeover or temporary seizing of this compound, I cannot say. My purpose here is to make the exchange of goods and inform you of what's currently happening. I have no control over what the government does or what your people do. Can we do business, or not?"

Max sighed. She was after all, just a messenger. The colony could certainly use livestock to breed and supply real, fresh meat and dairy products. Trudy would probably kill him if she didn't get her chewing gum, too. In addition, the exchange would finally allow them to get the medicine they had produced back to Earth where it needed to be. He stood up and offered his hand to the woman.

"I suppose there's no sense in passing up this opportunity over a message. Mrs. Hamada, I think we can do business."

* * *

"Okay, what have we got here? Hubba Bubba...yeah, that's all right. Juicy Fruit, Eclipse...yuck. Ooh, Big Red. I'll take a box of that." Trudy mumbled to herself as she, Harris and Wilson sorted through the imports recently transferred to the warehouse. Wilson went straight for the beer crates and cracked open a bottle of Budweiser when he found it. He sipped at it in bliss as she searched for her favorite brands and flavors of chewing gum.

"Like a kid in a candy store," Wilson remarked between sips.

"Look! They sent avatar-sized roller blades!" Harris exclaimed. He held up a pair and waved them like a trophy.

"Shit, you're clumsy enough when you aren't on wheels," Wilson snorted.

Trudy shot a grin of amusement over her shoulder at the excited avatar soldier. "Feels like Christmas, doesn't it?"

Harris nodded and searched for a pair of roller blades in his size. "They also sent avatar-sized Calvin Klein," he announced when he found a box full of packets of brand-name clothing and underwear in the same crate.

"Must be some kind of promotional thing," Trudy said. "Do us a favor and don't start trying on the briefs here."

"I'm trying on these roller blades," he assured. "Just as soon as I find a pair in my size."

Trudy chuckled and returned her attention to the gum search. "All right...Tutti-frutti! Hey...where the hell are the strawberry flavored ones?" She was about to fly into an outrage that they'd send her favorite brand but neglect to send her favorite flavor, when she moved some of the other confectionaries around and spotted a cellophane-wrapped box of it. "Oh, there it is. Damned good thing, too."

* * *

When they finished their business with Hamada and her crew, Max contacted Jake and informed him of what had transpired. "I think you should come for a visit," he explained to the Omaticaya leader. "The administrator had some things of importance to tell me about what's happening on Earth and what we can expect in the future. There's a lot to go over with you and I'd rather do it face to face."

"All right Max," Jake agreed. "I can fly to Hell's Gate tomorrow morning."

* * *

"So wait a minute," Jake sighed the next day when Max finished explaining things to him. "They're discharging those prisoners from the military for attacking this base, but they're threatening to attack themselves?"

"Doesn't make the sense God gave a mule to me either," Trudy snorted.

"The impression I was given was that they prefer to make peaceful negotiations and set up a treaty between the clans and Earth government," Max said. "They didn't threaten to shoot first and negotiate later, Jake. If that was their intention, I doubt they'd give us such an early warning. It could take anywhere between five and ten years before the ISV's they intend to ship out reach this solar system. Until then, they want the ISV's already in rotation to trade with us."

"So you think we should let them come here and build a whole new colony, full of people we don't know and can't trust?" Jake was incredulous.

"I'm saying we should at least wait and see what happens," Max corrected. "A lot could change while they are organizing things, Jake. If they are still determined to do this after the summit, I think we could at least stand to look at the treaty and negotiate changes if it isn't to our liking. We'll go over it with a fine-toothed comb and be sure there aren't any loopholes in it. They know that we can expose them if they break any contracts."

"You didn't tell that administrator about Jackson's ISV, did you?" Jake asked warily.

"Of course not," Max assured. "When she asked how we broadcasted the transmission, all I told her was that we've created hybrid technology over the years here that allowed us to lock onto the superluminal signal and use it to feed the broadcast."

"So you didn't actually lie to her, you just left out the part about the Star Chaser." Jake smirked. "You're slick, Max."

"I'm certainly not going to give away one of our greatest advantages," Max said modestly. "At least, not until I know it's safe to reveal it. We'll keep the Star Chaser behind Polyphemus until we're good and sure we no longer need to."

Jake nodded. "Good. Where's the supply ISV now?"

"It's already left orbit. The next ISV should arrive in approximately a year and according to Mrs. Hamada, they've been ordered to offer any surplus supplies they have on board and bring back whatever medicines and resources we can offer. I've agreed to part with some unobtanium from our supplies when they arrive, if they haven't completed the alternative processing of Mars minerals by then."

"Why would you do that?" Jake inquired.

"Because superluminal communications are dependent on unobtanium, right now," answered Max. "I think that's one reason why the RDA stopped contacting us directly. They've been trying to reserve their supplies and it takes fewer resources for ISV's to communicate with each other in space. Unobtanium also allows inter-stellar travel. Until they've finished perfecting the alternative process, it's necessary to at least supply them with enough to keep the operations going."

"Or, we could stop supplying them at all and they'll run out and stop coming here," Jake suggested.

"Not necessarily," Max corrected. "Haven't you listened to what I've told you? The resources on Mars can provide everything they need, when they perfect processing of it. We could delay further visits from them for a time, but not forever. I think it's best to practice diplomacy and stay on decent terms with them."

"I just don't like the thought of a whole new colony," Jake sighed. "I don't want them getting any ideas about building multiple colonies on this world and over-running the place. I'm afraid that if we give them an inch, they'll take a mile."

"Have the people here at Hell's Gate taken a mile?" Max challenged. "We've been re-foresting the land that we don't intend to use for expansion in the future and we haven't tried to establish new colonies elsewhere."

"But that's you," Jake argued. "Look at Earth's history, Max. It always start with explorers and ends with natives stuck on reservations and whole cultures wiped out or enslaved. You want to see that happen here?"

"You know I don't," Max said, finally growing impatient. "And _that_ is why we are all going to very carefully study the peace treaty from top to bottom. I have people here that know government law inside and out. We really aren't going to have a choice, Jake. They're going to be bringing in enough firepower to stamp out any resistance and I don't think even the help of Eywa would make a difference."

Jake clenched his fists and looked to Trudy. "What do you think about this?"

"I think it both sucks and blows," Trudy answered candidly. "Yeah, they say they want to do things nice and peaceful-like but they're throwing their weight around and sending a 'my way or the highway' message to us. Still, Max is right. They're going to get here eventually and we've got a choice between a fight we can't win and compromising with them. We've got families here, Jake. You're not the only one with kids to think about."

Her reminder about the children on the base made Jake feel like dirt. "You're right...I wasn't thinking about that. Have you two thought about an evacuation plan if things get bad?"

"Where the hell are we supposed to evacuate people to?" Trudy asked, spreading her arms. "We've got nowhere else on this moon to go, Sully."

"But we do have the ISV," Max intervened thoughtfully. "Jake, thank you for mentioning safety measures. We do have emergency shelters beneath the ground but transporting families to the ISV before the government sends people here is a better option than sealing them up underground."

Jake shrugged. "Glad you got an idea out of that." He heaved another sigh and resolved himself to the inevitable. "I'm going to trust your judgment again here, Max. You're hardly ever wrong and so far, you've made all the right decisions maintaining and protecting this place."

"I'll do whatever I can to ensure the best possible outcome for everyone," Max said humbly. "Now, this has been a stressful conversation. How would you like a tour of the bio-dome, Jake? Everything except for the market center and livestock pens is complete now."

"That's cool," Jake agreed. "Where are you keeping the animals they brought while you're building the pens?"

"We cleared out one of the biggest warehouses," Trudy answered. "We've got the yard space in the dome to make a fenced-in range for the cows but that's going to take a while. Hey, we can show you our new place and you can say 'hi' to our kid, while you're here. We can stop by Sebastian and Katherine's place so you can see them and their daughter too, if you want."

"Sounds great," Jake agreed with a smile.

* * *

Jake was impressed by the interior size of the bio-dome. It looked smaller on the outside than it actually was on the inside, and there was room for them to expand it if necessary. There were streets, apartment complexes, a large school building, a library and even a public park and playground. Max explained that the agriculture section was at the southern end of the dome, behind the housing areas. It was like a mini town in itself.

"We've grown enough yard with terran grass seedlings to make a decent grazing range for the livestock," Max told him. "It's just going to take a few weeks to fence it all in and construct a barn. I'd rather not confine the animals too much and I think Ramona would have a fit if we tried. Since we still have a few miles of unused, un-seeded land available, we'll eventually build a smaller, separate bio dome connecting with this one. We'll cultivate it for farming and a livestock range, to provide more food for the colony and give the animals even more roaming space."

Jake chuckled, imagining the perky zoologist making demands for humane treatment of the animals. "I think I'd like to bring the kids here when you've got it all set up," Jake said. "They'd get a kick out of seeing what some of the Earth animals look like in person."

"Organize a whole field trip if you want," Trudy offered. "I can fly the tykes here in one of the choppers. We've got enough exopacks to go around."

"So how do you grow Earth grass and plants?" Jake asked. "Imported dirt?"

"Actually, Pandora soil is composed of the same basic elements as Earth soil," Max explained. "As long as they have sunshine and the proper atmosphere to grow in, the plants thrive."

They stopped off at Trudy and Max's apartment and showed Jake around. Dustin recognized him and he said hello in an impressively coherent voice, for a toddler of his age. The babysitter busied herself with picking up toys as Jake knelt before Dustin and ruffled his curls.

"You're growing up fast, kid," Jake said to the boy. "Maybe when you're old enough, your parents will let you come and visit Hometree. I'll bet you'd have fun there."

"I'm sure he'd love to play with some of the Na'vi children his age," Max said, "but we have to remember they're much bigger than he is...and stronger. I'm a little concerned about accidental harm through horseplay."

"Don't worry," Jake assured him. "I wouldn't let any of the village children play with him without supervision and I'm going to make sure my kids grow up understanding the difference between themselves and humans."

"Well, until then I'm sure the kids would love to meet each other the next time you come for a visit." Trudy grinned at the thought.

"We'll have to arrange that," Jake agreed. "So where do Kath and Bastian live? I want to see how big Savanna's gotten since the last time I was here."

"They live a half a block away," Max said. "We can go and see them now if you want. Sebastian has the day off but I think you'll have to go to the lab building if you want to say hello to Katherine."

Jake nodded. "Let's do that."

Max addressed the babysitter. "We're going to take Dustin with us, to play with his friend. Thank you for your services today, Ellen."

"My pleasure, Doctor." The young woman smiled, waved goodbye to Dustin and left the apartment.

Trudy picked up her son and grabbed the diaper bag hanging near the front door as the group left. Max locked up behind them and they walked east down the street, until they reached the next living complex. Max located the correct door and rang the buzzer. Within moments, Sebastian answered it and when he saw Jake his eyes lit up.

"Corporal Sully! This is a nice surprise."

Jake smiled and nodded at him. "Good to see you. How's your daughter?"

"She's playing with her blocks right now," answered the technician. He waved at Dustin, who gave him a sparse-toothed toddler smile back. "Come in, everyone. I'll pour some refreshments."

They filed into the apartment and Jake couldn't quite disguise his wonder as he looked at the hybrid toddler girl sitting on the baby blanket in the middle of the living room. She was certainly a pretty little thing, with the best qualities from both of her parents. Her coloring was gorgeous and he imagined she would have boys pining for her all over the place when she reached puberty—despite how different she was from everyone else.

"Savanna, your friend Dustin is here," Sebastian informed her.

Savanna twisted around to look up at the guests and she smiled brightly when she saw her playmate being carried over to her. Her hazel eyes were bright with intelligence and her tail swished on the blanket happily as Trudy set Dustin down.

"Dust!"

"Hi Sav!" answered the boy.

Jake hid a chuckle behind his hand and leaned closer to Sebastian. "She calls him 'Dust'?"

Sebastian shrugged and laughed softly. "They both have trouble speaking each other's full names, right now."

"She reminds me of something out of a fairy tale," Jake murmured with a nod at Savanna, who was now sharing her toys with the little boy.

Sebastian didn't take offense. He smiled proudly at his daughter and nodded. "She's our little 'changeling'. I have some native moonshine in the refrigerator, if you would like a glass."

"That would be good," Jake agreed. He had drinking and eating with an exopack on down to an art, from his many visits to his friends at Hell's Gate.

Sebastian went into the small kitchen and fetched beers and nectar for everyone. They sat down in the living room and watched the children play as they discussed recent events and concerns for the future. It was getting dark by the time Katherine came home and she greeted everyone warmly before squatting down to give her daughter and Dustin a kiss on the cheek. She poured a glass of sherry for herself and joined in on the discussion. Sebastian fed the kids when it was time for their supper and to Jake's surprise, he put Dustin to bed with Savanna.

"They get upset if we try to separate them when we put them down for a nap or for bed," Katherine explained. "The two of them are practically siblings."

"Except they get along better," Trudy said dryly.

"So you let the kids stay overnight with each other a lot?" Jake asked. It wasn't unusual for Na'vi children to bed down with their playmates at night, but humans tended to be a little more reserved when it came to opposite genders.

"Sometimes," Max answered. "Katherine, do you mind if Dustin stays tonight?"

"Of course not. We can pull the bed out of the couch, if you and Trudy want to stay too."

"Sounds like the four of you have a good system working for you," Jake said.

Sebastian returned to the living room and he took a seat beside Katherine on the loveseat again. "How is your family, Jake?"

"No complaints," answered Jake. "Tsu'tey's pretty well-behaved but Tommy can be a little terror. He liked to push the limits and see how much he can get away with. I don't think the spanking threats are going to work much longer."

"So you've never gone through with it?" Max asked with a smile.

Jake sighed and shook his head. "I can't. My dad didn't have a problem paddling us when we crossed the line at that age but every time I say I'm going to do it, I cave."

"You're either going to have to follow through with it so he knows you mean business, or you'll have to think of something else," Trudy predicted. "My Mom was just like you. She always threatened spankings but never delivered. We used to walk all over her until we found out Dad wasn't afraid to follow through. After that, all she had to do was threaten to tell Dad on us to put us back in line."

Jake chuckled. "How would it look to the clan if their _Olo'eyktan_ spanked his kid, though?"

"Like a parent disciplining an out of control child, I imagine," Sebastian answered. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't the Na'vi use corporal discipline when it's called for?"

"Yeah. It's rare but once in a while parents will take their kids into an alcove and give them a couple of pops on the behind. I just think it would be better for everyone if I could control the little smartass without smacking him...and I don't want to be the 'bad guy'."

"What about Neytiri?" Max questioned. "Does she ever spank?"

Jake smirked. "Once. Tommy yelled at her in front of everyone at lunch one day and she took him by the ear and went into one of the alcoves with him. She gave him three swats and he came straight to me for comfort afterwards. Dipshit that I am, I gave it to him. He doesn't mess with his mother anymore, though."

"No offense intended, but maybe you should think about taking a page from her book," Katherine suggested gently.

Jake heaved a sigh. "You're probably right. I'm 'the pushover' right now and my sons both know it. Tsu'tey doesn't take advantage of that but Tommy milks it for all its worth. Even _Norm_ has spanked before, the one time I ever saw Gracie act like a total brat."

"Well, there you have it," Sebastian murmured. "For some children, psychology isn't enough."

Jake gave him a challenging look. "Could you spank your daughter, Bastian?"

The computer technician faltered, averting his eyes as Katherine raised a brow inquisitively at him. "I...well, I suppose if I couldn't get through to her by any other means. I can only hope it never comes to that."

Katherine chuckled and squeezed his knee. "You couldn't go through with it and we both know that. I have a feeling any spankings she earns in her childhood are going to be meted out by me."

"What about you two?" Jake asked, looking to Trudy and Max.

"If the boy ever acts like a baboon and won't listen to reason, I'm not afraid to pop his little behind," Trudy shrugged.

"I don't believe in spanking," Max admitted with a grimace. "There are plenty of other ways to get through to a child, without getting physical."

Jake noticed the look Trudy gave him and he chuckled. "I have a feeling Dustin's going to see an argument between his folks, before he ever feels a swat on the butt."

* * *

As time passed and the children matured, Jake was faced with the unpleasant realization that he was never going to get through to his oldest son unless he proved he was capable of spanking him. Tommy liked to pretend he didn't hear when Jake called him in for a meal or told him it was time to leave the _pa'li_ pasture. Tommy was six and a half years old now and Tsu'tey was five. By himself, Tsu'tey was well behaved. When he began to realize that Jake was all talk and no action, he started following his brother's lead when Tommy misbehaved.

Neytiri routinely encouraged Jake to take the initiative and put a stop to the misbehavior once and for all. She reminded him that it was perfectly acceptable to punish a child with a spanking when all else failed, but he was a softie at heart when it came to his boys and he kept putting it off...until the morning that the boys got their hands on his transmitter device and played with it until they broke it, despite having been sternly told it was off-limits. Tsu'tey carried it to him with a guilty expression on his little face, showing him the earpiece that was now in two pieces. Tommy stood behind him uncomfortably but he didn't appear all that worried.

"How many times have I told the two of you that this is _not_ a toy?" Jake thundered, drawing attention from the other occupants in the den.

Tommy shrugged. "We didn't think it would break."

Jake saw Neytiri watching him expectantly out the corner of his eye and he set his leaf plate down on the floor before standing up. He knew she wasn't going to intervene, this time. He was painfully aware of the hush that had settled over the den as the occupants finishing their breakfast watched the scene unfold. He glanced at Norm, who gave him a subtle nod of encouragement.

Jake knew his sons loved him but it was very clear now that they didn't respect him. If he didn't do something this time, his clan might start losing respect as well. "All right; that's it. I didn't want to do this but you've both gone too far. I'm going to do the same thing to you that my old man did to your uncle and I when we were kids."

Tommy faked a yawn and waited expectantly. At least Tsu'tey had the common sense and grace to look mildly ashamed of himself. Realizing that none of the Pandora plants within range of the village that could provide decent switches, he improvised.

"Both of you, go into the cooking supply alcove and pick out a wooden spoon for yourselves."

The boys exchanged a puzzled look and Tommy's face scrunched up. "What are we eating?"

"Oh, you're not eating anything," Jake promised. "_You're_ getting the spanking you've had coming. Move. Now."

"He won't do it," Jake heard Tommy whisper to Tsu'tey as the two of them headed off to the cooking alcove.

Jake stared after them with a hard expression and his arms crossed over his chest until they disappeared behind the hide curtain. He felt Neytiri rub his arm and he looked at her, deflating a little. His ears drooped somewhat and he sighed. "I don't think I can do this," he admitted in a whisper.

"Jake, you must," she insisted, whispering back. "_You_ are the parent. _You_ are the provider, the protector and the teacher. They must learn to respect you while they are young and you must set an example. This may be the only time you must ever do this, if it is done right."

Thinking of how a look from Neytiri was all it took to make the boys settle down, Jake sighed. "What if I hurt them?"

She gave him a soft, loving smile. "You will not hurt your children. I know this. Two or three quick, firm strikes will sting without harming them and it will make them think twice before crossing you again, my Jake."

Jake shut his eyes and nodded. "Just one time," he mouthed to himself, "I just have to do it once."

The boys came out of the alcove, each holding a long wooden stirring spoon in his hand. They approached Jake and he nodded in satisfaction. "Good. Now go to the medicine supply alcove so we can get this over with."

Tommy rolled his eyes.

"MOVE IT," Jake ordered in his best "drill sergeant" voice. It startled the boys enough to make them flinch and a woman passing by nearly threw her breakfast into the air.

It seemed to dawn on Tommy that this time, his _Sempul_ was serious. "Dad, I'm sorry," he whined, flattening his ears contritely.

"Too late," Jake said with a firm shake of his head. "Now _march_. One foot in front of the other. That's it...you're too slow. Pick up the pace."

Little Grace watched as her two friends were herded to the other side of the den and into the alcove. She looked up at her father with worry. "_Sempu_, are they going to get a spanking?"

Norm exchanged a thoughtful look with Ni'nat before answering. "I think this time they might, sweetheart. Sometimes a parent has no other choice."

"Just remember, they earned it," Ni'nat murmured. "This is what happens when a child disrespects a parent. Our leader has given them every chance to behave and little ones who do not listen to their parents put themselves in danger. There is a very good reason why children must obey, Grace. We cannot protect you if you do not listen to what we say."

Gracie rubbed her bottom, remembering the sting of the one spanking she had ever gotten.

Moments after Jake entered the alcove behind his sons, the sound of flesh being slapped carried through the den, followed by a shocked protest from Tommy. Two more swats came behind the first before the boy stumbled out clutching his bottom. He was trying very hard not to cry but the sniffles came anyway. Another two smacks sounded out and the smaller brother left the alcove, weeping softly. Jake came out behind them with a grim look on his face.

"Do either of you want to give me any more lip?"

Tommy and Tsu'tey shook their heads, their lips quivering. Jake pointed at the gathered Na'vi around the fire pit. "Go and help clean up breakfast plates. When you're done with that, help your mother with her hide tanning. You both stay near the den today and help the clan with chores. No games, no wandering into the pasture and no treats between meals. Is any of that unclear?"

"No," Tommy answered, intimidated by the firm tone of voice. "We'll be good." Tsu'tey echoed his brother.

Jake jerked his chin in the direction of the fire pit. "Get started."

As the boys turned their backs to him, Jake's hard expression melted into one of remorse. Neytiri approached, casting a warning glance at her sons when she passed by them. She placed a hand on Jake's chest and gave him an encouraging smile.

"Good. You were very firm."

Jake's ears drooped. "I feel terrible." It was bad enough spanking his children but he had given Tommy one more swat than his brother, due to his smug, disrespectful attitude.

Neytiri nodded in sympathy. "Guilt is normal for any parent that must resort to such methods. I think you will see a change in the way Tommy treats you, though."

"I really hope so," he said seriously, "because I never want to do that again."

* * *

A year later, Ni'nat gave birth to her second child and it was another girl. Jake made a crack about Norm being out-numbered by women in his family but the anthropologist merely shrugged it off and said he thought girls were easier to raise. They named their new daughter Ralu. her features bore a closer resemblance to Norm's than Ni'nat's, but she inherited her mother's nose—for which Norm was silently thankful.

Ni'nat worried a little that Gracie would be resentful of her sister at first, because she was used to having her parents' full attention. Instead, the little girl lived up to the meaning behind her name and she accepted her little sister with enthusiasm, happy to share Norm and Ni'nat's affection with her. She helped care for her whenever she could and she brought her mother meals while she recovered from the birth.

Jake complimented Grace's generous nature and Norm smiled proudly. "She gets all of that from her mother," he said with a sigh.

Jake nodded in agreement and he hoped that his son and Grace would end up mated to each other one day. He thought they would make a perfect match.

* * *

As the twins grew older, Tom and Tanhi had problems of their own to contend with. Kato favored his father in looks, though his eyes had a more Na'vi shape to them. People could have mistaken he and Tommy for siblings, except that Kato was lighter in build. Karyu favored her mother in appearance, build and temperament. Despite the difference in mannerisms and looks, the siblings were so in tune with one another that they often finished each other's sentences. They were bright children, thirsty for knowledge. The downside of this was that they liked to experiment a bit too much for their own good.

Tom strictly forbade them to enter his trailer without his permission. He was very careful to go in and lock all of his research equipment up when he wasn't teaching them lessons in science. While he was fastidious about educating them about science, literature and the English language, he was careful not to over-stimulate their quick minds. They had a penchant for mischief and it was often Tanhi's lessons in discipline that kept them in line. She was firm and methodical about teaching them the ways of the People. By the time they were seven years old, both of them knew how to fish, how to clean their catches and how to tan hides.

Unfortunately, Karyu and Kato didn't make friends easily. They had a way of silently communicating with each other and their habit of finishing each other's sentences now and then made other children uneasy. Nobody tried to pick on them because they were the children of the clan's beloved leader and Karyu was destined to be the next chieftess, but only a couple of kids their age liked to play with them.

When Tom expressed concerns about their offspring's lack of friends, Tanhi shrugged it away and reminded him that they had each other, and that it was better for them to have a handful of true, loyal friends than a dozen pretenders. Thinking of her close relationship with Peyla, he had to agree. Besides, the twins _did_ get along well with their cousins and Grace. Pity that they only got to see them four to six times per year.

Tom set aside his worries over the way his kids interacted with others. He was lucky to have both of them and Tanhi would bear no more children. She had sensed it when she recovered from the birth of the twins and Tom confirmed it with some examinations. Odd though his children might seem to others, they were gifted and they meant the world to him and Tanhi.

* * *

Tom, Tanhi and the twins visited Hometree with E'quath, Mo'at and Peyla when Tommy's eight birthday came around. The clan held a celebration feast, with music, dancing and drinking. The children played games of tag, hide-and-seek and a Na'vi game that involved competing over who could make the most fan lizards take to the air at dusk. One of the Omaticaya boys joining in on the games decided to get rough. He had a reputation for bullying other children to get his way and he was jealous of how much attention Tommy got from Grace. In the middle of a game of tag, he tackled Gracie and knocked her to the ground.

"Hey, you can't knock a girl over like that!" Tsu'tey protested.

Emazu climbed off of the little girl he'd tackled, looking faintly guilty but smug. Grace stared up at him in shock as he offered his hand to help her up. Tommy interposed his body between Emazu and Grace, offering his hand to her in the other boy's place. He glared at Emazu as he helped Grace to her feet and kept her protectively behind him.

"Apologize to her," Tommy demanded.

Emazu crossed his arms over his chest. "Girls should not play these games, if they don't want to be tagged."

"That was no tag," Tommy growled. "If you want to wrestle with someone, do it with me."

Emazu took a step closer, invading Tommy's personal space and getting in his face. "You think because you are the son of our _Olo'eyktan_, I won't hit you?"

Kato and Karyu stood on either side of Tommy and Grace, both of them giving Emazu nasty looks. The other three children that had been playing in the group stopped what they were doing and crowded around the two boys curiously. Tsu'tey looked at his older brother, then at the equally strong, equally tall boy who was now trying to bait him.

"Are you two going to fight?" Tsu'tey's eyes were wide. He'd seen Emazu beat up other children before the adults intervened and though his brother was strong, Emazu was fierce.

"Be quiet, Tsu'tey," Tommy ordered, still holding his opponent's glare.

"Tommy, don't," Grace urged softly. "I'm not hurt."

"But you could have been and he shouldn't have shoved you down anyhow," countered Tommy.

"What will you do about it, half-breed?" Emazu followed up the insult with a sudden shove that made Tommy stagger.

Seeing the look in his older brother's eyes, Tsu'tey wasted no time. The smaller sibling took off to the _keltural_ as fast as his little legs could carry him. He heard the sound of a fist connecting to flesh behind him and he knew the fight was on.

* * *

"...And we got kicked out of the party because of this guy's babe magnet," Jake finished with a nod at Tom.

Tom flushed as people laughed and looked at him. Of all the high school stories Jake could have told people, the one about the head cheerleader coming onto him in front of her quarterback boyfriend was his twin's choice. Tom gave his mate a sheepish look when he noticed the remonstrating expression on her face.

"I swear, I did _not_ invite it," he protested. "She was a little drunk and she had an argument with her boyfriend. I was just conveniently there."

"You've got a knack for being 'conveniently there'," Jake observed.

"Not anymore," Tom insisted. He put an arm around Tanhi to demonstrate his point and she smirked in a smug, possessive manner before taking another sip of her drink.

"You know, I think Tommy's inherited your gift with the ladies," Jake said thoughtfully. He smiled and thanked his mate as Neytiri refilled his drink and he returned the favor. "He's got half the girls his age crushing on him already, and I don't think it's just because he's going to be clan leader some day."

"How do you know he isn't getting that from you?" Tom asked.

Jake smirked. "Because he doesn't even try to get their attention. I'm a flirt. You're a magnet."

"Tommy may have a selection of girls seeking his attention," Neytiri added, "but his interests remain only on one." She smiled meaningfully at Norm and Ni'nat.

Norm looked as though he had mixed feelings about the alleged puppy love between his daughter and the future chieftain. "Aren't they a little young to start worrying about things like that? I thought at this age, girls were supposed to have 'cooties'."

Jake chuckled. "You're telling me you never had a kiddie crush on any of the girls at school, when you were that age? I remember picking on this one girl named Beth that sat in front of me in Homeroom."

"Why do males do that?" Ni'nat demanded, her lovely features confused. "Boys teased me so often when I was a child and I never understood it. If you like someone, you should be nice to them."

Several of the men within hearing range chuckled along with Jake and Tom. The younger Sully twin decided to try and explain boy logic to the singer. "That's because boys have trouble expressing themselves at that age. They want to get your attention but they can't let the other boys know they like you. As Norm said; girls are supposed to be 'icky' until puberty sets in. After that, it's acceptable to flirt instead of tease."

"A time-honored tradition for boys," Mo'at said with a smile. "It has been this way since the very first Na'vi walked the forests. I see it is no different with humans."

"Some things are universal," Jake agreed with a grin.

"Tommy doesn't seem to have trouble letting everyone know he likes Gracie," Norm observed.

"That is because he is more confident than most boys his age," Ni'nat replied, smiling at Jake and Neytiri. "I am thankful for that. He keeps the other boys at bay."

Ironically, it was that moment when little Tsu'tey came charging into the den, yelling at the top of his lungs. "Fight! Fight! _Sempul_, _Sa'nok_, Tommy's in a fight!"

Jake stood up and caught his youngest son before the boy could plow into him. "Easy, Tsu'tey. What's going on?"

The other adults stood up as well, watching with concern as the little boy explained what happened without pausing or taking a breath. "Emazu pushed Gracie down and then Tommy got in his way and told him to say he was sorry but Emazu said he wasn't going to apologize and then he pushed Tommy and Tommy punched him..."

Norm was already heading outside, with Ni'nat close behind him. She moved at a slower pace due to the baby secured to her torso. Jake picked up Tsu'tey and told him to show him where the kids were. He and Neytiri hurried out of the den with Mo'at, Tom and Tanhi. Emazu's parents and several other adults followed behind.

When they arrived on the scene, the group of kids Tommy had been playing with had surrounded the two combatants and they were shouting and hooting with excitement. Much to Tanhi's mortification, Karyu was making lewd gestures at Tommy's opponent and calling him words that she shouldn't have known at her age. Her twin was following her lead, jeering at Emazu as he rolled around in the moss with Tommy, exchanging punches and fighting for the upper hand. Gracie stood with her hands clasped before her, begging the boys to stop fighting.

"Grace," Ni'nat called out, gesturing for her daughter to come to her. The little girl ran to her mother's side and Ni'nat put an arm around her, pulling her close to her thigh.

Tom bellowed his children's names, startling both of them out of their haze of bloodlust. Kato and Karyu exchanged a look of dread when the saw the angry expressions on their parents' faces and they hurried over to Tanhi when she gestured for them.

"I should wash your mouths out with soap," Tom said to them in a low, stern voice. "But this is what I get for letting you watch Earth television programs in my trailer."

"I _told_ you they were a bad influence," Tanhi grumbled. She swatted each of the twins on the backside with her tail, making them jump and rub their bottoms. "You are both punished. No bedtime snacks!"

Norm started forward to intervene, but Jake held him back and shook his head. He stopped Emazu's parents from making a move as well. "Let them get it out of their systems. If it gets out of hand, we can step in."

He handed Tsu'tey over to Neytiri and she nodded in agreement with his judgment. Jake noticed Norm's doubtful expression and he leaned closer to him. He spoke in English, keeping his voice lowered. "Bullies come in all shapes, sizes and colors. You know that kid Tommy's fighting has a reputation for picking on anyone that isn't taller or bigger than he is. Boys need to establish their own pecking order and maybe getting his little ass kicked will change Emazu's outlook."

"But what if Tommy loses the fight?" Norm muttered back in the same language.

Jake smirked, his eyes going to his son as Tommy blocked a kick from the other boy and retaliated with a quick punch to the stomach. He was making good use of the combat moves Jake had taught him so far. "I don't think that's going to happen, but he's giving as good as he gets. Win or lose, he's stood up to a bully and that's going to knock Emazu down a peg or two."

Neytiri couldn't help but wince as Tommy got punched in the nose. "Jake," she said uncertainly, setting Tsu'tey down on the ground.

"Not yet," Jake told her gently. "I hate seeing it too but we can't always be there to pull him out of trouble. He's got to learn to take care of himself."

Tommy struck his opponent in the mouth, bloodying his lip and making him stagger. He followed up with a tackle that knocked Emazu to the ground and then, he began to pummel him with both fists.

Jake decided it was time to put a stop to it. He didn't want the other boy to end up with a broken nose or teeth from this life lesson, after all. He closed the distance between himself and the embattled kids and he pulled Tommy off of the other boy. He had to yell his son's name to snap him out of it, because Tommy was out for blood and he struggled to break free of his hold.

"Tommy, that's enough!" Jake barked, kneeling before his son and turning him around to face him. "Remember what I told you about fighting?"

Tommy's rage faded as awareness settled in and he sniffed, wiping at the trickle of blood coming out of his nose with the back of his hand. "Don't keep hitting an opponent when he's down," he recited.

Jake nodded, trying hard not to grin with pride. "That's right." He looked between his son and the other boy, who was getting painfully back to his feet. "Have you both had enough?"

The boys gave one another measuring looks and nodded in turn.

"Good. Tommy, apologize to Emazu."

"But he pushed Gracie down!" objected the boy.

Jake gave him a warning look. "According to your brother, you took the first punch. Was he lying to me?"

Tommy shot an accusing look at Tsu'tey, who shrugged sheepishly. "No, he wasn't lying. But Emazu pushed me first."

"And you answered with your fist," Jake reminded him. "You're going to be a leader some day, Tommy. You have to set a good example and hitting your clan brothers for any reason other than defense isn't the way to do it, no matter how much you think they deserve it."

Tommy crossed his arms over his chest sullenly and glared at the other boy. "What about him? He still owes Gracie an apology."

Jake turned his gaze to Emazu and the boy cringed a bit, intimidated by the great clan leader's stare. "Yes, he does owe her an apology. I'm not his parent, though. Emazu, you understand this started because of how you treated that little girl, don't you?"

The other boy nodded. "Yes, _Olo'eyktan_."

"Then I'll leave you and your parents to decide what you should do about it. Tommy, apologize to him."

Tommy stubbornly refused to budge.

Jake shrugged. "Okay then. Go pick out a wooden spoon."

The threat changed Tommy's mind and he quickly extended his hand to his rival and offered a grudging apology. Emazu didn't dare look smug about it in front of the clan's leader. He accepted the apology gracefully, shifting his eyes to his father's angry expression. He had brought shame to his family with his actions but Jake had a hunch that it was only because of who he fought with, rather than what he did.

"Please accept our apologies, _Olo'eyktan_ and _Tsahik_," Emazu's mother offered as she came forward to claim her son and Neytiri examined Tommy's face. "Emazu has always liked to play rough. We should have put a stop to it sooner."

Mo'at approached and her eyes went straight to Emazu's father, who was staring down at his son with a stony expression on his chiseled face. "Children learn behavior from their parents," Mo'at said coolly, "and boys especially learn from their fathers. You should consider how you influence your son with your actions."

Emazu's father deflated under her penetrating gaze, looking as guilty as a child being lectured by an elder. Though she was no longer the village _Tsahik_, Mo'at was held in high esteem by her old clan and she was considered a great and powerful woman. The hunter inclined his head respectfully, touching his forehead.

"Yes, Mo'at. I will try to teach him better." He looked at his son. "Go and apologize to Grace for shoving her. Don't let us find out about you doing that sort of thing again."

Emazu obeyed, keeping his eyes lowered as he apologized to the pretty little girl he had so roughly shoved. When Grace accepted the apology, Tom solicitously knelt before the boy and examined his injuries.

"You should put a cut of steak on his right eye," Tom suggested to Emazu's parents. "It will keep the swelling down. Other than that, he'll just have some painful bruises for a week or so."

When the crowd began to disperse, Jake grinned at his mother-in-law.

"What is so amusing, son?" Mo'at asked him in a low voice.

"The way you and Neytiri can both make a grown man cower with a stare," he answered, chuckling. "I love it."

* * *

A few days later, Mo'at returned to the Tree of Souls with Peyla and E'quath. Peyla exchanged fond goodbyes with Tanhi, Tom and the twins before they left and she promised the Ikran chieftess that she would let her know immediately when and if she ever got pregnant. When the group left, Jake, Neytiri, Tom, Tanhi and the kids left the village to visit Hell's Gate. They wanted the twins to have the opportunity to meet some of the children on the base before they returned home to the Eastern Sea. Tom generally kept in touch with Max and the others through the satellite communications, except for when they flew to the Ikran village to collect medication and formulas from him. He had been putting off visiting there in person, because he knew that Lt. Phelps was imprisoned there.

"There's the avatar cabin," Jake explained to the twins as they passed by the structure. "That's where we'll be sleeping while we're visiting. You'll get to meet some of the avatar drivers while you're here. Those plants you see in the garden are free to pick from. Don't play on the training equipment, kids. Someone could accidentally run into you if they're running the obstacle course and don't see you in time, got it?"

"We understand, Uncle Jake," said Karyu.

"We'll stay out of the way," agreed Kato.

"Good. See that building over there to the right? That's the recreation building for the residents. You can play in there if you want to and you two have the advantage of not needing an exopack to do it. They've got video games, pool tables, an indoor terran garden and a swimming pool in there."

"Uh, I don't know if video games are a good idea," Tom said cautiously when he saw his mate frown.

Jake stopped and tilted his head as he looked at him. "Why not?"

Tom stepped closer to his brother and whispered in his ear. "The last time I let them play video games, they tried to do some of the stunts that the characters in it could do. Kato almost broke his neck trying to run up a tree."

Jake snorted. "He doesn't know how to climb yet?"

"I didn't say that," Tom corrected patiently. "I said he tried to _run up the tree_, not climb it. You know how characters in video games can break the laws of physics and gravity. The kids got it into their heads that they could do it in real life and Karyu convinced her brother to try it. I thought Tanhi was going to kill me."

Jake shook his head. "All right, no video games, then. Honestly though, your kids could find a way to get into trouble in a locked, padded room."

* * *

After introducing the twins to everyone that had the free time to chat, Jake showed them around the base. He took them into the military wing and showed them the photos of all the soldiers on the walls. He hadn't been in there for a while so he was mildly surprised to find a recent portrait of himself hanging beside his old, formal military photo.

"I guess they figured it was time to update it," Jake chuckled.

"Dad, was that you?" Tommy said, blinking at the identical name beneath the picture of the sober-faced human in uniform.

"Yeah son, that was me, back when I was still human and serving in the Marines." Jake studied his boys as they compared the images. "Must be kind of a shock to see the old me."

"I can tell it's you," Tommy observed. "It's the same face on a human."

"Yeah," Tsu'tey agreed. "Why did you turn Na'vi, _Sempul_?"

Jake smiled at Neytiri. "Because I fell in love with your mother and the ways of the Omaticaya. I've never looked back."

Neytiri returned his smile before staring at the human picture of him. She tilted her head thoughtfully. "You look very handsome in this picture, my Jake."

"What, the human one?" Jake was surprised. He knew Neytiri didn't mind how he looked as a human but she always seemed far more attracted to his looks as a Na'vi.

Neytiri nodded. "Yes. I like the clothing you are wearing in it. The hat looks nice on you."

Jake nodded to his brother to lead the kids on and he stayed behind with Neytiri while they continued exploring the building. He came up behind his mate and embraced her. The exopacks made it a little awkward to be intimate, but he didn't let that deter him.

"So you like a man in uniform, huh?" he murmured. He wished he could nibble her ear. "I thought you hated human clothes."

"Not those," she admitted, leaning back against him as she indicated the old picture. "It is a shame I cannot see you in them now."

That gave Jake an idea and he grinned. "You know, a lot of the avatar operatives from the Star Chaser and the Nova are marines. I could talk to Ellis and ask if they've got any formal uniforms like that in my size to spare. Want me to?"

Neytiri turned a bit and looked up at him. Her intrigued smile was answer enough.

* * *

"You don't like girls?" Tommy asked his male cousin as they followed Tom and Tanhi out of the military wing and back outside.

"No," Kato answered with a shrug.

"Hey!" Karyu protested with a glare at her twin.

"You're different," Kato informed her. "You're my sister, so I have to like you."

"But you like Gracie," she argued.

"Not the way Tommy does. He's as dumb as grownups around pretty girls."

Tom and Tanhi traded amused smirks between them as the children discussed the politics of liking girls "too much". They both knew it was only a matter of time before Kato changed his tune and became as girl crazy as he accused Tommy of being.

"And girls are dumb around him," snorted Karyu. "_I'll_ never act so silly over a boy."

"We will see," Tanhi said aloud, giving her daughter a sly glance.

"I won't," insisted Karyu. "Boys are fun to play with but I'll never want to play 'kissy-face' with them, the way some older girls want to."

"Oh, how little you know, my daughter." Tanhi was biting her lip in an attempt to keep a straight face.

"I don't want to play 'kissy-face' either," Kato announced. "Why would you want to trade spit with someone? Yuck. That's like eating a piece of food someone spit out."

"You don't trade spit," Tsu'tey objected. "Doesn't your mommy kiss you before bed at night?"

"Yes," admitted Kato.

"But not the way she kisses Dad," Karyu pointed out. "They trade spit, like the grownups on TV."

Tom abruptly cleared his throat, flushing. Obviously, Jake's kids weren't as exposed to Earth video entertainment as his were. "Okay, let's stop talking about the way your mother and I kiss, kids."

"Where are _Toruk Makto_ and the _Tsahik_?" Tanhi asked, looking around in puzzlement. "They said that they would join us shortly but they have not come out of the building, yet."

Thinking of the snatches of conversation he'd overheard before Jake urged him to go on ahead, Tom could guess. Without an exopack dulling his sense of smell, he had detected a faint scent from Neytiri that Jake probably missed. He leaned in close to his mate to whisper in her ear, not wanting to get Tommy and Tsu'tey excited over something he could be wrong about.

"I have a feeling my brother and his mate are going to be distracted for a while, if the scent I picked up from her wasn't just my imagination."

Tanhi raised an eyebrow and glanced back at the building they were walking away from. "Does he even realize?"

"The exopack filters out smells too, so I don't know if he picked up on it. I could be wrong about it, too. I only smelled it for a moment when she passed by me earlier."

Tanhi shrugged. "Better that you are right and they have as many children as they can, while they are still young."

Tom stroked her hair, regretting mentioning his suspicions. She never said anything and he never sensed it from her, but sometimes he wondered if it upset her to see other people having more children, when she couldn't do so herself.

Tanhi's ears swiveled as they drew closer to the lab facilities and she stopped. It was then that Tom realized he no longer heard Kato's voice amongst the children's chatter. He turned around with his mate and Tsu'tey nearly ran into him. Tom steadied the boy and looked back in the direction they came from to see his son standing stock-still, several feet behind. He followed the direction of Kato's stare with his eyes and he saw what had distracted the boy so completely.

"I'll get him," Tom said to his mate. He jogged over to Kato and put a hand on his shoulder, startling him. The child gasped and looked up at his father, blinking as if in a daze.

"Who is _that_?" Kato asked, pointing at a young girl around his age, several yards away from them.

The child was sitting beneath a tree in a grassy area near the warehouses. She was lying on her stomach, coloring in some sort of picture book. She wore a tan, puffy-sleeved blouse and a pair of denim shorts. She was larger than a human child her age, but smaller than a Na'vi. She had Na'vi ears but they sat lower on her head than average. Her hair was a rich mahogany brown color, with a hint of auburn highlights where the dappled sunlight shone on it. Except for the long queue lying over her back, her hair was loose, falling in soft waves over her shoulders. Her skin was a pale, powder blue and her stripes were a soft lilac color. Her tail swished absently as she colored in her book.

"Ah," Tom said with a smile. "That can only be Savanna Thomas. I thought I've shown you pictures of her before, son."

"Nuh-uh," denied Kato, staring at the girl again. "You never showed me _her_. You showed me pictures of a baby with skin like hers."

"Oh, right," Tom remembered that he didn't have any recent photos of Savanna. "Well, the baby in those pictures was her, shortly after she was born. As you can see, she's around your age now. I believe she's almost a year younger than you and your sister."

"What is she?" Kato asked guilelessly, clearly fascinated by the girl.

"She's what we call a hybrid," explained Tom. "Her mother is human and her father is an avatar."

"An avatar like you?" Kato asked.

"Well, not exactly like me," corrected Tom, "but close enough. Savanna's looks are so unusual because of the human blood in her."

Kato looked down at his hands and then back up at Tom. "But _we_ have human blood and we don't look like that."

"That's because you've only got a small percentage in you," explained Tom. "Savanna is at least half human, if not a bit more. Hopefully you and your sister will get to meet her parents while we're here."

"She looks like a flower," Kato said.

Tom realized what was going on and he struggled not to laugh at his son. "I suppose her coloring does resemble a flower. Why don't you go and introduce yourself?"

Kato licked his lips and swallowed. "Um...what do I say?"

"'Hello' is usually a good start," Tom said with a crooked smile. He waved the others over and spoke to his nephews when his son remained rooted to the spot. "Tommy, Tsu'tey, you both know Savanna don't you?"

They looked over at the little girl and they both smiled and nodded. "We've known her for years," confirmed Tommy. "Hi, Savanna!"

The girl looked up from her coloring book and smiled with excitement when she saw the boys. She closed the book and got to her feet, waving at them.

"Why don't you two introduce Savanna to the twins," Tom suggested. "You kids can play out here for a while, until its time for supper. Just stay away from the prison, okay?"

"Why?" Karyu demanded. "Those men in there can't hurt us. They're stuck behind the fence."

Tom's amusement faded as he thought of one inmate in particular he didn't want even _looking_ at his kids. Beside him, Tanhi pressed her lips together grimly, obviously thinking of the same person. The twins noticed the change in their parents' expressions and they looked at each other suspiciously, communicating in that eerie, silent way of theirs.

"Children," Tanhi said firmly, "those prisoners are dangerous. They are captive for a good reason and we don't want you going near them, even if they _are_ behind cages and fences. Do not speak to them and do not go close to the fence. You will be punished if you disobey."

"Listen to your mother," Tom advised. "Now, go and play. Maybe you can coax Dustin to come out and join you for a while, too."

When the kids ran off to join Savanna, Tom sighed and relaxed a bit. Sooner or later, the twins would learn the truth behind how he and their mother first met. So far they had managed to keep the details about Phelp's attempted assault and murder from them but they were bound to hear something eventually that would lead to questions. He turned to his mate and tried to lighten the mood a bit.

"I think I can safely say that our son is eating his words, right now," he murmured.

"How does one eat words?" Tanhi gave him a comically puzzled look.

He chuckled. "What I mean by that is he's just discovered what it feels like to act stupid around a pretty girl."

Tanhi looked over at the children and watched as Tommy introduced the twins to the exotic hybrid child. Her son was staring at Savanna as if he couldn't help it. Tanhi sighed. While he was too young to experience mating urges, Kato was not immune to developing childhood crushes. Personally, the chieftess would have been happier if neither of her children got their first crush for many years, but it seemed Eywa had a different plan.

"Don't look so pleased, Tom," she advised. "He will sulk when it is time to leave and return to our village."

"He'll get over it," Tom said lightly. "He's only just met her and once he gets used to her unique looks, he'll probably go right back to being himself. You don't think it's cute, seeing our son experience his first taste of puppy love?"

She shook her head. "It may be endearing now, but you will not find it so cute when he spends all of his time pining for a girl far away from him."

Tom shrugged, knowing he wasn't going to convince her otherwise. "I disagree, but there's no point in speculating over it now."

Tanhi had other reasons for being concerned over Kato's apparent infatuation, but she knew that if she voiced them, she would sound as racially prejudiced as the Sky People that did so much damage to the forests and the Na'vi.

* * *

Jake asked Max to give him access to one of the vacant rooms in the avatar living quarters, once he got his hands on a uniform that would fit him. Max was a little surprised by the request but when Jake told him that he and Neytiri needed some private time together, he understood. While Jake changed into the crisp new uniform given to him by Ellis, Neytiri went to find their kids and ask Tom and Tanhi to watch over them for the night. She admitted in a whisper to Tanhi that it was her time again and the Ikran chieftess gave her a faint little smile and wished her luck.

After the other couple agreed to watch over the boys, Neytiri went to where they said the kids were playing and she explained to her sons that they were to listen to their aunt and uncle and obey them.

"Your father and I will see you in the morning," she said as she gave them each a kiss and a hug.

"But why can't we sleep with you tonight?" Tsu'tey demanded, upset.

Neytiri bit her lip and ushered her sons away from the other children. "We are going to try to make another sibling for you," she explained softly to them. "To do that, your father and I need time alone together. Do you understand?"

"They're going to mate," Tommy said bluntly to his little brother.

Neytiri flushed, though she shouldn't have been surprised by the observation. Na'vi children grew up knowing the basic facts of life, being exposed to the reality of birth and death on a regular basis. It was unlikely that Tommy knew what was actually involved in mating, but he had learned enough to understand that the act sometimes produced babies.

"Yes, we are going to mate," she admitted. "And if we succeed, do you know what will happen?"

Tommy shrugged. "Your stomach will get big again, like it did when we were waiting for Tsu'tey to come out."

She nodded and smiled at him, smoothing a wayward lock of hair away from his eyes. "Do you want another brother or a sister?"

He shrugged. "I guess."

"I do!" Tsu'tey exclaimed, clapping his hands.

Neytiri chuckled. "Then we will try our best to succeed, my little one."

* * *

Neytiri walked into the sleeping quarters that she and Jake were sharing for the night. She didn't like the enclosed space but the privacy it offered was worth it. When she saw her mate, she swept him up and down with her eyes. Concealing or not, the Marine uniform looked wonderful on him. She shut the door and turned the lock before approaching him. He was grinning almost bashfully, looking a bit uncomfortable in the outfit after having worn Na'vi garb for so long.

"Brings back memories," he said, absently straightening the cuffs on the deep blue jacket. "Oh, I almost forgot." He turned around and picked his hat up off the desk. As he placed it on his head, he turned to face her again and spread his arms. "Well, what do you think?"

She approached him with lazy, sensual steps, devouring him with her eyes. She toyed with the shiny brass buttons on his jacket before running her hands over his chest and shoulders. "I think that I would like you to wear this for me more often, my Jake."

He chuckled and inhaled slowly, his hands sliding around her waist to pull her closer. "If I knew you liked it this much, I would have brought a whole trunk full of uniforms like this to Hometree a long time ago." He paused and cocked his head a little, sniffing lightly. "Neytiri, are you...it smells like you're..."

"Ready to create new life with you," she finished for him, nodding. She smiled and cupped the back of his neck, drawing his lips down to hers. She kissed him with unhurried passion before pulling away again to ask a hesitant question. "Is it possible to mate without taking these garments off completely?"

Jake smiled broadly at her and winked, the rim of his hat casting his golden eyes into shadow. "Whatever you want, gorgeous."

He caught hold of her queue and connected it to his before lifting her into his arms. Neytiri gasped against his lips as he kissed her and carried her over to the bunk. As he lowered her down onto the mattress, she slipped her hands down and began to work at unfastening his pants. Unfamiliar with the buttons and zippers, she began to lose patience and when she complained, Jake shifted so that he could reach down to help her. He groaned when he got his pants undone and her hand immediately reached in to stroke his arousal.

Within moments, Neytiri's sparse garments landed on the floor with Jake's hat and the couple's moans of pleasure filled the room.

* * *

After spending two days at Hell's Gate visiting with people and introducing the twins to the other children, they returned to Hometree. The next morning Tom, Tanhi and the twins said goodbye to family and friends before leaving for home with the two hunters they had brought along for added protection. Karyu rode in front of her mother and Kato rode in front of his father. Contrary to Tanhi's concerns about Kato sulking once they left, the boy seemed fine. In fact, Karyu was the one that seemed grumpy when it was time to go. Assuming she was just cranky over leaving her cousins again, Tom asked his son how he was holding up as they flew and the child shrugged.

"I'm okay," Kato said with a shrug. He twisted around to look up at Tom. "Why?"

"I just thought you might be a little sad about leaving Savanna. You seem to like her a lot."

"Yeah, she's neat. She let me color in her book. I don't know her that well yet, though." Kato didn't seem overly concerned.

Tom frowned a little and it occurred to him that what he took for childhood infatuation might have actually been nothing more than scientific curiosity and wonder. "Do you think she's pretty?"

"Sure I do. I think a lot of girls are pretty...like flowers or fan lizards at night. _Sempul_, why are you asking me this?"

"I'm just trying to figure something out," answered Tom. "So you don't feel fluttery when you look at her?"

Kato snorted. "Fluttery? Like the way you feel when _Sa'nok_ gives you her special smiles?"

"Uh, yes."

"No. I'm not ready to feel like that about girls," Kato insisted with candid logic.

Tom smiled, amused and impressed at the same time. "You're an interesting kid, son."

* * *

Tom discovered why his daughter was so moody in a very bad way, the day after they returned to the Ikran village. He was just stepping out of his research trailer when he spotted Karyu marching up the path toward him. Her stride was stiff with purpose and her lips were compressed. Guessing that she had something she needed to get off her chest, he shut the trailer door and squatted down with a smile as she approached him.

"You don't look happy today, starfish. Do you need someone to talk to?"

Her yellow eyes were accusing on him as she crossed her thin arms over her chest and struck an indignant pose. "_Sempul_, what did that man in the prison do to _Sa'nok_?"

Tom felt the blood drain from his face. "What man? We told you and your brother not to go near that prison facility during our visit."

"We did," she insisted. "But a man called out to me as I was walking past. He was behind the fence, holding a smoking stick in his fingers. He said I looked familiar and he asked me who my mommy was."

Tom slowly straightened up. The wind blew a lock of hair over his eye but he hardly noticed it. "What did this man look like?"

"He was a Dreamwalker. His nose was a little crooked and he had an ugly scar on his cheek."

Tom shut his eyes, feeling a chill go through him. This was exactly why he and Tanhi had put off bringing their children to Hell's Gate to meet everyone. As long as Phelps was there, they could never relax. "You spoke to him?"

"I did after I told him who mother was. He said he knew her. He started saying bad things about her and he said I would not be here if he finished what he started."

Tom's hands curled into fists before he was aware of it. He relaxed them when his daughter's eyes flicked to them but it was too late; she'd already noticed. "What did you say to him?"

Karyu's challenging expression made her look like a miniature version of her mother. "I told him that if he ever talks about Mother that way again, I'll kill him."

Tom blinked, but he could tell by the child's intense gaze that she wasn't exaggerating. "I see. Have you told your brother about this?"

"Not yet," she answered. "I wanted to know what that man meant, before I tell Kato."

Tom sighed. "Karyu, there are some things in life that you shouldn't have to think about at your age. That man tried to hurt your mother, but he didn't succeed."

"How did he try to hurt her?" she pressed.

"It isn't important—"

"What did he try to do to my _mommy_?" Karyu screamed, losing her composure.

Tom cast a quick look around to see if anyone was nearby and then he knelt before his daughter. "Shh, calm down, Karyu," he murmured. Her lower lip quivered and her eyes grew bright with unshed tears. Tom drew her into an embrace and patted her back soothingly. "It's okay. Come on."

He picked her up and began carrying her down the trail leading back into the village. She hugged him around the neck and sniffed. "Where are we going?"

"It's time for a family talk," Tom answered grimly. "One that I had hoped we wouldn't need to have for years."

* * *

Tom took a seat on the floor of the family lodge tent and he motioned the twins to sit down in front of him. Tanhi took the spot beside him and regarded her children with somber eyes and a calm expression. Kato had no idea what was going on and he kept glancing at his sister with concern, having noticed the signs that she had been crying.

"Are we in trouble?" Kato asked suspiciously.

"No," Tanhi answered. "We are here to speak with you about how your father and I met."

Karyu looked at Tom accusingly. "You said you would tell me what that man tried to do!"

Kato spoke at the same time. "You told us you met when father helped free the clan from the Sky People."

"Your questions are about to be answered," Tom said in the soothing tone he used to calm frightened patients. "Just be still and listen to what we have to say. Understood?"

The twins glanced askew at each other and nodded.

"All right," Tom sighed. "First, what we told you about how we met wasn't a lie. We _did_ meet when the Sky People captured the tribe and we did fight together to free them. We just didn't tell you all of the details, because you were too young to understand. You may still be too young to understand it but we'd rather you hear the truth from us than hear a twisted version of it from that maniac Phelps."

"What did he try to do to you, _Sa'nok_?" Karyu asked Tanhi in a combination of Na'vi and English. The little girl was as tenacious as a thanator with a hexapede carcass in its mouth when she wanted something.

Tom glanced at his mate questioningly, silently asking her if she was comfortable explaining this part or if he should do it. She understood his silent question and she nodded. "The man in the prison that spoke to you tried to force me to mate with him."

"Mating can be forced?" Kato asked with wide, confused eyes.

Tom scratched the back of his neck uncomfortably. "Bad people sometimes use mating as a weapon against others. They do this to humiliate, hurt and punish someone they think deserves it. People who do this are very sick in the head, kids. Mating is supposed to be an equal exchange between willing participants. Forcing anyone into the act turns it into an ugly thing, meant only to harm someone."

Tanhi nodded in agreement with his explanation. "This man wanted to break me. He wished to violate me in front of our clan, to shame me and make them feel powerless." Her gaze softened as she looked at Tom and she laid a hand on his bicep. "One of the men in his own group stood up to him. That man was your father. He learned that my attacker intended to try again later and kill me afterwards, so your father risked his own safety to take me out of the compound and set me free. _That_ is how we first met."

"And you fell in love with him—" Kato began.

"—Because he saved you," finished Karyu.

Tanhi hesitated and shared a brief, private little smile with her mate. "No, that was when I knew he was a good man. Love came afterwards, when I came to know him better. I...resisted for the longest time but your _Sempul_ took my heart, in the end."

The twins smiled at each other in satisfaction, but Karyu sobered a moment later and she looked at Tom accusingly. "Why didn't you kill that man, father?"

Tom lowered his eyes and grimaced. "If I had pulled the trigger the day he tried to assault her, I would have been arrested and I couldn't have helped her escape."

"Somebody should kill him," Karyu insisted.

Tom gave his daughter a strained smile. "Every day I wish something would happen to that man, so we can be rid of him forever. We've been trying to protect the two of you from this since the day you were born. If it weren't for Phelps, you would have met our friends at Hell's Gate much sooner. Despite all this, he would be better off dead. He's going to spend the rest of his life in that prison and it's only a matter of time before his own actions cut his lifespan short."

"Until then, neither of you are to listen to anything he might say to you, when we visit the human base," Tanhi said firmly. "His words are poison. He drives other prisoners and free residents into a rage each day, because he knows how to strike at emotions."

"Why is he like that?" Kato asked. "Does he just hate everything?"

Tom rubbed Tanhi's back and sighed. "I think that's the most simple way of putting it, son. Phelps is a disturbed man. Your uncle Jake shot him in the butt with an arrow years ago, shortly after the two of you were born. That should have taught him a lesson but he still tries to provoke Jake every time he visits."

Kato and Karyu looked at each other and burst into giggles, prompting Tanhi to relax and smile faintly, sharing their amusement.

"Uncle Jake is cool," Karyu announced when she had the breath to do so.

Tom smiled. "Yes, he is. It's a shame I missed seeing it."

* * *

Jake and Neytiri's passionate efforts finally resulted in conception, just when Neytiri was beginning to suspect it wasn't meant to be. She was relieved when she discovered that she was pregnant, given how unpredictable fertility could be. She and Jake were still young but like human women, Na'vi women only had so many years before fertility waned and their bodies could no longer sustain healthy pregnancies.

Jake kept the uniform he had gotten from the base, storing it in a trunk he brought home with him so that it wouldn't get worn or damaged. The only downside was that it wasn't so easy to be covert about his private romps in the forest with his mate, when she asked him to wear the outfit. The clan caught on quickly and every time Jake dressed in the uniform and headed out of the village to meet up somewhere with Neytiri, there were amused whispers and chuckles. He learned that Neytiri wasn't the only female that appreciated the sight of him in the military garb, as well. The Omaticaya women were subtle about it but he felt their eyes on him and he usually ended up flustered by the time he reached the designated spots for lovemaking.

Tsu'tey was very enthusiastic over the pregnancy. As Tommy had done when Neytiri was carrying the youngest boy, Tsu'tey took every opportunity to listen to and pat her expanding tummy when she started to show her condition. He bragged to his friends that he and Tommy were getting a new sibling at the end of the year. Tommy was a bit more reserved this time, but he was all too happy to go out into the forests with his father to collect eggs for his mother to eat.

As she prepared for the new life she would be bringing into the clan, Neytiri found herself observing Ni'nat and Norm's oldest daughter. Grace had a habit of humming to the plants and speaking to them softly. She was an observant child and she always listened closely to her father when he taught her different uses for the plant life of the forest. She also paid close attention to Neytiri, whenever she spoke of Eywa and the cycles of life. When Mo'at came to visit, Neytiri asked for her opinion of the girl.

"I think she has the gift," Mo'at confirmed after a few days. "Is she your first choice as the next _Tsahik_, daughter?"

Neytiri nodded. "She is. You approve?"

Mo'at smiled. "I approve. There was never a doubt in my mind that you would choose wisely."

The annual baseball games were still going strong. Most of the time, they took place in the Omaticaya territory when Tom and his family came to visit. Sometimes they took the game to Hell's Gate so that the avatar operatives and drivers could join in. They even started teaching the children how to play and they made jerseys and pants in their sizes, as well as catcher's mitts and bats. Kato and Karyu were naturals for the game. Tommy wasn't far behind them but Tsu'tey and Grace enjoyed watching more than playing.

Neytiri gave birth in the spring and this time, it was a girl. Mo'at was there to help with the birth and Neytiri had an easier time of it as a result. Jake was surprised and thrilled to have a daughter. Even in the exhausted aftermath of sharing the labor with his mate, he found the energy to blurt a hoot of excitement when Mo'at showed them the baby and announced her gender. Both he and Neytiri had expected another boy, since they seemed to have a knack for producing male babies. Neytiri was as surprised and delighted as Jake, having accepted that she might never have a daughter of her own.

"What will you name her?"

The exhausted couple looked at one another. Since it had seemed that Eywa intended for them to have only boys until now, they had only briefly discussed female names. Looking at her tiny new daughter, Neytiri didn't care for the two names they had come up with. She looked at her mother and spoke hesitantly when another name came to mind. The boys were each named after important people in she and Jake's lives. This could be her only chance to honor her sister's name through her offspring. The baby's features even resembled Neytiri's deceased sibling, so she could think of no better name for her.

"With your approval, I think I would like to name her Sylwanin."

Mo'at looked down at the crying infant and she smiled softly. "You do not need my approval, daughter, but you have it. Your sister would be proud."

Neytiri looked at her mate. He had a say too, after all. "Jake?"

He gave her one of his easy smiles, though it lacked the usual energy due to fatigue. "She looks like a 'Sylwanin'. I think it's perfect."

* * *

Six months after Tommy's eleventh birthday, Jake got a transmission from Max. Though they had been expecting it, the news that the latest arriving ISV requested a meeting for a peace treaty and colonization proposals was an unpleasant reminder that Pandora might never be free of Earth meddling.

"That's not all, Jake," Max explained. "We aren't just dealing with one ISV this time. Two more came into orbit, hours after the first one arrived."

Jake glanced around to be sure nobody was within earshot and he moved a little further away from the village. "What the hell are they planning to do, invade the whole moon?"

"One of the ISV's has a minimal crew and is packed with supplies," Max explained. "The other two have military, science and development personnel on them, as well as government representatives from the UN. Jake, they've brought enough firepower to stamp out any resistance we try to put up. We've been told they have no hostile intentions and want to conduct negotiations without any violence, but they've warned us that they won't take 'no' for an answer."

"Just like that administrator told you five years ago," Jake sighed. "They're really determined to set up another colony, aren't they?"

"They've given their word that all efforts will be made to ensure an amicable solution for everyone," Max said. "I'm inclined to doubt but we really have no choice. They're preparing to send in the Valkyries now. They want you to come for a meeting, so that you can go over the treaty they want to propose. I've been promised that they'll listen to any changes we want to make to the terms."

Jake grimaced. He had hoped they would be content to maintain the trade route agreement instead of going through with this but evidently, it wasn't enough to satisfy the Earth governments. However, it stood to reason that if they intended to come in and take what they wanted by force, they wouldn't be bothering with these negotiation efforts at all. By the sounds of it, they had more than enough firepower to take over Hell's Gate and set their plans into motion without compromising with anyone. That alone gave him a sense of hope, small though it was.

"Jake," Max said in a quietly desperate tone, "if we try to refuse them, they could open fire on the bio-dome. There wasn't enough time to evacuate families to the Star Chaser, without the Valkyrie being spotted by our visitors. We have emergency exopacks in every single building in there but the collapse of the dome would crush civilians, even if the exposure to the Pandora atmosphere didn't kill them. Please, at least come in and listen to what they have to say. There are too many innocent lives at stake if this turns into a firefight."

Jake thought back on the day he tried to evacuate the old Hometree, when Eytucan still led the Omaticaya. How many lives would have been spared, if Neytiri's father had listened to him and evacuated his people before the RDA arrived? Instead, he and his warriors tried to fight the invaders, though they were ill prepared and out-matched. If Jake tried to put up a fight now, the same thing could happen again—not only to the Na'vi but to the people at Hell's Gate as well.

"All right, Max. I'll speak with Neytiri and make arrangements to come in."

"Great," Max answered with obvious relief. "Thank you, Jake. There's one more thing I need to ask of you, though. Katherine and Sebastian want to know if Savanna can come and stay with the Omaticaya until the treaty is finalized and everything is cleared up."

Jake frowned. "You know I don't have a problem with that, but why do they want to send her here?"

"Because we think it would be best for our guests not to know about Savanna; at least, not right away. We don't know these people yet. If they find out we have a true, naturally conceived Human/Na'vi hybrid cross on this base, they might try to take her away for study."

Jake's paternal instincts kicked in immediately and a grim expression bled into his features. "You bring that little girl here right away then, Max. I'll make sure the People keep her safe, for as long as we need to."

"I knew we could count on you," Max answered gratefully.

* * *

"Jake, I'm not sure about this," Norm cautioned. "They say they want you to come in to discuss peace treaties, but they've brought an awful lot of firepower. What if they're really here to arrest you and take you to Earth for a conviction? We can't be sure the information we've been getting over the years is the truth."

Jake frowned. "You really think they'd send two full armies after _one guy_? Norm, I think you're being a little paranoid."

"If they want to keep the people at Hell's Gate from interfering with your capture and arrest," Norm reasoned. "Think about it, Jake. They know our friends on the base would never let them take you in without a fight, but if they've got them outnumbered and threaten to open fire on civilians living there, our allies won't be able to protect you. I just think you should consider the possibility of a trap."

Jake thought about it for a moment and shook his head. "I don't think I'm that important. The broadcast I made was targeted at the RDA, not the government."

"But the government had a lot of money invested in RDA stocks," Norm pointed out. "And after all the lies we've been told and everything that's happened, you can't rule out the chance that this could just be another setup. A lot of powerful people on Earth had their fortunes tied into RDA profits, Jake. They could use you as a scapegoat and publicly execute you as a traitor, since it was your announcement that caused the collapse of the company—which doubtlessly caused further strain on the economy."

Jake sighed. "All right, Norm. Let's say they _did_ go through all this trouble and expense just to take me prisoner. Even if that's the case, I have show up. If I don't and they're out to get me, they'll just take over Hell's Gate and come here. They'll take it out on our clan...our children." Jake pressed his lips together grimly and held his friend's gaze. "If it means keeping my family, friends and clan safe, I'll let them take me without a fight."

Norm swallowed. "I should come with you."

"No," Jake denied with a shake of his head. "I need you _here_, Norm. I need someone I can count on to get our people to safety and watch over my kids, if something _does_ go wrong. You and Ni'nat are our children's godparents and you're going to be the ones everyone will be looking to for leadership, if something happens to Neytiri and I."

Norm heaved a sigh and nodded, reaching out to grasp one of Jake's forearms. "Just be careful, then."

Jake smirked. "Don't know the meaning of the word."

* * *

Jake and Neytiri explained the situation to their boys as best they could. They told them that more visitors had come to Pandora and they were going to hold a peace council with them. They warned them that there was a chance of another conflict and they advised them to help Norm and Ni'nat out, if there was a need for evacuation.

"We shouldn't be gone for more than a day," Jake explained to his sons. "In the meantime, listen to Norm and Ni'nat. Do as they say and help take care of your little sister."

Tommy nodded, standing tall and proud. "We will, Dad." His expression betrayed no fear, but his eyes gave away the anxiety he was trying so hard to mask.

"We'll be good," Tsu'tey promised. The nine year old looked as though he wanted to cry, though he was trying to follow his brother's example and be strong.

Jake smiled at his sons and ruffled their hair in turn. "Good boys." His gaze went to Savanna, who was sticking close to Norm and Ni'nat by the trunk of Hometree. "Make sure the other kids don't pick on Savanna, too. If it looks like there's going to be a situation, you go and get Uncle Norm or Aunt Ni'nat. If they aren't around, you go to Raywë and Mu'ran." He gestured at a familiar pair of bonded huntresses chatting several feet away.

Tommy and Tsu'tey looked at the women and then nodded. "We'll remember," Tsu'tey promised.

Jake favored them with another smile. "Your mother and I are proud of you both. Everything's going to be okay."

He moved aside to make room for his mate and he took Sylwanin from her when she held her out for him. The two-year old snuggled into her father's embrace as her mother spoke to the boys. Neytiri drew both of her sons into her embrace and kissed them on the forehead. "We know you will take good care of your sister, if you need to. We will contact Norm when we have more to tell."

Tsu'tey began to cry silently. It was one thing for his parents to go away for a brief visit but he understood that this time, it was a serious situation and something could happen to them. Beside him, Tommy shifted and began to lose his composure as well. It was apparently easier to put on a brave act for their _Sempu_ than it was to do it for their _Sa'nu. _

"_Maway_, my little hunters," Neytiri murmured softly, holding them closer. "_Maway_. Your eyes are seeing things that have not happened. Do not fear."

The boys calmed down with effort and forced brave smiles at their mother as she stood up to face Jake. He secured Sylwanin in one arm and drew Neytiri close with the other. Tommy and Tsu'tey joined the embrace and the family shared affection and warmth for a few minutes. When the huddle broke up, Jake eased Sylwanin to the ground and Tommy obligingly took her hand to support her. Jake and Neytiri looked Norm's way and the anthropologist nodded at them, silently assuring that he and his mate would protect the clan while they were gone.

* * *

They took a band of hunters with them as an escort and witnesses to the events soon to come. When they arrived in the territory surrounding Hell's Gate, Jake swore softly and Neytiri called his name uncertainly. There were gunships hovering over the compound and disciplined lines of foreign, human military personnel marching the streets. Ground assault vehicles of all sorts patrolled in front of and behind the foot soldiers. The place was literally swarming with United States armed forces.

Jake called out an order to his group to land near the forest. The Omaticaya party followed their leaders to the ground and dismounted from their ikrans. Jake faced them all grimly.

"Norm believes these Sky People may have come here to capture me," he explained in the Na'vi tongue. "I think this would be overkill, but there is a chance he's right. If they take me prisoner, do _not_ try to defend me. I want you to take Neytiri back to Hometree and help protect our people. You all know Norm Spellman will lead the clan if anything happens to me, until my oldest son is ready to claim leadership."

Neytiri stared at him. "My Jake, I will not leave you."

He took a deep breath and looked at the men and women accompanying them. "I don't care if you have to bind her from head to toe and drag her kicking and screaming out of here. If Norm's right and they did all of this to capture me, you take my mate the hell out of here."

"Jake!" Neytiri cried angrily. "You do not get to decide that for me!"

He stepped closer to her and looked into her eyes, cupping her face in his hands. "If they plan on taking me, there's nothing you or anyone else here can do about it. I won't have you dying in a hopeless fight and our children need their mother." He wiped away a tear that escaped from her welling eyes and he forced a smile. "I think Norm is wrong on this, okay? I just have to be sure that you and our people are safe. _Rutxe_, my Neytiri. If they're going to haul me off to Earth, I don't want my last look at you to be the sight of you dying."

She parted her lips, but no words came out. Jake admired her beautiful features, memorizing every stripe, dot and plane. He brushed his fingertips over her shapely lips before lowering his mouth to kiss them, not caring about the audience. The other Omaticaya present politely remained silent as Jake and Neytiri shared affection for each other—possibly for the last time.

"I can make no promises, my Jake," Neytiri whispered when the kiss ended. "You would not walk away either, if you were in my place. You know it."

He nodded in agreement and smirked. "That's why I've told our brothers and sisters to drag you away, if they have to."

She huffed angrily. "_Skxawng._ This is not fair."

"It could be for nothing," Jake reminded her. "Let's not get worked up until we have a reason to, beautiful."

He took her hand and together with their escorting tribe mates, the couple began to walk away from their mounts and down the path leading to the gates of the base.

* * *

-To be continued

_**Additional Author's note: I know how people have cliffhangers, but the word count on this chapter was getting a little too high for comfort. Additionally, I need to outline the upcoming events before moving on to them and double-check timelines and such. I'd rather try to deliver quality than quantity. Thank you for your patience!**_

* * *

**Translations:**

**_Sempul_** = Father

**_Sa'nok_** = Mother

**_Pa'li _**= Direhorse

**_Sempu_** = Daddy

**_Sa'nu _**= Mommy

**_Maway_** = Calm

**_Rutxe _**= Please


	46. Chapter 46

"Between worlds"

Chapter 46

* * *

**Author's note: See footnotes at the end of the chapter for Na'vi/English translations. Daily distractions combined with chapter length and my anal retentive nature to try and perfect it are responsible for the pause between chapters. Sometimes I have the time and inspiration to keep a steady flow but other times, I have to stop and think. For some reason, I was hearing "Bloodbath in Paradise" by Ozzy Ozborne in my head near the end of writing this chapter. I wonder why? Quotes from Dr. Seuss belong to Dr. Seuss, of course. **

* * *

_*Disclaimer: I do not own Pandora and I make no profit from writing fanfiction based on the "Avatar" film._

* * *

Jake's mind was on his children as he walked up to the gate with his mate and clan members. If Norm was right and this was all an elaborate setup to take him back to earth as a criminal, he would never see his sons and daughter grow up. He would never make love with Neytiri again, he would never play another game of baseball with his brother and friends and he would never see his grandchildren born. He was doing his best to remain calm and strong for his companions, but each step took effort. The urge to turn around and leave became so strong when he walked up to the guards that he actually stopped walking for a moment. Two of the guards he recognized but the other three joining them were unfamiliar and they were wearing a more modern design of military uniform.

"Corporal Sully," greeted the familiar guard on the right with a salute. "They're waiting for you in Conference Room 9-B."

Jake cast a suspicious look at the other guards when they too saluted him, before giving Neytiri and the others respectful nods. The other Omaticaya were equally perplexed by their actions and they looked at Jake questioningly. He saluted back out of habit and he shrugged at his companions before continuing through the gate.

_"Olo'eyktan_, I do not understand many human customs," the hunter on Jake's left-hand side murmured, "but if they intend to capture you, why would they make gestures of homage?"

Jake thought it was strange too, but he wasn't going to let his guard down. "I guess we'll find out what's really going on soon," he muttered, gently squeezing Neytiri's hand.

They were halfway to the designated building when Jake spotted a welcomed sight. Trudy Chacón came out of the building and jogged over to the Na'vi group, waving at Jake and Neytiri as she closed the distance. She was a little winded when she reached them and she paused to catch her breath.

"Hey guys. They let us know you were here a couple of minutes ago. How was the trip?" She moved aside as a line of marching army personnel came their way. Jake and the others watched the soldiers as they moved past, noting that each one of them was armed.

"The trip was fine," Jake answered when the soldiers were gone. "Man, I'm glad to see you. So what can you tell me about this? Do you think it's the real thing or just some kind of cover-up?"

She fell into step with Neytiri and looked up at him. "If they're trying to pull the wool over our eyes, they're going through and awful lot of trouble to do it. I saw the peace treaty myself, before I came out here to meet up with you. It's supposed to be a three-way deal between the UN, Hell's Gate and the Na'vi. Max says it's genuine. They just sent the last Valkyrie down with the negotiator, so the meeting's probably going to start as soon as we get to the conference room."

Jake began to relax. "I'm going to kick Norm's ass."

Trudy raised her eyebrows. "Okay, that was random. What for?"

Jake exchanged a relieved look with Neytiri. "For scaring the hell out of me. He thought all of this was just a ruse to arrest me and put me on trial for treason."

"What?" Trudy frowned. "That's a little far-fetched. If they were here to make arrests, they'd have us rounded up and cuffed too, by now. I think all this bullshit we've put up with from the RDA has Norm paranoid."

"There have been many lies told in the past," Neytiri reminded her. "The Sky People are ruthless. It does not seem unlikely to me that they would wish to punish my mate for his part in defeating them."

"When you put it that way, I can sort of understand why Norm was worried," Trudy admitted. "But the RDA isn't in charge anymore. They kept a few people on the payroll but they cleaned out everyone that was involved in the cover-ups. The general in charge of the MP's that came down here says most of the conspirators were tried and put in jail."

"Are they sure they caught all of them?" Jake asked. "What about Foreman Stone?" He shuddered just mentioning the man's name and his mate gave him an amused, exasperated look.

"They're still investigating but if there's anyone they haven't caught yet, it's only a handful of people and it's just a matter of time. Don't worry Jake, Stone's on the list of jailbirds so you don't have to worry about the creepy dude coming back to mack on you again." Trudy grinned at him.

Jake waited for another line of soldiers to pass by them before leaning down to ask his next question. "And you trust the guy that told you this?"

Trudy shrugged. "As much as I can trust anyone that comes here wanting to sign a peace treaty and build a new colony. I can't think of any reason they'd lie to us about this. They'd get nothing out of it, you know?"

"Unless they intend to earn your trust long enough to betray you," Neytiri suggested grimly. "I will not trust them until I see this 'treaty' myself and witness them honoring it. We have been deceived too many times by the Sky People."

Jake agreed with Neytiri. "She's right. I don't think we can relax until we've got proof that they'll keep their word."

* * *

When Jake and Neytiri walked into the conference room, they were shocked to find themselves looking at Parker Selfridge. He had his back to them when they first walked in but he turned around at the sound of the doors shutting. He looked up at Jake, who in turn looked at Max Patel for an explanation.

"What the hell is _he_ doing here?" Jake asked as he pointed at Selfridge, not caring how rude he sounded.

Max appeared to be uncomfortable and equally surprised. He looked between the visiting Omaticaya and Trudy, at a loss. "I swear, I had no idea he was involved," explained the scientist. "He came in just a moment ago, Jake. They've assigned him to conduct negotiations between all involved parties."

"I will not negotiate with this man," Neytiri said fiercely, baring her teeth through her exopack mask. "He is responsible for the destruction of our former home and the death of many Omaticaya!"

Parker looked from Jake to Neytiri. With a little shock, Jake realized he looked older than the last time he saw him, but that made no sense if his calculations were right. Selfridge had to have shipped right back out almost as soon as he arrived on Earth, to be here now. Cryo should have kept him from aging but he looked a lot older than he should have, even without hibernation. Evidently, the executive was having opposite thoughts of Jake and Neytiri.

"Don't Na'vi get any older? You two look almost the same as you did when I left."

Jake smirked without any real humor, understanding that it wasn't so much a compliment as a surprised observation. "Too bad I can't say the same about you. Why did they send _you_?"

"That's what I want to know," Trudy agreed, scowling at the former Administrator with open contempt. "General West told me they locked most of you up." Her accusing gaze slid to a stern-faced, middle-aged man in fully decorated, formal army wear.

The general stepped forward and gave Jake a slow, measuring look before sticking his hand out. "Corporal Sully," he said in a deep, calm voice, "We've heard a lot about you."

Jake's first instinct was to salute the man, but he took his offered hand instead. His larger hand practically engulfed the smaller human one but the General's grip was firm and strong as they shook hands.

"All known conspirators were tried for crimes against the citizens of the United States," explained the general. "That wasn't a lie. Mr. Selfridge, however, has experience we can use to make this go smoother. His sentence is to fix the mess he helped cause. Until he succeeds in that, he's not permitted to set foot back on Earth soil."

Jake winced inwardly as Parker's red-rimmed eyes met his. For the second time, he felt a bit of pity for the man. Jake gestured at the small executive in disgust. "This guy couldn't fix a clogged toilet right now. What makes you think he's in any shape to help with negotiations?"

"Look Sully," Parker snapped, "I don't want to be here any more than you want me to be. I'd have been just as happy to never see or hear from you or your monkey friends again but I don't have a choice, and neither do you. Now, you either cooperate and reach an agreement with my people, or they'll start construction of the colony anyhow and blow away any resistance. They're willing to work out the kinks and come to a peaceful solution for everybody, but they aren't going to give up on this colony they want to build."

Jake looked at General West. "So that's how it goes, huh? Why even bother holding this meeting, if you're going to do this whether we agree to it or not?"

"Because the citizens of Earth are tired of war," answered West. "All around the world, people are demanding that the United Nations at least try a civilized approach. The medicine we can export from this world is too important to Earth and a second colony can help produce more of it. The stock we've got in rotation from the trade route isn't nearly enough, so the UN wants facilities of their own on Pandora, to help speed things along."

"And where do you intend to build this human colony?" Neytiri demanded warily.

Parker gestured to one of the men that came with him and the man dimmed the lights. Selfridge produced a remote from his pocket and clicked it on, lighting up the holoscreen on the back wall of the room. "There's an abandoned site way up in the northwest, near the plains. There's nothing growing around the site and unless they've moved, there's only one clan remotely close to it."

Jake looked at the map and sighed. "That's pretty close to the Horse clan's territory."

"But not _in_ it," Selfridge insisted. "And you won't have to worry about us chopping down a lot of trees for construction. All we need are enough raw materials to build with."

Jake's wariness increased. "How many raw materials are we talking, here?"

Parker rolled his eyes. "I just told you, Sully."

"You can't strip-mine," Jake said firmly, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Nobody said anything about strip-mining," Parker grunted. He gestured at the screen and clicked a button. "See that? There's enough unobtanium in the hills nearby to get us started...maybe even enough to finish with."

"I thought the government was working on an alternative?" Max queried.

"We have alternative resources now," explained the General, "Most of it is synthetic, but some of it comes from Mars and we have a finite supply. It's not as potent as unobtanium but it works. Until we can finish construction of a synthetics factory, we'll have to rely on native resources. We'll use what we brought with us until we run out."

Jake exchanged a doubtful look with his mate before nodding. "Let's see this peace treaty you've come up with and we'll go from there."

A blonde woman picked up a briefcase and opened it. She laid a thin stack of documents on the table and pushed them forward. "Here is the treaty." She had a Russian accent. "We have several government representatives from around the world, ready to sign for their countries when we have come to a fair agreement of terms."

Jake walked to the table with Max, Trudy and Neytiri. Since they couldn't read English, the other Omaticaya warriors stayed where they were and trusted their leaders to make a wise decision. Jake scanned the treaty proposal with his eyes and he addressed Selfridge when he spoke.

"So this is all negotiable?"

Parker nodded. "All of it except for the construction of the new colony. Go over it with your friends, decide what you want to change and get back to us."

Jake rubbed his eyes and sighed. "I want to talk to Max and the others about this alone. I'll need a couple of weeks to gather the clan leaders, too. I can't promise they'll all cooperate and sign this thing."

Parker shrugged. "Rome wasn't built in a day."

Jake glared at him, disturbed by the statement.

* * *

"He looked like shit, didn't he?" Trudy muttered when they were alone in the conference room. "Cryo should have kept him from aging but Selfridge looks like he took the whole trip without going into stasis."

"I think stress is more responsible for aging him than time," Max pondered, his eyes sweeping carefully over the treaty before him. "If he doesn't do right by his superiors, he can never go home again. He has to earn his government pardon or he's going to spend the rest of his life on Pandora, and we all know how he feels about this world."

"Great. So he's stuck with us and we're stuck with him," Jake grumbled.

"I think you should look at this section," Max said, pointing out a paragraph on the treaty.

Jake leaned over him to read the indicated part. "No, that's got to go. They can collect what they need but they can't do any drilling or blasting. I want to put in a requirement that they get permission from me or one of the other chieftains before digging in any areas near Na'vi territory. They've also got to plant two trees for every one they have to cut down."

Max nodded and wrote Jakes revisions down on a separate piece of paper. "You might also consider a stipulation that any plant life they collect for the production of medication or research must be given ample time to replenish. That should help cut back on the risk of over-harvesting."

Neytiri nodded in agreement. "Yes. They must not be allowed to deplete the forest."

"Put in some conditions about hunting, too," Jake added. "I don't want them killing more than they need and driving the population of the animals down too far."

"But humans cannot eat the flesh of our animals," one of the Omaticaya huntresses pointed out. "What reason would they have to hunt them?"

"They can use the hides and bones for crafting," Neytiri guessed.

"And they can process the meat so that it's fit for human consumption," said Max. "Good thinking, Jake."

It was close to midnight when they finished revising the peace treaty to Jake and Neytiri's satisfaction. Neytiri looked at her mate silently when the last changes were complete. "I do not like this, even with our terms."

He put an arm around her. "I know, but you've seen what we'll be up against if we don't give this a chance. We'll fight if we have to, but I'd rather raise our kids in peace, if we can."

She nodded and leaned into his embrace. "I can only hope that these humans are honorable, my Jake. I cannot trust the man that ordered the attack on my people. My father died because of Selfridge. I will never forgive that."

Jake held her closer. "I know. If I could think of a way to just make them leave and never come back, I would do it."

* * *

The next morning, they met up in the conference room again to discuss the changes in the treaty. Parker argued over a few of them, particularly the conditions of gathering natural resources. "How are we supposed to mine for the damned unobtanium if we can't dig?"

"You can dig," Trudy corrected. "Dig all you want; you just can't blast or drill."

"You collect it the same way the Na'vi collect their resources," Jake explained. "Dig out what you need and fill in the holes when you're finished. You don't have to tunnel mines to get the minerals you need. Like Max is always saying: a little goes a long way."

Parker pressed his lips together and passed the list of changes around for the other representatives and military personnel to see. General West read some of it aloud. "The proposal for a new colony is only valid so long as the visitors from Earth honor the terms of this treaty. Failure to do so will result in a world-wide broadcast to the people of Earth, exposing their governments for fraud and hostility against the world of Pandora and its inhabitants."

West raised his eyebrows and looked up at Jake. "Kind of dramatic, don't you think?"

"With all due respect," Max broke in, "our past experiences with the RDA give us good reason to be dramatic. You know we can do it, if we have to."

Selfridge looked at his fellow negotiators and scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, I'd like to know _how_ you pulled that off."

Max gave him a faint, benign smile. "I'm afraid we'll be keeping that information to ourselves. You can't blame us for wanting to keep at least one tactical advantage."

Selfridge shrugged. "Suit yourself. I'll relay this information to the people in charge and we'll see what they say."

* * *

They got called back to the conference room later that afternoon. Selfridge informed them that he'd gotten word back from the UN and they agreed with the revised terms. "We'll make the changes to the document and have some copies made," Parker said. "You've got two weeks to convince the other clans to cooperate with us."

"And what if they won't?" Jake asked.

Parker shook his head. "It'll be their loss."

"Any hostilities against our people will be returned in kind," General West announced. "Any clan leader on this continent that doesn't sign the treaty will nullify the terms for their people. We need you to help us with this, Corporal Sully. Convince them to agree or I can't guarantee peace. We also understand the conditions concerning negotiations with tribes on other continents."

Jake was thankful that Max had thought to put in a condition stating that another treaty would be required for the clans on other continents, if the UN sent people into their territory. They had covered every possible loophole Max and his people could find and Jake was confident that the treaty was solid. He was also glad that Jackson and his crew were either on the ISV or staying indoors until the visitors from the UN finished their business.

"I'll see what I can do," Jake said. "I can't make any promises." It was going to take every ounce of charisma he possessed to convince the other clan leaders to make their marks on the peace treaty.

* * *

There was no time to spend on pleasantries such as visiting and chatting with their friends. The next morning, Jake left with Neytiri and the other hunters, carrying with him the copy of the peace treaty he was given. Their children were relieved and thrilled to see them again and Jake allowed himself a few hours of play with them, before getting down to business. He smacked Norm on the back of the head when he saw him, making the scientist blurt a startled oath.

"What was _that_ for?" Norm demanded, rubbing his head.

"For scaring the piss out of me with your suspicions," Jake answered. "I walked into that base thinking it was going to be the last time I saw Neytiri again. I kept thinking about how I might never get to see my kids grow up and it's all your fault."

Norm looked a bit sheepish. "Okay, I'm sorry for scaring you, but I'm glad I was wrong about that. Maybe I over-reacted but you have to admit, it wasn't completely impossible."

Jake sighed and smirked at him. "I guess not. We're still not out of hot water, though. They didn't try to arrest me but they're determined to build this new colony under Earth government. I've got the peace treaty and I'm going to have to try to explain it to the clan before I send riders out to the other tribes. I just hope they'll be reasonable about this."

"Tanhi and Akway are probably going to resist the most," Norm predicted. "It's taken them this long to trust our friends at Hell's Gate and now we're going to be asking them to agree to let strangers build another base."

"Yeah," Jake agreed morosely. "I'm going to be stretching it pretty thin with those two. Maybe Tom can help convince his mate but Akway is going to be a pain."

Norm patted him on the arm. "I think if anybody can convince them, it's you. You've always had a way with people, Jake."

"Let's hope your right, for everyone's sake."

* * *

A week later, the tribal leaders gathered for a council held at the Omaticaya Hometree. Mo'at joined the council as well. She flew in with E'quath, Peyla and some of the other hunters from the Tree of Souls to lend her support. As Jake and Norm suspected, Tanhi was stubbornly opposed to letting more humans colonize Pandora.

"The Sky People cannot be trusted to honor this treaty! They are sick with greed."

Beside her, Akway nodded in agreement and added his own opinion. "Sky People have proven in the past that they speak with a forked tongue. We do not know these new aliens, _Toruk Makto_. They want to build this fortress near my clan's territory. We all remember what happened to the Ikran clan when Dreamwalker invaders came."

"This is different," Jake insisted. "If they wanted to, they could take the territory by force. They've got the power to do it. This treaty is legally binding and they know that if they break it, we'll send another broadcast to Earth. I think they're sincere about wanting to come to a peaceful agreement but that can't happen without the cooperation of each clan leader."

"I will not sign away my children's freedom," Tanhi said contemptuously. "These humans wish for us to become soft and complacent. They will strike when we let our guard down and more of the People will be killed or enslaved."

Jake gave Tom a look, silently asking him to persuade his mate. Tom understood and he began to speak quietly to Tanhi while Jake continued trying to convince the others. "I'm not asking any of you to make a decision tonight," Jake announced. "What I _am_ asking you to do is fly to Hell's Gate with me in three days and see for yourselves what we would be up against, if we fight these newcomers. You all know I'll stand and fight if that's what you want, but the Sky People are giving us the opportunity to avoid another war. Many Na'vi will die and many children will be orphaned, if we answer this treaty with arrows instead of diplomacy."

"I have seen their numbers and weapons," Neytiri said, lending her support to her mate. "I would not have agreed to this treaty if I did not believe it is the best choice."

"My daughter speaks wisely," Mo'at said.

Some of the clan leaders began to waver and it looked like Tanhi's resolve was weakening under her mate's gentle pleas. Jake continued talking to them, trying to convince them that the chance of peace was worth signing a slip of paper. Unbeknownst to the adults, their children were spying on the meeting.

* * *

"Tommy, they told us to go play," cautioned Tsu'tey as his brother crowded closer to the back den entrance with Grace, Savanna and the twins. Sylwanin and Ralu were being watched over by some of the teenagers in the clan while their parents held the council.

"Shh, be quiet," Tommy warned his younger brother. "If you're afraid of getting caught, go play. I want to find out what they're talking about."

"Me too," agreed Karyu. "They're always trying to hide things from us and I'm tired of it."

Having discovered that the armies had landed at Hell's Gate, Savanna chewed her lower lip. "I hope my parents and everyone at home are okay," she whispered.

Kato patted her shoulder supportively—a gesture he rarely offered to anyone else save his twin sister. "They're smart. I'm sure they are safe."

The adults and clan leaders in the den argued back and forth, discussing ways to avoid giving the aliens permission to build another colony. Eventually, Jake and Neytiri's patience and determination yielded some results. The visiting chieftains finally agreed to travel with them to Hell's Gate, so that they could see the human armies and speak to the Earth representatives themselves before making a final decision.

Tommy glanced sidelong at Gracie when he noticed her hug herself. He took her hand and squeezed it as the council ended and the adults began to prepare for dinner. "Our parents won't let anything go wrong," he promised. "You'll see."

"But what if the Ikran leader is right?" she whispered. "What if the humans _are_ only trying to trick the clans into letting their guard down?"

"Because it doesn't make sense," Tommy answered. "Like my Dad said; why would they put on such a show when they have the power to do it all by force?"

"If Uncle Jake thinks there are too many of them to fight, they must be powerful," reasoned Kato.

"But our parents could always bring the clans together again," Karyu reminded.

"Dad would have thought of that already," Tommy answered. "If he thought uniting the clans again would be enough, he wouldn't be pushing this treaty."

He noticed that his little brother had a look of dread on his face and he turned his attention back to the interior of the den. Their father was approaching the back exit and it was too late to run away or duck aside. Jake was looking right at Tommy with a smirk on his lips. Tommy muttered out the corner of his mouth to his companions.

"Gracie, you and the others go. Dad hasn't seen the rest of you yet."

"No," she refused. "If you're getting in trouble, so am I."

Kato and Karyu started to take their cousin's advice, being a little more practical than Grace. It was too late, though. Jake stepped through the exit and looked down at the kids.

"What part of 'adult talk' don't you kids understand?"

Tsu'tey cringed a little but Tommy stood his ground. "I am going to be _Olo'eyktan_ some day and so is Karyu. We're old enough to see how it's done."

Jake studied him thoughtfully for a moment, before casting his gaze on Karyu. "Do you feel this way too?"

She nodded, too spirited to be cowed for long. "We won't be children forever, Uncle Jake."

He smiled. "I guess you won't. I _should_ punish my boys and tell your parents what you did, but you've got a point. Do you kids have any questions about what you heard?"

"Do the humans really want peace?" Tsu'tey asked hopefully.

Jake squatted down before the boy and ruffled his hair. "I hope so, son. So far it seems like it but we can't put too much trust in these strangers. They're going to have to earn the trust of the People, just like our friends at Hell's Gate had to. I'd rather you kids never have to see war in your lifetimes, if I can help it."

"What happens if the other leaders don't sign the treaty?" Grace asked.

Jake sighed. "Then the conditions won't apply to their tribes. That's why it's so important to convince them to sign."

"How will a piece of paper stop them from attacking anyone or cutting down forests?" Savanna asked, her nose crinkling in confusion.

"It's what the paper represents," Jake explained. "It's a legally binding contract between them and us. If they don't follow it, they could get into serious trouble with their superiors on Earth."

"So peace treaties work?" Kato persisted.

Jake paused and his expression grew somber. "Not all of the time. People have drawn up peace treaties and broken them before."

"Then what's this one good for?" Tsu'tey demanded. "We should just make them leave."

"Son, if I could do that I would," Jake said earnestly, "but they aren't going to pack up and leave just because we tell them to and they're too powerful to fight off without heavy losses."

"Couldn't you ask Eywa to help again?" Karyu suggested. "The way you did when they tried to go after the Tree of Souls."

Jake smiled at her. "I could do that, but Eywa only answered me then because there was a clear and immediate danger. So far, the visitors haven't been aggressive. I don't think Eywa is going to send the animals after these people just because we think they could be a threat someday."

"So the treaty is really the only choice," reasoned Kato.

Jake nodded. "For now. But I don't want you kids to worry; if they start something we have a good, solid evacuation plan and I know the other clans have one too. We're not going to let the humans hurt any of you, understand?"

The children nodded, if only because Jake looked and sounded so confident.

* * *

That night, Norm kept thinking of Earth history and peace treaties. Nearly every peace treaty humans made in the past ended up getting broken. From the conflicts between Rome and other nations to the systematic destruction of the native tribes of America, it seemed that peace treaties only gave a false sense of security. Could they trust the UN to honor this one? Norm didn't think so.

A horrible thought occurred to him as he lay beside his mate and children, struggling to get some rest. What if they were _counting on_ Jake bringing the clan leaders in? What if the goal wasn't to arrest Jake, but to lure him and all of the other chieftains in to take them hostage? Doing such a thing would ensure that the Na'vi tribes wouldn't interfere with their plans, wouldn't it?

Beside him, Ni'nat stirred in the hammock and reached over their daughters to stroke her mate's bare arm. "Norm," she murmured sleepily, "My Norm...your head is full of disturbing thoughts. I feel your concerns."

He looked at her guiltily, having become so absorbed in his worries that he had forgotten their queue's were connected. He felt her sympathy as she tried to sooth him.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I didn't mean to wake you up. I just keep thinking of the way treaties like this often ended in the past and it was almost always the ones proposing peace that broke their promises. One of the consistencies of human history is that the powerful take without giving back. They make promises they don't plan to keep and I don't want to see that happen here."

Grace began to rouse, disturbed by her the increasing anxiety in her father's voice. Ni'nat quickly stroked the child's hair and laid a soft kiss on her cheek.

"_Tsatseng, 'Ite_." She looked at Norm thoughtfully before speaking to Gracie again. "Watch over your sister for us, little one. Your father and I are going to take a walk together."

"Is something wrong?" Grace asked with a yawn.

Ni'nat smiled at her. "No. _Sempul_ is just restless. Hold Ralu close and go back to sleep. We will return in a while."

Grace nodded agreeably and pulled her sister closer. "Okay, _Sa'nu_."

Norm gave Ni'nat a questioning look as she broke _tsahaylu_ and nimbly climbed out of the hammock. She offered her hand to him with an inviting smile and he took it. Together, they left their bedding and went inside the trunk to the stairs. There were a few other people still up and about and when they reached the den, they saw Akway near the fire pit, speaking to the _Olo'eyktan _of one of the forest clans. Obviously, Norm wasn't the only one that had doubts and he marveled at Jake's ability to convince even the most reluctant person to give something a chance.

"Come," Ni'nat bade him softly, pulling on his hand.

Norm followed her out of the den and they walked toward the creek, away from the village. They passed Tanhi's tent and Norm could hear Tom speaking with her softly inside. A smile found its way to the anthropologist's lips when he and Ni'nat passed a blanket spread out on the ground outside the tent. Karyu and Kato were lying on it, sandwiching Savanna between them. The twins evidently took it upon themselves to protect her, even in their sleep. Funnily enough, the Omaticaya children seemed to be more intimidated by the twins than their future leader. There had only been two mild incidents of teasing, during Savanna's stay. Norm noticed that the blanket covering the children was a bit lopsided and he stopped for a moment to squat down and straighten it out. When the kids were fully covered up, he continued walking with Ni'nat.

When they made it into the surrounding forest, Ni'nat sat down by the creek and dipped her toes into the water. Norm took a seat beside her on the moss and she looked at him curiously. "When you were thinking about this treaty, I saw brief images in my mind's eye. There were humans with proud, noble features and feathers woven into their hair. They reminded me of our people. Who were those humans, Norm?"

Norm smiled a bit over the way she referred to the Na'vi as "their" people, rather than just hers. "They were the people that populated the land mass I used to call home, a long time ago. Their ways were a lot like the ways of the People. Visitors came from other parts of the world and when they discovered this new land, they started colonizing it. They made peace treaties with the indigenous tribes there but they never honored them. Their promises to leave the natives' land alone were empty and a lot of people died because of it."

She frowned. "And you fear these newcomers will do the same to us." A heavy sigh passed her lips. "If humans cannot even make peace with their own kind, how can we expect them to treat us any differently?"

Norm's heart sank even further. "I want to believe they've changed and learned from past mistakes. I keep trying to tell myself that this time, things will be different. The Native Americans weren't the only ones to be tricked with peace treaties. This has been an on-going thing throughout human history. The Romans deceived their neighbors and salted the earth, so that nothing would grow in the soil. This is what humans have always done to each other. When someone with power wants something from a neighbor, they either take it by force or use deception and eventually, they whittle them down."

"But you are not like them," she insisted, stroking his arm. "You have never been like them. Our friends at Hell's Gate are not like them. Maybe the human leaders visiting now are sincere in their desire for peace."

Norm put an arm around her and drew her close, lowering his eyes. "You're always willing to try and see the good in people, even when they could be your enemies. I hope you're right, Ni'nat. I really do."

She slipped a hand under his chin and coaxed him to lift his head. When he complied, she kissed him with unhurried affection. Her fingers caressed his jaw as the kiss deepened and her tail entwined with his. She reached for his queue with her free hand and connected it with hers. His breath quickened and he began to reciprocate her touches. Ni'nat broke the kiss and gazed into his eyes with promise.

"Let me help you think of happier things for a while," she whispered. "You need to relax, so that you may rest."

His body was rapidly agreeing with her suggestion and he lay down on his back, coaxing her to come with him. His mouth sought out hers again and he began to undress her. True to her word, Ni'nat was very good at distracting him from unpleasant thoughts.

* * *

Jake entertained similar thoughts to Norm's, concerning the possibility of an ambush. He warned the other clan leaders that this meeting with Earth representatives carried danger with it and after discussing it with his brother, he decided on an alternative to bringing them all into the compound. He held one last council meeting, early in the morning on the day they were to travel to Hell's Gate.

"I don't want to take any chances that they'll betray us and try to ransom you all in exchange for the cooperation of your clans. When we arrive near the compound and you've seen for yourselves what we'd be up against in a fight, you can make your decisions. I'll go in alone to speak with the UN reps and tell them what you've decided. If they're telling the truth about wanting peace with the clans, they'll agree to send their representatives out to finalize everything. It's better than going in there and being surrounded on all sides by walls and armed soldiers and it will give everyone a chance to escape if they try anything."

Norm visibly relaxed and nodded in agreement. The other leaders agreed that the plan was sound and they gathered their hunter escorts to prepare for travel. Norm and Ni'nat walked with Jake's family to the ikran nests and Norm spoke in a low voice to his friend.

"I'm glad you're taking precautionary measures, Jake. I've been worrying about the exact same thing since you got back, but I didn't know how to say anything without sounding paranoid again."

Jake grinned crookedly. "I guess you're rubbing off on me. All your conspiracy talk got me to thinking about how Quaritch tried to blow up the Tree of Souls and how Myers and Phelps tried to make an example out of Tanhi. We might not be dealing with the same people anymore but I'm not going to risk giving them political prisoners to barter with."

"So who came up with the idea to bring the senate out to the clan leaders?" Norm asked with a little smirk of his own.

Jake glanced back at his brother, who was carrying Karyu piggyback behind them and talking in a low voice to his mate and son. "Who do you think?"

Norm snorted. "What was your first plan?"

Jake shrugged. "To try and kidnap some of _their_ people to make sure they don't try anything on us."

Norm's eyebrows shot up and he saw Ni'nat cover her mouth from the corner of his eye. "So you were just going to do the same thing you think they might try to do to us?"

"I figured a pre-emptive was the way to go," Jake responded, "but Tom's plan won't involve us stooping to their level and using dirty tricks."

"Especially since we don't have any proof they'd do it anyway," Norm agreed. "Besides, I don't know how you'd get through their security to kidnap any of them in the first place, if they're as heavily armed and protected as you say they are."

"We could pull it off," Jake insisted. "I know that base inside and out. I think I could have nabbed at least one of them."

Norm eyed him as if he thought he was insane, but then he shrugged and nodded. "You _did_ manage to cause a distraction and get the children out all on your own, when we raided that compound to free Tanhi's clan. I guess it's possible that you could sneak one of those representatives out without getting caught. I think you should stick with Tom's plan first though and save yours as a last resort."

"That's the idea," Jake agreed. "We'll have to play it by ear."

* * *

Mo'at rode with Jake on his Toruk and a small army of warriors flew in formation with the clan leaders. There were no games played between Jake and Neytiri this time. Everyone was grim and silent during the journey, all too aware that what should be hope for the future could easily turn into a disaster.

Akway was the first to say something when they landed near the forest outside of Hell's Gate. His narrowed eyes took in the sheer numbers of human troops, air and ground vehicles coming and going inside the compound and he exchanged thoughtful looks with his band of hunters.

"You did not exaggerate, _Toruk Makto_. There are many more than we expected to see."

"And that's not even all of them," Jake assured with a grunt as he dismounted Shadow and helped Mo'at down. "They've got more waiting on those orbiting ISV's. I'm sure they've got more coming from Earth, too. Do you still think we should try to fight them off instead of negotiating?"

Akway rubbed his jaw and shook his head. "The losses would be too great. I would rather die in battle than be enslaved, though."

"I think everyone here feels the same," Jake agreed. "But let's save the dying as a last resort. You've got sons and daughters back home, don't you?"

Akway nodded, his chiseled expression softening a bit. "Two girls and three boys."

"I'm sure you want to see them grow up and give you grandchildren some day," Jake reasoned, "but I can't tell you how to lead your clan. You have to decide yourself which path is best for the safety of your children."

Akway nodded slowly and clapped Jake on the shoulder. "I will trust in your judgment. I will sign this treaty for the good of my people, but I do not trust these Sky People to keep their word. They have brought many warriors, for a people that claim to want peace."

Jake nodded. "I'm glad we have your support, Akway." He turned to look at Tanhi. If he could convince her too, the other two reluctant leaders from smaller clans might cave. "What about you, Sister? Would it still be better to fight them?"

Tanhi stood beside her mate, who was dressed in his usual human style garb. Her eyes scanned the base and she sighed heavily, shaking her head. "Battles must be chosen with care and even I can admit that the losses would be too heavy, at this time. I will add my mark to the treaty, but I will let it be known that one way or the other, the humans will pay in blood if they betray us."

Tom winced a bit and Jake was quietly glad that Tanhi wouldn't be handling the negotiations. Tanhi was wearing full chieftess gear, including the symbolic red facial paint and the crest. She looked like she was ready for a fight. Thirty minutes alone with her would probably have the UN Senate convinced that the Na'vi were bloodthirsty cannibals, ready to strike at a moment's notice with the slightest provocation.

Jake cleared his throat and glanced at Neytiri, noting the subtle smirk on her lips. Perhaps she was more conservative about it than Tanhi, but he knew she entertained similar thoughts and agreed with them. He looked at the remaining clan leaders. Three of them had already agreed to sign the treaty but there was still the matter of the other two from the forest clans. "Can we count on your support too?"

The two males looked at each other thoughtfully. The taller one looked out at the base again and gave a single, curt nod. The other reluctantly followed suit. "We agree."

Jake relaxed a bit. "Good. I'll go in and give them our terms for negotiation. If you see any sign of the Sky People moving in on you before I contact Neytiri with confirmation that the leaders are coming out with me, take to the skies immediately and get out of here."

"I am coming with you," Neytiri said stubbornly.

Jake resisted the urge to sigh. "We agreed it's better for you to stay here with the tribal council. That way they can't try to force my cooperation by threatening you."

She growled softly under her breath. "I don't want you going alone."

"Let me go instead," Tom suggested, drawing everyone's attention to him.

"Why?" Jake asked, honestly confused.

"I'll go as a representative," he explained. "They can't take any of you hostage if you don't go in."

Jake narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. Tom's idea had merit, but he wasn't willing to risk his younger brother's safety if he could help it. "Let's go into the forest for a couple of minutes," he said. "I think it's time for another 'switch'."

"Jake, this really isn't the time for playing 'who's who' pranks," Tom protested. "This is a serious event and if our concerns are wrong, how do you think it's going to make us look if we do that? Being cautious is one thing and I'm sure they'll understand that, but we've got to show at least a _little_ faith, here. Besides, your handwriting is different from mine and I'm willing to bet they'll know I'm not you when your signature doesn't come out right."

Jake took a deep breath. "You and your damned logic. All right...go bring them out to us, then. If they do anything to you—"

"I don't think they will," Tom interrupted. "That would blow their chances altogether. Think of me as an insurance policy for both sides. I'll see you soon." He gave Tanhi a kiss on the mouth, muffling her protests. Without another word, he started walking toward the base.

"What did he mean: 'insurance policy'?" Jake mumbled under his breath as he watched his twin walk away. He didn't like the sound of it.

* * *

"Tomcat? What are you doing here?" Trudy met Tom at the gate when the guards let him in. "I was expecting your twin."

He swept his gaze over her from behind his sunglasses, noting that she was still in great shape and as cute as a button. "How do you know I'm not Jake, wearing Tom's clothes?"

She snorted. "If I didn't know before, that sentence gave it away right there. Typical 'Tom talk'." She inspected him and grinned hesitantly. "You look good."

He propped his shades up on his head and smiled at her. "So do you. It's been what, a year?"

"Yeah, give or take a few months. You and your family don't visit enough, man."

Tom walked with her. "You know why I don't bring them here more often. Karyu gets more aggressive with Phelps every time she comes here and she never listens when I tell her to stay away from the prison."

Trudy grimaced. "He eggs her on. I heard some of the shit he was saying about your woman the last time Karyu was here, chucking rocks at him. She's a little fighter, your kid. I can't blame you for wanting to keep her away from him. "

Tom shrugged. "It's not fair to the kids, though. They like to spend time with Dustin and Savanna when they can. Maybe when this treaty is finished, things can go better for everyone."

"What's the deal with them sending you in?" Trudy asked.

Tom glanced around and responded to the question in a low voice. "It's a precautionary measure. After past dealings with the RDA, we think it's better for me to present the terms for the treaty, in case they get any ideas about taking political hostages."

Trudy sucked her teeth and nodded. "Gotcha. How are they going to sign the treaty if they won't come in, though?"

"I'm going to give the senate a proposal. If they are sincere about this peace treaty, they'll come out to the clan leaders to sign it."

Trudy frowned. "It's a nice idea Tomcat, but what makes you think they're going to agree to walk up to a big group of armed Na'vi without some security?"

"They can bring a small, armed escort with them," Tom answered. "And they can use me as a hostage until the meeting is finished."

Trudy abruptly choked and Tom patted her back in concern. "You made me swallow my gum," she complained when she caught her breath. "Are you nuts?"

"No, I'm negotiating," he corrected calmly. "Jake and Tanhi won't allow any hostilities against the humans if I could be shot as a result. If the UN is planning a setup, they won't have a clan leader to use as a bargaining chip. This is the best way to make sure a fair exchange happens and nobody gets hurt."

Trudy scowled. "That all sounds peachy but you're forgetting one thing."

"What's that?"

Trudy didn't smile. "You're a jinx."

* * *

Tom was a little taken aback when he saw how many government representatives were in the conference room. He had never met Parker Selfridge in person before, but he had seen photos of him and his brother's description fit. Max looked surprised to see him but he graciously got out of his seat and walked up to him, offering his hand.

"Dr. Sully, good to see you. Is everything okay?"

Tom nodded and returned the handshake. "Everything is fine. I'm here to represent the Na'vi leaders and bring the senate members a proposal."

Selfridge stared up at Tom, looking a bit stunned. "So you're the twin? Why didn't your brother come in himself?"

"After everything that's occurred on this world between the Na'vi and humans, do I really need to answer that question?" Tom's voice was level and calm as he looked Parker in the eye.

The representatives murmured to each other speculatively. Each of them wore a pin signifying the flag colors of their country. There were not members of each nation present. The United States, Russia, Japan, France, England, China, Sweden, Germany, Africa and Brazil each had a political representative. In addition, there were members of NASA and the US Army present in the room.

"Tom," Max said, trying to keep the atmosphere polite, "Allow me to introduce you to everyone and then you can talk about your proposal."

Tom nodded in agreement and made the introduction rounds with Max, going to each chair to shake hands with the negotiators. They asked him questions about his work and he answered according to what he felt was necessary. When the pleasantries were over, Tom got straight down to business.

"The leaders of all the clans on this continent are waiting by the forest to the South," he explained. "They are ready to sign the peace treaty on the condition that you come out to them. I'm here to deliver that message and return to them with you, or carry news back to them if you decline the proposal."

Selfridge stood up and placed his hands on the table. "You want us to walk outside these gates, out in the open. What...so they can shoot us down?"

Tom stared at the man. He had expected some opposition to the idea, but not such an outburst. The general seated on Parker's left gave him a warning look, prompting Selfridge to calm down with visible effort and drag his fingers through his sandy colored hair.

"Look," Parker said, "I'm not setting foot outside those gates to sign anything, without some kind of guarantee that we won't get swarmed and eaten alive by every animal in the territory."

Tom somehow managed to contain a smile, but only because he suffered a moment of pity for the nervous little man. "They aren't here to fight, but I can't expect you to take my word for it anymore than we can take your word that you don't intend to deceive the indigenous. You can bring one soldier for each representative that attends the treaty signing. I'm Jake's twin brother and I'm mated to the leader of the Ikran people. You can keep me under guard until it's all settled, if you're worried about the Na'vi becoming hostile with you. Unless you attack them first, I guarantee there will be no aggression on their part."

Selfridge looked suspicious and the other participants whispered amongst themselves for a few moments, while Max stared with wide eyes at Tom. "I think we need to cast a vote," suggested the representative from Brazil in a heavily accented voice.

"Then I'll just step outside and let you discuss it," Tom offered graciously.

Trudy and Max went with him and once the doors shut behind them, Max rounded on him. "What in the world are you _thinking_?" he demanded. "Inviting them to use you as a hostage? Tom, you do realize they could use that to further advantage than self-protection, don't you?"

"If they intend to use me as a hostage to force this agreement to go in their favor, they'll do it with or without my volunteering," Tom countered. "Maybe it's a gamble but I want to give them a chance to prove they are better than the RDA and sincere about this. We've worked too hard to make this happen, Max...all of us. Besides, the extra production of medications and treatments will give me more time to myself. Half the time I'm too worn out to play with my kids."

"You can't play with your kids if you're dead," Trudy pointed out.

Tom gave them both a reserved little smile. "I don't think we have to worry about that. Besides, Jake has a backup plan. I'd rather not use it unless we have to, though."

"What sort of backup plan?" Max questioned.

Tom glanced down the hallway and then shot a quick, subtle look at the security cameras. "It's probably better if I don't say. Consider it a contingency in case things take a turn for a worse and leave it at that."

* * *

"They are coming."

Jake looked at the gates when he heard Neytiri's announcement and he sighed in relief when he saw his brother safely walking with the group of humans. He recognized Trudy and Max to Tom's right and he briefly saw Selfridge taking up the rear. Parker was looking every which way as the group approached, leaving Jake to wonder if he'd end up with a case of self-inflicted whiplash. Selfridge visibly jumped when a wild bird called out and the soldier walking beside him gave him an annoyed look when he bumped into him.

Two of the soldiers carried a folding table between them. The UN representatives looked at the waiting Na'vi as they approached and more than one of them hesitated in their footsteps. Jake looked over his shoulder and reminded his companions to stay calm, especially when he noticed that one of the human soldiers had a gun trained on his brother.

"They threaten my mate," Tanhi growled, impulsively reaching for her bow.

"Do _not_, Sister," Neytiri advised, her eyes on Tom. "Look in his eyes. He is not concerned."

Jake looked at his brother's face curiously, trying to quell his own anxiety. As Neytiri suggested, Tom didn't look particularly worried. If anything, he looked confident and his eyes immediately sought out Tanhi's. Tom mouthed something to her and it took Jake a moment to realize he was telling her it was okay. Jake narrowed his eyes and peered at the gun that was trained on his brother and he realized the safety was on.

Jake looked at the gathered hunters and chieftains again. "Okay, I don't know what the hell my brother's up to but don't draw your weapons. if you make them feel threatened, they might shoot Tom." The only thing that made him feel better about the situation was the way General West spoke into his transmitter and waved away the gunships that started to hover after the group.

Some of them looked at him blankly and Jake cursed, remembering that not everyone in the group understood more than a smattering of English. He repeated the instructions in Na'vi and the hunters reluctantly stopped reaching for their bows.

"Take it easy, everyone," Jake advised as the other group came nearer and nearer.

It was a contest of which group was the most wary of the other as the Earth representatives lined up before the Na'vi. The soldiers set up the table and Selfridge came forward with a briefcase. His hands trembled and his eyes flicked around nervously as he opened the case and pulled out the first stack of documents. A man with a press tag around his neck began to take pictures from the left side, while a woman started filming the event from the right. Jake noticed that they avoided capturing any images of his twin being held at gunpoint. Selfridge swore softly as the wind nearly blew away the top document and he hastily weighed it down with the corner of the briefcase.

"Have a look," he invited. "Everything you wanted changed is in there, Sully. Let's get this over with."

Jake stepped up with Neytiri and so did Max and Trudy. Together, the four of them read over everything to be sure nothing was left out or revised without consent. Neytiri translated out loud for the benefit of the present Na'vi, though she and Jake had already gone over the treaty with the other clan leaders when they held their first council. When they were finished, Jake looked at his friends and then his mate. He nodded to indicate his satisfaction and they nodded in turn.

"Go ahead," Jake invited Max and Trudy. The couple took out their pens and signed under their printed names at the end of each copy of the treaty. When they started handing their pens to Jake, he shook his head and nodded at the UN attendees. "We'll go last. They're next."

General West nodded to Parker and the administrator took a pen out of his pocket and gave Jake one sullen glance before he began signing. The others took their turns after Selfridge, each of them pressing a stamp of government approval beside their signatures. Selfridge stepped back when the UN signatures were completed and he looked up at Jake expectantly.

"Your turn."

Jake jerked his chin at his brother, who was still standing in the background with the barrel of a soldier's gun pressing against his back. "Send Tom over here to us and we'll sign."

Parker compressed his lips and looked as though he wanted to refuse, but General West nodded at the soldier guarding Tom. The MP lowered his weapon without argument and Tom joined the Na'vi group. Tanhi immediately looked him over for any signs of abuse before giving the humans a mistrustful glare.

Now that his brother was safe and no weapons were being pointed, Jake was the first to begin signing the papers. He started to squat so that he was level with the table but West ordered a couple of soldiers to move forward and adjust the height. Jake gave him a respectful nod and put his signature down on each copy, using the pen given to him by Max. Neytiri followed and Jake tilted his head and smiled as he watched her flowing script.

"I never knew you had such nice handwriting," he murmured.

She poked the tip of her tongue out the corner of her mouth in concentration as she finished signing her name to the documents. "It is messy now. I used to write better but I am out of practice."

Mo'at signed for the Guardian clan next and then politely offered the pen to Akway. The Horse clan chieftain paused uncertainly as he started to sign and Jake feared he was having second thoughts, but his reason for the hesitation was made clear a moment later.

"I do not read or write English," Akway informed Jake under his breath.

"It's okay," Jake answered in a whisper. "Just sign the Na'vi symbols for your name."

Akway nodded and drew a complex series of native symbols, followed by the Horse Clan's unique symbol. He stood up and handed the pen over to the next chieftain. Those that didn't know how to write in English followed Akway's lead and used their own tribal symbols. Tanhi was the last to take the pen and by the expression on her face, she would rather use the object to poke out the eyes of the humans than sign the papers.

Jake looked at Tom when the Ikran chieftess stood there with the pen hovering over the paper, silently asking his brother to do something. Tom approached his mate from behind and rubbed her arms, whispering in her ear. Jake only caught snatches of his words and they were spoken in Na'vi.

"...The children, Tanhi. At least we can say we tried."

She took a deep breath, closed her eyes and laid her right hand over one of his. With her left hand, she marked her symbols. When she finished and straightened up, the flash of the camera made her grimace. The assembled Na'vi were startled as the Earth representatives began to clap, softly and solemnly. Selfridge was the only one who declined clapping, besides the military personnel. He handed Trudy the copy of the treaty for Hell's Gate and waited for the Na'vi leaders to take their copies before collecting the UN's.

For a moment both sides stood in silence, at a loss for anything further to say. Selfridge broke the silence first, falling into his business habits despite his anxiety issues. "Well, we're finished here, people. We'll be packing up and moving on to the build site within a week. You might want to get your copies laminated. Good doing business with you."

Jake almost rolled his eyes. General West approached him after the soldiers collapsed the table and took it away and for a moment, the two measured one another. West saluted Jake sharply—which was odd, considering that Jake was no longer officially in the services and West would have out-ranked him even if he were.

"Corporal Sully, it's been an honor and a privilege."

Jake impulsively returned the salute. "General."

West gave Neytiri a respectful nod. "Ma'am." With that said, he turned around and joined his men on the walk back to the compound.

Trudy and Max hung around while the others left and the latter looked up at Jake thoughtfully. "What do you think of that General, Jake?"

Jake watched the retreating soldier in question. "I think he may be all right. But I thought Quaritch was all right too, at first...so don't quote me on that." He looked at Mo'at. "What do you think?"

Mo'at stared after West thoughtfully. "He impressed me as an honorable man, but as you say, it is too soon to make such judgments."

Max smiled as Trudy handed him their copy of the treaty. "The first thing we should do is have all of these pages pressed between flame resistant laminex and put them in a hidden safe."

Trudy gave her lover a grimace. "Couldn't you have waited 'till we were alone to geek out that much?"

Max was hardly fazed. "There's nothing 'geeky' about protecting these documents. This is our best means of enforcing peace between Earth and Pandora and I think everyone should have their copies protected. I think I'll scan ours and make some soft copies for a data chip, while I'm at it."

Jake shared a grin with Tom, amused by Max's enthusiasm. He didn't want to put a damper on the biologist's mood by reminding him that peace treaties had a history of failure when greed overcame the desire for cooperation. "Okay Max. We'll let your people armor our copies before we go."

* * *

Jake contacted Norm as soon as everything settled down and when he finished assuring him that everything was okay, he contacted E'quath to let him know as well. He stopped by Sebastian and Katherine's house that evening to let them know that their daughter was safe. He felt empathy for them as they embraced each other and thanked him.

"Hey, my clan won't let anything happen to that little girl," he promised.

"But she's so different from everyone there," Katherine pointed out, taking a steadying breath as she pulled away from her husband. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to be rude and imply that the Omaticaya are prejudiced."

Jake shook his head. "It's okay. I'm not going to lie to you, some people in the clan don't approve of mixing that much human with Na'vi blood but since they're following a mutt anyhow, they know better than to say anything. The others are just curious about her. My sons and Gracie won't let the other kids pick on her. Tom's kids have taken a shine to Savanna too and I've got to tell you, those two could scare a serial killer without throwing a punch when they get mad."

Sebastian chuckled. "Surely, you're exaggerating. They're just children."

Jake shook his head. "Have you ever read a book called 'The Shining'?"

Sebastian raised an eyebrow. "By Stephen King? Yes, of course. It's a classic."

"Remember the twins in that story?"

Sebastian traded a glance with his wife. "Yes."

Jake leaned a little closer to the couple. "They're nothing compared to my brother's kids. Trust me."

Katherine elegantly covered her mouth to hide a smile. "Jake, that's a terrible thing to say about your own nephew and niece."

"I'm just being honest," he replied with a shrug. "At least they can take care of themselves, and that's a good skill for any kid to have."

"They don't scare Savanna," Katherine observed.

Jake smirked and looked her in the eye. "That's because they _like_ her. Your daughter also has a level head on her shoulders and an open mind."

The couple smiled at the compliment. "Are you sure you don't want to stay for a nightcap?" Sebastian offered.

It took Jake a moment to realize that by 'nightcap', Sebastian was offering him a drink. "Thanks, but I can't. We've got to have an early night so we can leave first thing in the morning. Neytiri and I have to make plans for keeping an eye on the UN—which is going to involve some cooperation from the Horse clan, since they'll be closest to the new colony. Savanna is welcome to stay with the Omaticaya for as long as you need her to."

Sebastian sighed. "I'm afraid we'll have to beg your hospitality until our 'guests' have all left. Once we get to know these people better, we might not feel the need to hide her from their eyes. Until then..." He trailed off and Katherine put her head on his shoulder.

Jake nodded, understanding completely. "She's your daughter. Don't be embarrassed over wanting to protect her, okay? I promise she'll be ready for you safe and sound, when it's safe for you to bring her home again."

Sebastian smiled gratefully. "Thank you, Corporal Sully."

* * *

Jake was nobody's fool, despite his tendency to behave in a "moronic" manner now and then. He left three Omaticaya hunters behind to watch over Hell's Gate while the UN forces made their arrangements and left. He got an extra transmitter from Max and gave it to the man he chose as leader of the scouting party, showing him how to use it before he and the others left. If anything suspicious happened in the compound, the scouts' orders were to contact Jake and let him know immediately.

They returned to Hometree and Neytiri and Jake made further arrangements with Akway for members of his clan to keep an eye on the territory the UN would be building their colony in. While there was relief over the diplomatic measures Earth seemed willing to take, Jake suffered an underlying sick feeling that didn't want to go away.

Like Savanna, Jackson and the crew of the Star Chaser were lying low until the newcomers were gone from Hell's Gate. There was a problem, though. The other ISV's radar systems might pick up any Valkyrie shuttles the Star Chaser sent back and forth to Pandora. Hell's Gate and Jackson's ISV had the capability to lock access to the satellite tracking systems but if they did that, it would look suspicious at best and hostile at worse. Jake supposed they could blame it on interference from the other moons but if it happened too often, the UN was sure to investigate for glitches and discover Sebastian's meddling.

The good news was that according to Selfridge, the ISV's would be rotating back to Earth after they completed the drop-offs and trading. After that, the rotation schedule would stabilize again and Pandora should only expect to see one ISV every year or two. Nobody was inclined to take Parker at his word but with the signing of the peace treaty, there was at least hope that the humans wouldn't swarm Pandora and plunder her resources.

* * *

Two weeks later, all of the UN personnel were gone from Hell's Gate, busy at work on the new colony far to the northwest. Max waited until the ISV's that had brought them moved out of orbit before contacting Jackson to inform him that it was now safe for him to trade out staff on the Star Chaser. Katherine and Sebastian were also free to safely bring their daughter back home from the Omaticaya village.

Trudy flew them and Dustin rode with, anxious to see his friend again. They told Jake that they were on their way and when they landed on the outskirts of the village, he and his family were waiting for them with Savanna. Tom's family was also there, having chosen to stay until the ISV's were gone in case of emergency. Savanna broke away from the group when her parents stepped out of the Samson.

"Mamma! Papa!"

Sebastian and Katherine embraced their daughter together when she ran to them. Katherine's exopack prevented her from giving Savanna a kiss but Sebastian made up for it. The watching Omaticaya observed with bemused fascination as the odd little family enjoyed their reunion. A curly-headed human boy around Savanna's age waved at her from inside the cockpit, in the co-pilot seat. His mother grinned at him from the pilot's seat and said something to him as she unbuckled his safety belt. She reached overhead and produced a small exopack, which she fit over his face before securing one of her own. She cut the engine and got out, waving to Jake and the others as she jogged around to the other side of the chopper.

"Okay, kiddo," Trudy said as she opened the co-pilot door and lifted Dustin out. "Go say hi to your Na'vi friends while we're here. We're heading back in twenty, so don't go wandering off."

"Okay, Ma," answered the boy. He hugged Savanna around the waist when Sebastian lowered her back to the ground. Together, they hurried towards Tommy and the others.

Jake and the other adults met Trudy, Sebastian and Katherine halfway. "Here's your daughter's backpack," Jake offered with a grin, holding it out to Sebastian. "She was so excited to see you coming she forgot all about it. She drew some nice pictures of you two while she was here."

"Oh?" Sebastian opened the backpack and liberated his daughter's sketchbook, curious. He flipped through older drawings until he found one of himself and Katherine that took his breath away. "Kath, look at this!"

Katherine looked at the picture and she sighed with amazement. It was a sketch of she and Sebastian holding each other and it was drawn with such skill that she would have thought Savanna drew it from still-life. "She must get it from your side of the family. We didn't have any artists in mine."

"Savanna has some amazing talent," Norm complimented, smiling at the hybrid child as she and Dustin exchanged tales with the other children. "Especially for someone her age."

Sebastian smiled with pride. "She's been artistic from an early age. She also likes to dance."

"Yes, she demonstrated that during her stay," Neytiri agreed with an amused look in the little girl's direction. "Even those of my people who were not so welcoming of her could not hide their smiles when she danced to the clan songs. She has a way of endearing herself to others."

"I'm thankful for that," Katherine admitted softly. "Fitting in is always going to be hard for her, regardless of whether it's with humans, Na'vi or avatars. She needs every social advantage she can get."

"Well, she's in good company with our twins," Tom said seriously. "They don't make friends easily either. I think Kato and Karyu see a kindred spirit in her."

Sebastian and Katherine watched the twins and they noticed how they stayed close to her side, as if unconsciously shielding her from any attempts to harm her with their young bodies. Though Jake had described the twins as practically demonic, they saw nothing sinister in their behavior. If anything, it was a comfort to know that Savanna had earned the twins' loyalty.

Trudy checked her watch and sighed. "I hate to cut it short guys, but we've got to start heading back if we want to make it before it gets too late. I don't want to be flying around late at night with these kids...even with the guns fully manned."

"Completely understandable," Norm said.

"Thank you again for watching over our daughter," Katherine said to them. "I'm glad to hear she wasn't too much trouble."

Jake chuckled. "Savanna's a little sweetheart. Anytime you feel like you need to take her out of Hell's Gate, she's welcome to stay with us."

Neytiri nodded in agreement and Tanhi spoke up. "She is also welcome to stay with our clan, if you feel she needs to be hidden further away." Tom put his arm around the chieftess and smiled quietly with approval.

"You're all very generous," Sebastian said thankfully. "It makes me feel more secure, just knowing we have two powerful Na'vi clans willing to hide her from potential enemies."

Katherine called out to their daughter and Trudy hollered for Dustin. The two children reluctantly left their friends' sides and their parents helped them into the aircraft and secured them before boarding themselves. The Na'vi watched as Trudy started up the rotors and waved through the window at Jake in the others before lifting off.

* * *

Later that evening after having supper and putting the twins to bed, Tanhi lay quietly in her mate's arms and wondered over her own actions. She had extended the invitation to Savanna without thought or hesitation, though a part of her shared some of the misgivings other Na'vi seemed to have about her heritage. Tom had changed her, though. He had shown her that racial heritage had no bearing on the heart's strength and nobility. Tanhi once hated all humans and Dreamwalkers, but his actions forced her to rethink her convictions and getting to know his family and friends only weakened her resolve further.

Savanna was not of her clan and only part Na'vi, but Tanhi recoiled at the thought of treating the child with the same prejudice that the Sky People treated her race with. That sort of prejudice was part of why her Tom turned against his own kind to help her clan and fight against injustices done to the Na'vi.

Tanhi looked at her mate's sleeping, shadowed face and she traced his handsome features with her fingertips. She felt a weight lift from her and a slight smile curved her lips. She heard Kato mumble something in his sleep—a habit he must have inherited from his father. If her son wanted a hybrid for his mate when he grew to maturity, anyone who challenged his decision would have to face his mother.

* * *

Another year passed and the UN completed the vital facilities in the new colony. They named the colony "UNEC"; which stood for "United Nations Earth Consulate". So far, they had honored the treaty and used only approved sources of raw materials for their research, construction needs and food resources. They had brought ample supplies from Earth to start a cultivation bio-dome, so they were able to grow and harvest their own terran crops by the end of the year. They used livestock for dairy needs and for meat, they used preserved meat from Earth and processed meat from native animals on Pandora.

Trudy wasn't as excited about it all as Max. She knew that her partner wasn't foolish enough to believe that Parker and the people at UNEC could be trusted so soon, but he was so optimistic it made her want to gag. She tried not to be too pessimistic around him but she worried that he would become too complacent in his desire to see lasting peace on Pandora.

Meanwhile, Trudy busied herself with improving security and keeping her troops alert and in shape—when she wasn't teaching her son flight simulation and mechanics. She also made sure Dustin started learning self-defensive moves as soon as she thought he was ready. Max took care of all the intellectual tutoring and Dustin's quick mind soaked it all up like a sponge.

Trudy was more amused than worried when she noticed the growing attention her son was getting from girls his age as they began to discover that some boys were more cute than annoying. Dustin didn't seem to notice their attempts to get his attention because like his father, he was always absorbed in his studies. He always found time to play with Savanna, though. This made some of the girls resentful, though the two of them were more like siblings than a "kiddie couple".

Trudy didn't realize how bad it was until the day a small group of jealous girls decided to take their taunts against Savanna to a new level.

* * *

Ellis was on his way out of the bio-dome to do inspections in the weapons department when the incident occurred. He was feeling good about himself, having just been promoted to Staff Sergeant two days ago. He finally had a ring crafted and ready to present to his girlfriend. It wasn't something as fancy as a diamond engagement ring but it was a pretty band made of a peacock-hued Pandora metal, with a heart-shaped cut, clear blue stone crowning it. He knew that Janet would be surprised when he presented it to her, because he never gave her a reason to believe he intended to propose anytime soon. He just had to think of the best way to give her the ring and ask her to marry him.

The one thing that distracted from his happiness was the news he got from the doctors a week before, concerning Baxter Howell. The private was still in cryo and though his condition hadn't worsened, it hadn't improved, either. They said that the only thing they could do was wait and keep him preserved until they saw more favorable test results—which could be never.

Baxter was one of the fastest acting soldiers on the Nova when the "accident" occurred and if it weren't for his determination and help, Darren knew the casualties would have been even greater. The others had been in such a state of confusion and disorientation that they could barely move on their own. Howell had gamely helped Ellis hustle people to the emergency sector, dragging or carrying those that lacked the strength to move on their own.

Now, Baxter might never wake up. It was an injustice and each day, Ellis had to restrain himself from going to the prison facilities and shooting the bastard that provoked his friend into such reckless action. He knew that Phelps would only find a way to get him into trouble as well, so he practiced Jake Sully's philosophy and just let the mad dog slowly wrap the leash tighter around his own neck. Sooner or later, Phelps would get his.

Darren stopped and swore, realizing he'd taken a wrong turn. Even when the man was nowhere in sight, the disgraced, former Lieutenant managed to stir up a dark miasma in people. His very presence on the base cast a cloud over everyone who interacted with him. Hell, just two days ago Harris almost pulled the same stunt as Howell. Phelps found out about the new baby boy Diane had given birth to and he made a remark to the proud new father that his girlfriend just whelped his kid because he got her out of jail.

"No more," Ellis growled, forcing his thoughts away from the poisonous influence of Phelps. "I'm not going to give that pile of pigshit the satisfaction of bringing me down today."

He started to correct his trajectory when he heard the sound of high-pitched voices down the street. He would have shrugged it off as typical child's play, if his ears didn't catch the taunts issuing from those young mouths. Curious and a little concerned, he walked briskly in the direction the voices came from. He rounded the corner of the school building and he saw a group of little girls in the street, shouting at someone they had surrounded. There were four of them and they were all human—between ages seven and ten. They were poking at a taller girl in the center of their group and one of them dug a tomato out of her backpack and chucked it at the center girl's face, hitting her in the cheek with it.

Ellis recognized Savanna Thomas after a couple of heartbeat's observance. She was the size of an average thirteen-year-old human girl, but he knew she was only nine. Her unusual skin and human hair shade marked her as an outcast in a society that should have long ago abandoned prejudice of inter-racial couples and their offspring. Poor Savanna could have wiped the floor with all four of them if she chose to, with her greater size and strength. However, she only begged them to stop and proclaimed that she didn't do anything to them.

Darren acted as soon as he took stock of the situation.

"BREAK IT UP!" he shouted, startling the children so badly that one of them even shrieked and nearly fell on her bottom.

For a moment, he wasn't sure how to proceed. He now had five little girls with wide eyes and pale faces staring up at him. These weren't a gaggle of recruits...they were children. He strode forward, reminding himself that he had to approach the situation with tact. The human girls shrank back at the sight of him but Savanna looked more relieved than alarmed. He realized how intimidating he must look to the perpetrators. There he was, a grown man in an avatar body, bearing down on the little terrors on a narrow street. He had been above average in height as a human and his permanent avatar form reflected that. Nearly ten feet in height, he _towered_ over the kids.

Rather than raise his voice again, Ellis sank to one knee and motioned for Savanna. She went to him hesitantly, casting a wary look around at the other girls. He wiped the tomato gunk off of her face as well as he could with his hand and he looked around at the other girls.

"What is this all about?"

None of them spoke. In fact, they looked like they were about to piss all over themselves. He tried again in a more gentle tone. They were, after all, just children.

"Why were you all picking on this girl?"

When they still refused to answer, Ellis sighed and looked at the victim. "Miss Thomas?"

She glanced at her tormenters nervously and swallowed. "They think I'm a freak."

Ellis raised his eyebrows and he swept the terrified group of girls with an exasperated expression. "You've all probably got years before you can appreciate subtleties, so I'm going to get straight to the point."

He stood up beside Savanna and laid a hand on one of her shoulders, looking each of the other girls in the eye as he continued. "This girl is bigger and stronger than all of you. Her parents have probably taught her not to hit people smaller and weaker than herself and you're lucky for that."

Ellis knelt down again and peered at each of the four girls in turn. "If you keep pushing her, one day she's going to retaliate and it won't be pretty, funny or cute. Respect the girl or respect what she can do to you if you make her mad. If you fail to do that, you'll learn the hard way and it's going to be your own fault."

The children looked at Savanna. Darren glanced at the hybrid from the corner of his eye and he controlled his amusement when she perked up and crossed her arms over her chest, facing her tormenters with a faintly smug expression and a nod. The girls seemed to get the message and Ellis told them to scat. They wasted no time.

"Thank you, Mr. Ellis," Savanna said softly as he straightened up again. She slipped a small hand into his.

He grimaced uncomfortably, unused to dealing with children. He gently held her hand and started walking with her. "I'll walk you home. That's where you're going, isn't it?"

Savanna nodded. "Don't worry...Mom comes home from the lab early on the weekdays, so I won't be alone. I have homework. Dustin is coming over later to study with me. The other girls don't like that."

He snorted. "I never knew girls started fighting over us that early."

"I don't fight," she protested. "Dustin's my friend. Those girls were just mad because he doesn't play with them as much. You know, I really wouldn't hit those girls. I would hide, first. I think I'd break them if I really pounded them the way I want to, sometimes."

Ellis held his tongue and resisted a grin.

* * *

From that day forward, Savanna only had to strike a proud, challenging pose whenever any of the human girls picked on her to make them think again and back off. This pose was often accompanied by a sigh of regret, though. She would have preferred to win friends than make enemies cower. Thankfully, she had true friends like Dustin, Andrew and Sheri on the base. Likewise, she had good friends amongst the Na'vi children she spent the most time with—particularly in Kato and Karyu.

When her parents asked her if she ever felt left out or depressed, Savanna felt that she could honestly say she didn't mind not being popular. Her father smiled at her when Savanna quoted a Dr. Seuss line from one of many classic stories they had read to her since birth.

_"Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." _

* * *

Neytiri and Jake came to visit Hell's Gate with their family when they got the news that the new colony was almost completed. Tanhi and Tom were visiting Hometree with the twins at the time, so they came along too. While the older children went to find their on-base friends to play with them, Neytiri took care of Sylwanin and organized belongings in the Avatar cabin for their stay with the help of Tom and Tanhi. Jake paid a visit to Max and Trudy, organizing a private talk in Max's office.

When they told him the name that was given to the new colony, Jake stared between them with a funky curl to his lips. "They named their colony '_Eunuch_'?" He was trying hard not to laugh. "Good advertisement."

Trudy nearly choked on her orange juice and she held her palm up and out to Jake. "Nut-less wonders! Damn, you caught it before _I_ did, Sully!"

Jake slapped her hand and the two of them dissolved into snickers together.

"It's not 'eunuch'," Max corrected, his lips quirking, "It's UNEC. It stands for...ahem...excuse me," he began to suffer difficulties in keeping a level tone. "What it means is '_United Nations Earth Consulate_'. Does...does everything have to turn into a dirty joke, with...the two of you?" He was getting ruddy-faced in his obvious effort to contain his own mirth.

"Come _on_ Max," Trudy urged, grinning broadly, "Don't tell me you don't see the irony here!"

He cleared his throat and attempted to pretend dignified interest in his computer files. "It's only an abbreviation." He ruined it by sputtering and he cursed as he started to laugh along with them. Leave it to Jake Sully to turn such a little thing into something so satirical.

It took nearly twenty minutes of suffering through a contagious laughter loop for the three of them to finally calm down enough to discuss serious matters.

* * *

"That damned Ikran brat is back."

Ivan looked through the chain-linked fence in the direction Phelps jerked his chin. He saw the Na'vi child watching them from beneath the three trees planted in a small yard across the pavement. Now that he thought of it, the little girl wasn't paying any attention to him at all. In fact, she didn't seem to care about anyone else in the prison yard. Her yellow eyes stared directly at Phelps. The breeze stirred her hair and the little clay beads woven into the dark mass knocked together.

He recognized her. Every year, that girl came to stare at Phelps and most of the time, her twin brother wasn't far behind her. True to form, the boy in question approached leisurely from the path and he came to stand beside his sister. Together, the two of them stared unblinking at Phelps.

"What?" Phelps demanded of the children, curling his fingers over the wire links separating him from them. "You want some too? Hey kid, tell your sister to grow a pair of tits and then she can have some, like your mother."

Ivan stared at his fellow inmate. While he agreed with Phelps that serving orders didn't justify life in prison, the insinuation he'd just made gave him pause. "Cool it, man. Talking like that about children is just wrong."

Oddly enough, the boy twin reacted with a smile that was almost macabre in its cheerful indifference. The girl only tilted her head and continued to regard Phelps with narrowed, amber eyes. She smiled in a similar way to her brother.

"Those aren't fucking children," Phelps muttered, glaring at the two of them. "They're bat-shit crazy."

Ivan considered the kids, glanced at his companion and thought about what he had heard and seen since arriving on Pandora. "Vengeance isn't as crazy as you might think."

Phelps either didn't hear him or didn't care. "So _what_, you gonna pelt me with rocks again or throw more shit at me? Selfridge was right...you're all just a bunch of monkeys!"

The twins looked at one another and nodded. The boy walked closer, his tail swishing with easy grace as he approached. "Funny," he said conversationally, "you think we're monkeys, but you're wearing the same kind of body."

"I'm not the same as you, little punk," Phelps growled. His fingers were paling at the joints from his grip on the chain lengths. "I'm a _soldier!_ I fought for...oww! Goddammit! Guards, these little fuckers are doing it again!"

Ivan hastily stepped back as the girl continued shooting pebbles from a sling at Phelps, hitting him with uncanny accuracy through the fence. When one of the guards looked to see what Phelps was complaining about, the little girl promptly put her toy away behind her back and smiled benignly. Seeing only a cute little girl waving up at him, the guard on the turret smiled at her and told Phelps to shut up.

When the guard turned his back again, Ivan saw something very peculiar. The girl raised her left hand, palm up. Her brother did the same in perfect synchronization. The pair of them stared directly into Phelps' eyes and they slowly curled the last two fingers of their upraised hands, leaving only the pointer finger and the thumb sticking out. The ninety-degree angle of the digits suggested they were making the "loser" sign at Phelps, until they opened their mouths and spoke as one.

"Two years."

Ivan glanced back at Phelps in perplexity and he noticed how quickly the man's face drained of color. Almost as soon as he paled, Phelps shouted, "Go find something better to do, you sick little fucks!"

Ivan turned back to face the boy, who was closest to the fence. "What does that mean; 'two years'?"

"That's how long he has to live," answered the boy with a smirk. "Don't worry, he's the only one we want."

With that said, he skipped off to join his sister and the two of them left the area, talking about the games they wanted to play with their friends and the places they wanted to explore on base.

"I'm telling you, that Na'vi inbreeding makes for some twisted minds," Phelps said when he rejoined Ivan by the fence.

The taller avatar prisoner looked down at Phelps with lowered eyebrows. "Your days are numbered."

Phelps glared up at him. "What, you want to start something too?"

Ivan glanced at the retreating children without smiling, his eyes staying on the little girl. "You have a death clock, and it is winding down."

* * *

"'_Death clock_', what bullshit."

That's what Phelps told himself every night at lockdown, but he was plagued by nightmares of a bloodthirsty goddess with red-painted features, staring down at him and laughing as her children tore him to pieces. The girl resembled her mother the most. The boy resembled that pansy doctor that stopped him from teaching the bitch a lesson and to a lesser extent, the doctor's more aggressive twin.

The searing pain of that arrow burying deep into the meat of his ass only stroked the fires of Phelps' resentment more. Jake Sully was too scared to come around his turf now. If he tried, he'd lose the trust of his friends. At least Jake had the balls to shoot. His brother was another matter. Tom never came within viewing distance of the fucking prison and Phelps believed he was just too afraid of confrontation to do it. Restraint meant nothing to him at this point and love was something he'd done away with a long time ago.

No, Jake wouldn't do anything because he didn't want to disappoint his friends. Tom wouldn't do anything because he didn't have the meat for it. Those kids though...they stopped by every time they visited and around the same time every year, they curled another finger.

It started after Phelps told the Ikran slut's little girl that he could have had her mother. At first, the kid just came around by herself and stared at him. Then her brother joined him and that made it even more annoying, because he looked so much like the fucker that got Phelps into this fix in the first place by ratting on him.

Then one day, the girl held up her palm. Her brother had looked at her, nodded and done the same.

"Four," they said in unison.

He didn't get it, at first. He thought it was some kind of crazy Na'vi crap that had to do with poor arithmetic skills due to the lack of a pinky finger.

Then, exactly a year later, they did it again.

"Three."

They were children, but the smiles they gave him were nothing near playful and the looks in their eyes were nothing short of vengeful. Especially the girl, Karyu. The boy seemed to be following her lead, playing along with her game at first, but there was a solemn quality to his expression that only grew more tranquil with each time.

"Two."

Phelps stared up at the smooth, squared ceiling of his cell and he thought of Ivan's words as he struggled for sleep.

_"You have a death clock, and it's winding down._"

"Bullshit," Phelps muttered again.

"Shut the fuck _up_," one of his cellmates snarled.

Ordinarily, Phelps would have said something crass in response but now, all he could think of were those glittering, amber eyes that were too old for the face they were set in. Kato might be playing, but Karyu wasn't.

* * *

Two years later, Phelps stopped going outside for fresh air and exercise. He had been counting the days religiously since the last time he saw the twins. Their message to him echoed in his mind.

"One."

He wasn't a superstitious man, nor was he easily frightened. A pair of creepy brats couldn't do anything to him. If anyone on the outside were going to kill him by now, it would have been one of their parents or Jake Sully. Despite these perfectly reasonable facts, he was afraid to go outside during the month he knew the Sully families were expected to visit. He could just stay indoors on the dates they typically came and he wouldn't have to see or hear from the spaz twins.

The guards had different plans, however. All prisoners were to get a minimum number of hours outside per week, to ensure nobody suffered vitamin deficiency from lack of sunlight. The only exception for this was illness or bad weather. Even prisoners punished with solitary confinement were given a couple of hours' supervised yard time, if they went without sunlight for more than three days.

"I don't need any fucking sunlight," he protested as the guards started dragging him down the corridor to the exit leading to the exercise yard.

The two avatar guards smirked at each other, enjoying his panic even though they didn't understand it. "Sorry pal. Rules are rules."

Phelps struggled against their hold, knowing that his death awaited him beyond that door—even if it _was_ ludicrous.

* * *

"What are you doing here, all by yourself?"

Karyu smiled at Ramona and she squatted a little to pat Fang on the head. "I just like this tree, Miss Mona."

Ramona shook her head. "Sweetheart, there's at least two-hundred trees in this compound that aren't anywhere near those criminals." She gestured with disdain at the prison compound, where they were literally dragging Phelps out into the yard. "I don't think you need to hang around here. I don't know _what's_ gotten into that guy this time but this is no place for a girl your age to be passing time."

Karyu tilted her head and gazed at the human. She genuinely liked Mona. She was pretty, she was funny and she loved animals. However, she was getting involved and Fang could sense the tension that was otherwise hidden. The viperwolf gave Karyu a confused cackle and licked her hand before looking around warily. Karyu glanced upward casually and she saw her brother's face peering down through the foliage overhead. He gave her a questioning look and she signaled him with her eyes. They needed a distraction.

"Where's your brother?" Ramona was asking, just as Kato plucked a hard nut from the native three and hurled it with percussive force at a passing army rover.

Fang saw the motion and looked up at Kato, wagging his whip-like tail in recognition. Mona didn't notice her animal companion's discovery though, because Kato's missile hit its target a second later—with results he didn't quite intend.

"Aw, fuck!" the driver cried as the nut ricochet off the surface of the control panel and smacked him in the eye.

Had he been human, the driver would have been wearing an exopack and the reinforced mask might have deflected the object. Too bad for him that he was one of the avatar operatives from Jackson's crew and he had no warning or facial protection. The unexpected projectile temporarily blinded him and he impulsively slapped a hand over his right eye, forgetting all about steering as he tended to the unexpected pop.

Kato blinked at his handiwork and gave his sister an "oops" expression before fading back into the canopy. Ramona was quickly distracted by the warning shouts of the passengers on the rover as the vehicle swerved directly toward the security fence surrounding the perimeter of the prison yard.

"Oh, son of a—" Ramona stopped just before finishing the curse, though Karyu was sure she knew what the zoologist was about to say. "Stay here, sugar," Mona told her. Fang began to howl and run around with excitement as his mistress took off to try and help the soldiers on the rover.

Karyu watched for a moment as the man riding beside the driver up front lunged over to grab the wheel. She heard him yelling at his companion to take his foot off the gas, or they were going to crash into the prison fence. The rover almost ran over a patrolling human guard and the woman hastily dodged away at the last minute. The rover crashed into the gate, but the driver's companion had applied the breaks in time to keep it from hitting with enough force to break it down. Karyu looked up at her brother and gave him a nod, which he responded to with a "thumbs-up" sign.

The distraction caused plenty of confusion and chaos, providing the window of opportunity Karyu needed. Now was her chance to take revenge on the man who had tried to rape and murder her mother.

* * *

All of the prisoners and the guards were completely focused on the activity around the vehicle as the passengers helped the groaning driver out of his seat. Dr. Adams was busily coaxing the driver to bend over so she could look at his eye and see what kind of medical attention he needed, if any. Phelps' attention only stayed on the event outside the gate for a few moments, because he saw a familiar Na'vi girl approaching and circling around to the opposite side of the yard from where the rover was.

"You stay the hell away from me, you crazy little bitch!"

Karyu only smiled at him, her yellow eyes never leaving his face as she pulled something out of the pouch hanging from her waist. It took Phelps a moment to recognize it as a blowgun fashioned from some kind of bamboo-like shaft. The girl fitted a dart into it and spoke to him.

"Your time is up. Two minutes, Mr. Phelps."

He looked around for cover and started to dive behind a bench, but Karyu puffed on the dart gun and he felt a prick as the small projectile buried itself into his neck. Phelps clutched at the dart and looked at the girl with wild, wide eyes. Kato jumped down from the tree across the street and hurried over to his sister's side. Together, the twins waved goodbye to Phelps and Karyu broke her blowgun into little pieces, scattering the mulch into the wind with a pleased smile.

Two minutes...that was how long Na'vi poisons usually took to stop the heart of a grown human man. He might have a little longer than that, given his greater size. He yanked the dart out and stared at the sharp, bloodied tip of it as it dropped to the ground.

"The fucking brat poisoned me," Phelps howled, his terror overtaking all sense of reason. He ran to the nearest guard and grabbed him by his uniform jacket. "I need a doctor! I've been poisoned and I've only got a few minutes to get an antidote!"

The guard tried to push him away. "Settle down, you crazy bastard! What the hell are you talking about? Did you get stung by an insect or something?"

"No, you stupid fucker! That little Na'vi cunt shot me with a dart!" Desperate now, Phelps tried to wrest the guard's gun from him, intending to force his jailers to get a doctor for him with a hostage, if he had to.

A single shot went off and Phelps staggered away from the guard and looked down at his chest, stunned. A blossom of red was rapidly spreading over the shirt of his prison uniform, just over his heart. The pain registered to him a second later but numbness was already steeling over him as the vital organ faltered and stopped. It was a clean shot, though accidental. The last things Phelps saw before darkness claimed him were the guard's shocked face and the twins' surprised—yet satisfied—smiles.

* * *

While the event at the prison compound was happening, Jake was inside the avatar cabin playing hide-and-seek with his and Norm's kids. The anthropologist was outside with the other visiting adults, helping to prepare lunch for their families while Jake kept the children occupied.

"All right, I warned you that you'd get a raspberry on your tummy if I found your hiding spot." Jake lifted his giggling, shrieking youngest daughter out of the trunk he'd found her hiding in. "Kids, the rest of you can come out now. Sylwanin's next up for counting!"

Tommy almost startled him as the fourteen year old stepped out from behind the bookshelf, not five feet away from where Jake had found Sylwanin. The kid's stealth abilities were getting better every day and Jake was a little surprised that he had managed to hide in practically plain sight.

"Gracie and I are too old for these kiddy games," Tommy complained in a bored voice. The girl in question emerged from under one of the bunks with a smile on her face that contradicted his announcement. She was clearly enjoying herself.

"You're never too old to play," Jake told his son. He carried Sylwanin over to the nearest bunk and dumped her onto it without ceremony.

"_Sempu_, no!" Cried the five-year-old as her grinning father bent over her.

Jake gave her no quarter. He made good on his promise and blew raspberries on the squirming child's tummy until she was a giggling mess. Despite his sullen complaints, Tommy grinned with the other kids as they watched Jake torment the youngest of them. Jake finally took pity on his daughter after a few moments when she declared she was going to wet herself if he didn't stop. He chuckled and helped her up.

"Okay Sylwanin, you know the rules. You remember how high to count before coming to look for us?"

"Twenty-eight _nantang's_," she answered, still giggling a little.

"That's right." Jake pointed her toward the wall. "Now go cover your eyes and start counting, princess."

The little girl dutifully obliged and all of the children except for Tommy scattered to search for new hiding spots. "One _nantang_...two _nantang_...three _nantang_..."

Jake pulled his oldest son aside and whispered to him. Teen mood swings were worse than he had expected and he dreaded the day when Tsu'tey joined his brother in the Battle of Puberty Hormones. "What's the problem?"

"This is dumb," Tommy whispered back.

Jake sighed and held his gaze. "Someday you aren't going to have time to play these games and then you're going to miss it...trust me. You've still got some time to be a kid. Take advantage of that while you can, son."

Tommy rolled his eyes but nodded in compliance. Sylwanin had reached the count of fifteen and there was only a short window left to hide. As Jake sought out a spot for himself, he groaned inwardly. He had a year—two at most—before he had to deal with two moody teens.

Sylwanin was almost to the count of twenty-eight when Norm burst through the entrance downstairs, hollering for Jake. "Something's going on outside, Jake. I think you should come out and look!"

Jake stepped out of the closet and the children came out of their hiding places, scrambling for the stairs to the first floor with curious excitement. Jake picked up Ralu to avoid stumbling over her and he seated her on his shoulders as he followed the rest of the children down the stairs. "What's up, Norm?"

Norm shook his head and glanced over his shoulder at the cabin exit. "There's been an accident or something. People are heading for the prison and I heard someone mention gunfire."

Jake knelt down to allow Norm's youngest daughter to clamor up to her father. Norm took her hand and walked outside with her behind Jake. Neytiri stood beside Tom a few feet away from the open cooking pit, watching as military personnel and civilians ran down the street. Tanhi was standing next to Ni'nat by the cooking pit. Jake told his kids to stay close to the cabin and he walked out to the street. He stopped a passing Air Force pilot and asked him what was going on.

"One of the prisoners got shot," answered the human. "I don't know if he was trying to break out or what. They've called for security backup and medical teams."

Jake let the man go and he turned around to face the others grimly. "I can think of one prisoner in there that's got a reputation for stirring crap. Tom, where are the twins at?"

Tom paled, reminded of his kids' penchant for disobeying rules when it came to staying away from the prison. "They said they were going to visit Savanna and Dustin." He exchanged a dreading look with his mate. "You don't think—"

"I think we'd better haul ass and make sure Karyu and Kato aren't hanging around there," Jake suggested.

Tanhi was already off and running. Tommy and Tsu'tey started to follow Jake as he and the adults moved to follow but Neytiri stopped the boys. "You both stay here and help Grace watch your sister and Ralu."

"But _Sa'nok_—" Tsu'tey protested.

"No!" Neytiri cut in firmly. "I will not argue this! You stay here and do as you are told."

"Watch the food," Norm instructed Gracie. "I'm sure the twins are okay."

Grace nodded and went to the cooking pit without argument. With a sigh, Tommy went with her to help turn the meat and check on the vegetables.

* * *

They arrived on the scene in time to see Phelps being covered up on a gurney. Kato and Karyu were both standing outside the fence, watching as the medics did their work and the guards cleaned up. Tanhi ran to her children and embraced them both, followed closely by Tom.

"Don't look," Tom advised the twins as he tried to shield their eyes from the sight. Phelps was quite dead and they began to wheel him into the building, while onlookers and prisoners watched.

Karyu and Kato didn't seem the least bit disturbed by the scene. The girl leaned around her father's protective body to watch as the corpse was taken away. "He got what he deserved."

Tom stared at his daughter. Kato was busy ensuring Tanhi that they weren't both okay but Karyu's attention was focused on the covered body. There was a certain kind of conniving joy in the girl's eyes; an accomplished pride that Tom couldn't help but notice. He glanced around before bending over his daughter. He cupped her chin and urged her to look into his eyes.

"Karyu, do you know how this happened?"

She looked up at him and smiled, her expression softening with daughterly love. "Of course I do, _Sempul_. His fear killed him."

Tom felt dread in his bones. He had no doubt that somehow his kids had something to do with the death of Phelps. Not that the man didn't deserve to die but to think that his devoted, esoteric children were directly involved chilled him. They were both so young and despite their brilliance, he didn't think they were mature enough to understand how serious outright murder was.

He looked up and saw Trudy speaking with Jake and Neytiri near the fence. Jake frowned in response to something she said and he shook his head. Neytiri said something to Trudy in a low voice, bending over to speak in her ear. Trudy responded and then the three of them looked straight at Tom's family. Jake sighed and approached his twin with a serious expression on his face.

"Tom, Trudy wants to talk to us inside," Jake murmured when he stopped before him. "It's sort of important."

Tanhi was satisfied that her offspring were okay and she turned around to face Jake with a frown. "What does the human want?"

Jake glanced around and leaned in closer to her, his eyes briefly flitting over the twins. "They're investigating what happened here and your kids might know something about it. If you'd rather take them to the cabin and get them fed, Tom and I can handle it."

Tanhi's jaw tensed. "I will let no-one harm my children."

"Do you _really_ think anyone here is going to let that happen?" Jake asked in a harsh whisper. "Dammit, you know Trudy. Just because she's following protocol doesn't mean she'd ever let anyone hurt a kid."

Tanhi glanced at Trudy, who was speaking with Neytiri again. The pilot sensed her gaze and she returned it. She gave Tanhi a reassuring nod, from one mother to another. Tanhi relaxed a bit and looked to her mate. Tom didn't look relaxed at all, but he presented her with an encouraging half-smile and drew her close for a brief kiss.

"They need to know what happened," he murmured, combing his fingers through Tanhi's braids. "Just take the kids and have something to eat. We'll be there as soon as we're finished."

Tanhi nodded and slowly pulled away from him. She looked at the twins and motioned them to follow. Even if they were involved in Phelps' demise, they weren't brave or foolish enough to disobey their mother. Neytiri said something to Norm and Ni'nat and the couple nodded, walking with Tanhi and the kids back toward the avatar section of the compound.

"We'll find out what's going on, bro," Jake promised his twin with a pat on the shoulder.

* * *

"I'll get right to the point," Trudy said once she was alone in the interrogation room with Jake, Tom and Neytiri.

She took a clear baggie out of her pocket, opened it and removed a dart from it. The projectile was about the size of an adult woman's index finger and the end of it was crowned with a plume of red-dyed feathers. She stabbed the needle-sharp bone point into the table, demonstrating how much harder the skeletal structure of Pandora creatures was than Earth creatures.

All eyes went to the dart and Tom's slow, deep breath wasn't lost on Trudy.

"Recognize it?" She said to him.

Tom shut his eyes. "It's Karyu's. She and her brother aren't allowed to practice with bows unsupervised until they're older, so they use blowguns."

Neytiri was losing patience. "Where did you find this dart?" Her eyes were examining the dried blood on the point.

"In the courtyard, by Phelps' body," answered Trudy, immediately sobering. "The guard fired one shot in the struggle. It took Phelps in the heart and killed him almost instantly. The guard reported that Phelps was raving about being poisoned before he tried to grab his gun."

"And did your people diagnose the dart?" Tom asked, his fingers clutching the edge of the table.

Trudy glanced down at his white-knuckled hands before her dark eyes flicked to his face. Her expression softened. "Yeah, they checked it out. It wasn't poisoned, Tomcat. The gunshot was what killed Phelps. The stick in the neck from the dart was what instigated his boneheaded move on the guard, though. I'm guessing your daughter must have pegged him with this, right?"

Tom hesitated. "Karyu has been increasingly aggressive against Phelps each year," he admitted softly, lowering his gaze. "We wanted to shield the twins from all of this, but..."

"You can't protect them forever," Trudy finished when Tom couldn't find the words.

"Trudy, don't tell me you're thinking of locking up that little girl," Jake said in a low voice.

She snorted. "Like I'd lock up a kid for scaring a rapist psycho inmate enough to attack a guard. No, this is going on record for what it is, people. Phelps was wound up too tight and he finally snapped. The shot was an accidental discharge in the struggle. That's it."

Neytiri nodded and smiled, while Jake sighed and slumped with relief. Tom stared at Trudy suspiciously though. "You're not going to put the dart on record?"

Trudy glanced at him and then at Jake and Neytiri. The couple took the hint and got up from their chairs. "We'll wait outside," Jake offered. "I'm sick of wearing this exopack anyhow."

When they left, Trudy reached over the table and laid her small, tan hand over Tom's large, blue-striped one. "It's like Jake said: she's just a kid, Tom. My boy knows things that I don't think he should know at his age but every time he freaks me out, I think back on my own childhood and I remember I wasn't as gullible and innocent as my parents' thought I was. I'm not dragging the dart into this because for one, your daughter was trying to protect her mama."

Trudy sniffed and wiped at her right eye, taking a moment to control her feelings. "I know Dustin would want to kill anybody that ever hurt me. Secondly, there wasn't any poison. Your kids' fucked with Phelps' heads and played him like a fiddle. Tomcat, your little girl _did not_ kill that man, okay? He killed himself."

Tom turned his hand over and gently grasped hers. "Thank you, Trudy. You'll always be a true friend to me and you'll always be that 'first love'."

Trudy looked down at the hand curving around hers and she briefly returned the pressure. "Ditto, kiddo. We'll always be buds."

* * *

"_Sempu_, are you mad at us?"

Tom paused in tucking his daughter in for the night and he looked over at Tanhi, who was tucking Kato in. She gave him an encouraging glance. In parenting matters, she really was the wiser of the two of them.

Tom's heart clenched and he looked down at Karyu, kneeling beside her bed. "No, starfish. I'm not mad at either of you. I was just worried about what could have happened to you both, when we heard there was a situation at the prison. You refused to listen to your mother and I and you haven't been respecting the rules."

Karyu bit her lip and looked up at him earnestly. "But that man deserved it, and all we did was pick on him."

Tom smiled at her then and he shook his head. "You both know you did a lot more than pick on him. You deliberately drove him."

"But what he tried to do to _Sa'nok_ was wrong," Kato insisted, growing angry.

Tanhi stroked Kato's hair and shushed him. "Your father and I never wanted you to learn about that so early. We understand why you chose your actions and it was very loyal and brave of you both, but it was not honorable."

Both of the twins looked confused and Tom gave his mate a helpless look, unsure of how to explain the intricacies of morality to Na'vi children. Tanhi gave him a faint, brief smile and elaborated.

"A true champion fights the enemy face-to-face," Tanhi murmured, pitching her voice low so she wouldn't disturb the other guests in the cabin. "You do not win against an enemy that cannot fight back, children. I will always remember with pride that my children wanted to avenge me, but you must use more than tricks to be good examples to our people, from now on."

The twins looked at one another, struggling to understand her words. Kato was the first to speak. "So you aren't disappointed in us?"

Tom chuckled under his breath. "For defending your mother? No. You both have a lot of growing up to do and it takes practice to learn right from wrong."

"We are your parents," Tanhi added softly, stroking Kato's hair. "We will always love you both. That is a promise."

Both of them seemed contented by that and they smiled, exchanging hugs and kisses goodnight with their parents.

* * *

Tom awoke some time after midnight and he couldn't get back to sleep. He eased out of the bunk he shared with his mate and he pulled a pair of jogging pants on over his underwear before sneaking outside for some fresh air. He was a little startled to find his brother already there, sitting cross-legged on the ground and watching the stars. Tom walked down the steps and sat down beside Jake. The older twin shared a smile and a nod with him and for a long while, the two of them just sat in silence and looked at the night sky.

Finally, Tom spoke up. "Jake, my kids are a little frightening."

Jake turned his head and looked at him. For a count of three heartbeats, his expression was completely somber but then a grin split his mouth and he chuckled, barely containing it to an appropriate volume. He put an arm around Tom and drew him into a rough, brotherly embrace.

"Tommy, we've both been through shit that would put most people in therapy. We'll make it through parenthood too."

Tom laughed under his breath too and he scrubbed a fist over the crown of his older twin's head. "If you say so. Hoo-hah."

Jake pulled away and gave him an offended look. "It's '_oorah'_. Man, you'd never make it as a marine."

* * *

-To be continued

**Translations:**

**_Tsatseng_** = There

**_'Ite_** = Daughter

**_Sa'nu_** = Mommy

**_Sempu_** = Daddy

**_Nantang_** = Viper wolf


	47. Chapter 47

"Between worlds"

Epilogue

* * *

**Author's note: See footnotes at the end of the chapter for Na'vi/English translations. To everyone who has followed this story to the end and reviewed it, you have my sincere gratitude. It's time to draw this story to a close, however, I've enjoyed writing this so much that I'm definitely going to write a follow-up/sequel to it. I've already been outlining it, in fact. Thank you again, lovely audience!**

* * *

_*Disclaimer: I do not own Pandora and I make no profit from writing fanfiction based on the "Avatar" film._

* * *

As time passed, there were deaths as well as new births. Roy Jacobs passed away from a stroke. His colleagues at the base held a respectful funeral service for him and exchanged memories about him. Ramona and Lee's pet viper wolf also died of natural causes, but he had lived a long and full life—probably longer than most of his kind in the wild. Ramona took a couple of weeks off work, unable to focus in her grief for her beloved animal friend. Many others missed the wolf as well, having grown attached to him in his time on the colony. Lee was tempted to try and steal another viper wolf pup but Katherine quickly corrected him, informing him that Ramona would never approve of outright stealing a pup from its pack just to soothe her loss. Lee was a little ashamed of himself for even considering it, but his own grief over Fang had impaired his judgment.

Peyla finally conceived a child of her own and when she neared her time to give birth, Tanhi traveled with her family to the Tree of Souls. Just as Peyla had been there for her, Tanhi was at her old friend's side for the event, holding her hand and coaching her. Tom assisted Mo'at in the delivery and though it was a hard birth on the petite huntress, she and her baby made it through safely. She had a boy and they named him Tsanten. E'quath was diligent in helping to care for his new son and aiding Peyla's recovery. Contrary to Tanhi's prediction that she would get tired of being pampered by her mate, Peyla enjoyed every moment of E'quath's attention.

The UN and Hell's Gate built "green" structures in various, remote locations. They obtained permission from clan leaders in the territory and explained the purpose of each structure before going ahead with the construction. All of the plants ran on solar or steam power. Most were remotely operated from control rooms on the bases, but weekly inspections were conducted to ensure they ran smoothly. Most of them were designed to purify contaminants in water sources, or to relieve stress along fault-lines to prevent earthquakes. Some were levees to prevent floods or land corrosion. Selfridge was being surprisingly environmentally conscious, but Max reasoned his new approach was influenced by fear of another animal uprising. It seemed that Parker had learned to respect Pandora, even if he hated it.

Life went on for everyone and the children grew quickly, each with his or her own unique talents, quirks and virtues.

* * *

"But Dad, I _hate_ Emazu," Tommy protested as he and his brother prepared their gear to go hunting with their father.

He had turned sixteen five months ago and he still had a rivalry going on with the other young man. There had been other fights between them after the first, though they didn't occur that often. The two teenagers were evenly matched against one another and Tommy lost as many fights as he won.

Jake smirked at him. "You two hate each other now, but Emazu's turning into a strong hunter and warrior. Some day, you might have to rely on each other in a fight. I hope that never happens but you need to be able to put your differences aside when it counts."

Tsu'tey secured his bow and gave his older brother a doubtful look. He didn't take after his namesake in mannerisms at all. Tsu'tey was a quiet boy with a gentle nature and a love for solitude. Tommy was a warrior through and through, like his father. Tsu'tey doubted he and Emazu would ever learn to get along because they shared an interest in Gracie and they were both aggressive.

"Why don't you tell _him_ that?" Tommy grumbled. He checked his arrows carefully before slipping his quiver on.

Jake looked him in the eye. "Because he's not my son. It's up to his parents to talk some sense into him and I'm not going to cross that line. Everybody has their own way of raising their kids, Tommy. Besides, you two might surprise each other some day. The man Tsu'tey is named after used to be my rival, but he became my friend."

Tommy and Tsu'tey looked at one another. They had heard the story before, of course. Jake and Neytiri explained their reasons for the names they chose for each of their children. All three of the siblings were familiar with events that happened before they were born and the important people in their parents' lives—both living and deceased.

"Grace is coming on this hunting trip too," Jake informed with a knowing twinkle in his eye.

Tommy ceased his complaints, just as Jake suspected he would. The opportunity to impress the girl he was sweet on by making his first kill in front of her was plenty of incentive for Tommy.

* * *

Unfortunately, Tommy wasn't the one to make his first kill. Emazu picked up the _yerik's_ trail first, so when the party caught up to the animal it was his right to take the shot. Jake and the other kids watched in silence as the budding hunter sited his arrow and took a steadying breath. He drew the bowstring back carefully and paused to focus his aim. He held his breath and Tommy was sorely tempted to "accidentally" make a noise to distract him and spoil his aim. A glance at his father changed his mind. Jake would know it was deliberate and he had raised his kids to practice good sportsmanship.

Emazu released the arrow and it hit the hexapede in the flank. The animal bleated in pain and shock and started to bolt, but it was crippled from the hit.

"Finish it off fast, Emazu," Jake instructed urgently. "Don't lose it!"

Emazu got up and began to run, fitting another arrow into his bow as he went. He stopped and took careful aim while the others stopped a few feet behind him. This time he hit it in the lungs and the creature stumbled and went down. He quickly secured his bow and drew his knife as he closed the distance and straddled the dying animal. He spoke the Hunter's blessing without faltering and he drove the knife in cleanly, piercing his prey's heart. The hexapede's struggles ceased within seconds.

Tommy glanced at Grace and jealousy ate at him when he saw that she was smiling at Emazu. The successful young hunter wiped his hands and knife off in the moss before standing up to face Jake. There was a smile of pride and satisfaction on his face as the _Olo'eyktan_ approached him and laid a hand over his shoulder.

"Good kill, Emazu. You had a rocky start but you pulled it together fast and didn't leave it suffering for long."

Jake's next comment deflated the boy's pride a bit. "You need to improve your marksmanship, though. It's important to do your best to hit vital organs. The more arrows you have to put in an animal, the more damage it does to the hide and the more it's going to suffer. You'll get better with practice."

Emazu nodded. "Yes, _Olo'eyktan_. I will do better, next time."

Tsu'tey and Grace went forward to congratulate Emazu on his kill, but Tommy hesitated. A look from his father reminded him that no matter how he felt about his rival, being the bigger person was an important lesson in leadership. Tommy sighed inwardly and approached Emazu, forcing a smile on his face as he offered his congratulations.

* * *

As they rode back to the village on the backs of their direhorses, Tommy fell behind. Why should he ride up in the front with his father, when he hadn't earned his first kill? He was feeling a bit sorry for himself, struggling with feelings of inferiority. He'd failed to impress his father and he'd failed to impress Gracie. The latter bothered him the most, because he'd _always_ been her champion. Grace was as free to choose her future mate as any other girl in the clan and for the first time, Tommy worried he might not be at the top of her list.

When Emazu fell back to ride beside him, Tommy braced himself. He expected the other boy to gloat, but instead he gave Tommy a measuring look. "You had the chance to spoil my aim," he observed in a low voice. "But you did not take it."

Tommy was wary, unsure of where the conversation might go. "No, I didn't," he agreed.

"I would have." Emazu shrugged.

Tom looked at him sidelong. "I know. I have to rise above childish games, though."

Emazu considered this without his usual scowl. There was a smug, confident look on his face as his eyes went to Gracie, riding up ahead with Tsu'tey. "We both want the same things."

"Like?" Tommy pretended ignorance, trying not to let the other teen's wandering gaze bother him.

Emazu smirked. "Strength, respect and the finest female in the clan for a mate. Don't play stupid."

"We have years before we can get any of that," Tommy reminded him crossly. "First, we have to become men. Besides, you've called me a 'half-breed' plenty of times. Grace is the same as me, so why would you want a tainted woman as your mate?"

Emazu's eyes went to Grace again and he inspected her with typical male appreciation. "Her good qualities make up for the taint in her blood. When the day comes for Grace to seek a mate, we will see who claims her as a prize."

Tommy flushed and his _pa'li _whinnied in protest when his hands tightened over the animal's antennae. The urge to lunge across their mounts and tackle Emazu to the ground was almost more than he could bear. He clenched his teeth and hissed his response at the other boy.

"She isn't a '_prize_'. I should kick your ass for disrespecting her like that."

Emazu wasn't intimidated. "There is nothing disrespectful about showing a female who will make a better mate for her. Go ahead, attack me and bring shame to your father."

Tommy forced himself to relax. "You don't know Gracie. She'd never choose someone that knocks her down and treats her like a trophy. I don't need to kick your ass; you're doing it for me."

Emazu narrowed his eyes at him but he had nothing witty to say in retaliation. Feeling like he'd won this particular battle, Tommy gave the other boy a disdainful smirk of his own before riding to the front of the party to join his father. Jake looked at him sidelong and gave him a bare nod and a crooked grin of approval. Tommy blinked, realizing that the clan leader's sharp ears had caught at least some of the conversation. Gracie and Tsu'tey were absorbed in a soft conversation of their own, so it was doubtful that they had noticed the low exchange of challenges between Tommy and Emazu.

Tommy returned his father's smile, feeling more secure. The only thing that still bothered him was the way Grace had smiled at Emazu.

* * *

After dinner that evening, Tommy asked to speak with Grace in private. She agreed and they walked to the mouth of the creek together. When she asked him what was the matter, he took a moment to gather his thoughts before speaking.

"Gracie, do you like Emazu?"

She looked a little surprised by the question. "That's a weird thing to ask me. I like a lot of clan-mates our age. We all grew up together."

He nodded, realizing he wasn't getting his meaning across. "I mean do you like him a lot?"

Grace tilted her head in puzzlement. The breeze stirred the shiny, loose mass of hair that fell to her waist around her queue. "Not really. He's still a big nincompoop and he's mean, most of the time." She smiled at him. "Why are you worried about this?"

Tommy shrugged and dug his toes into the moss, fighting back a blush. "It's just...you smiled at him when he made that kill. I thought maybe you were starting to like him. You know...the way we like each other."

"The way we like each other?" She inspected a lock of her hair for split ends. "What way is that?"

Tommy rolled his eyes. "You know. We're meant for each other."

She dropped the glossy strands of hair and looked up at him with raised brows. "No, I _don't_ know that, Tommy. Neither do you. Mother says that when a girl is ready to start looking for a mate, her tastes can change. Who she picks as her mate is _her_ choice, even if she needs the clan leaders to help her decide between suitors. You don't get to tell me when to pick or who to pick—not even when you're_ Olo'eyktan_."

Realizing his error, he tried to correct it. "I'm not the one that called you a 'prize'."

Grace stared at him with open bewilderment. "Who said that?"

"I'll give you one hint." He crossed his arms over his chest. "Why do you think I was so worried about you smiling at him?"

Her eyes narrowed and she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest as well. "Emazu. Your mother would say he only sees the surface. I know boys look at me, Tommy. I'm used to it. He always makes me feel embarrassed, though."

Tom lowered his eyes. "A lot of boys our age like to look at girls...especially you."

"But he looks at me without seeing me," she tried to explain. Her pretty features were troubled as she searched for words. "I believe you when you say he called me a prize. What were you talking about when he said that?"

"He was bragging about bringing down his kill," Tommy answered honestly. "He was just doing his usual thing, trying to make me mad. He said we both wanted the same things and then he said whoever was better would get the prettiest girl in the clan as his prize."

She pursed her lips. "Maybe he meant someone else."

He smiled at her. "Come on. Even if he hadn't said your name when he talked about it, we both know he meant you."

Gracie shrugged modestly and lowered her gaze, but he saw the way her lips curved up at the corners. She actually wasn't a vain girl, despite her uncommon beauty. Like her mother, she was simply aware of her admirers.

"What did you say to him?" Grace asked after a moment.

Tommy took one of her hands in his. "I told him you aren't a prize and that you'll never be with someone that thinks of you like that."

Gracie threaded her fingers through his. "Then why do you think I should pick you, when I'm grown up enough to look for a mate? If you don't think I'm a prize then you shouldn't say I'm meant for you, Tommy."

He sighed and gave her a sheepish look. "I guess I've always just thought of us belonging together. Maybe I just want to be with you so bad I can't see it any other way."

"There are other girls in the clan," she reminded him softly. "Very pretty ones, who really like you and admire you."

"None like you." Tommy looked into her eyes, willing her to understand. "My Dad had his choice of women when he joined the clan, but my mother was the only one for him. I know you're the only one for me."

Grace smiled and her eyes softened on him. She cleared her throat a second later and freed her hand from his, sobering. "Well, that isn't just your decision."

He nodded. "I know. Gracie, I know I'm not always good at hiding it when I...uh...look at you. Do I ever make you feel embarrassed?"

She smiled at him again and shook her head. "No. I don't mind when you do it because you respect me...most of the time."

He shrugged self-consciously; though his ears perked unconsciously with happiness to hear that she wasn't offended when his eyes betrayed him. "I could poke Emazu's eyes out for you if you want. Then he couldn't look at you that way anymore and make you feel embarrassed." He was joking of course, but he wouldn't mind blackening his rival's eyes so they'd be swollen shut for a few days.

She laughed softly and slapped his bicep. "Tommy!"

He grinned. "What? You shouldn't feel embarrassed for being so pretty."

Grace shook her head, still smiling. "I don't want anyone's eyes poked out for my sake. I can take care of myself, but it's nice to know you have my back." She rose on her tiptoes and planted a soft kiss on his cheek.

Tommy touched the spot when she pulled away and he stared at her, stunned. She bit her lower lip and looked up at him through lowered lashes. "We should get back. It's getting dark and we didn't get permission to go this far from the village tonight."

Tommy could only nod mutely. Gracie had kissed him on the cheek many times as children but once they attained puberty, she stopped doing it. It felt vastly different to him now than it had some three years ago. It stirred his blood and made him want to embrace her and kiss her on the lips, the way his parents and other mated adults did with each other.

Grace gave him one last smile before turning away. Tommy watched her graceful walk and his eyes roved over her helplessly. She paused and looked over her shoulder at him, frowning. "Tommy, are you coming?"

He shook himself out of it and nodded. "Sure."

He started to follow her but he wasn't paying attention to where he was going and his left foot got caught on an exposed tree root. He lost his balance and fell flat on his stomach in the moss. His face burned with humiliation as Grace giggled and hurried over to him.

"Are you okay? It's not like you to trip like that."

"I'm fine," Tommy assured her, brushing himself off as he got back to his feet. "I just...wasn't paying attention."

* * *

"All boys ever think about is sex," complained Grace aloud as she helped her parents hang newly washed garments out to dry.

Norm's head whipped around to stare at Grace and his mouth fell open. Thankfully, Ralu was inside the den helping other children clean the eating utensils—else he would be forced to answer embarrassing questions the eight year old would likely ask in response to her older sister's comment.

Ni'nat was more elegant with her response and she calmly wrung out a garment before pinning it on the sinew clothing line with a bone clip. "This is not proper conversation to have right now, daughter."

"But it's true," Grace persisted grumpily. "Sex, sex, sex! That's all they care about!"

Norm's eyes grew wider each time she said the word "sex" and Ni'nat glanced at him with an amused quirk of her mouth before responding to Grace again. "Males and females are not so different, precious one. Some day, you will find yourself thinking of it just as much as they do and—"

"No she won't," Norm interrupted. He dropped the garment he was hanging up and he swooped over to his daughter. "Sweetheart, I'm _begging_ you to stop saying that word aloud."

Gracie furrowed her brows in puzzlement. "What word? 'Sex'?"

Norm's face darkened with color. "Yes."

She shrugged. "Okay then; mating. It's the only thing on the boys' minds and I really don't think I'll ever be so obsessed with—"

"Okay, let's not use that word either," Norm advised uncomfortably.

Ni'nat gave her mate a puzzled, faintly annoyed look. "Norm, you are over-reacting."

"I thought you said those weren't bad words," Grace accused, sharing her mother's annoyance.

"Well, they aren't," he explained, lowering the pitch and tone of his voice, "but sex...or mating...those aren't things you should be worrying about at your age."

"The boys sure worry about it," huffed Grace. "They worry about it all the time. The way some of them look at me—"

"Who's been looking at you like that?" Norm demanded.

"Nobody," Grace amended hastily, not wanting to endanger Tommy.

Norm stared at her for a moment before shutting his eyes and laughing softly at his own expense. "I'm sorry, Grace. Like your mother says, I'm being a little unreasonable. Yes, boys are going to look at girls that way for most of their lives. I did it, most of the guys I know do it and we're probably going to be doing it until we're either blind or too old to care anymore."

"But why do boys do it so much sooner than girls?" Grace asked softly.

Norm had been the one to tell her about reproduction and the differences between boys and girls but his explanations were conservative. Grace noticed that her mother was looking at her father with a suspicious frown and Norm appeared distinctly uncomfortable.

He stroked Grace's hair and inhaled slowly before answering her. "I must not have made that part clear to you when we had this talk last year. Na'vi boys start feeling these...desires...sooner than girls. They reach that level of maturity around the same time as human boys, but Na'vi girls take longer. You should have years before you start feeling those things...I hope. Just put the boys in their place if they bother you and if you don't feel comfortable, talk to us, Neytiri or Jake. It's not your responsibility to make them feel better about themselves, so you don't have to put up with a single minute of it, okay?"

Grace smiled, used to reminders. Her father had always been very thorough about reminding her that she belonged to herself, before anyone else. Unfortunately, he contradicted his empowering talks when he acted as though he was afraid of her growing up or learning too much about mating practices. She hugged him around the neck, knowing that he would never try to pressure her to pair up with a man she didn't want.

"I know, _Sempu_. I'm sorry if I embarrassed you with my big mouth."

Norm hugged her back and sighed. "I'm too over-protective, aren't I?"

Grace giggled. "You wouldn't be yourself, if you weren't."

* * *

Tommy still hadn't washed his face the next morning. He still felt Grace's soft lips on his cheek and he'd spent all night tossing and turning in his hammock, suffering desires that Grace was still blessedly free of. He decided to talk to his father about it. Jake and Neytiri had explained the facts of life to he and Tsu'tey already, but there were still a lot of things about girls he still didn't understand. He sought out his father and finally located him outside near the den. Jake was constructing fresh arrows, seated on the ground a few feet away from the trunk. Tommy looked around to be sure nobody was too close and he squatted down beside his father.

"Dad, can I ask you something?"

Jake paused in his work and nodded. "Sure. What do you want to know?"

Tommy hesitated. "It's...about girls."

Jake smirked. "You're definitely my kid. I thought we already went over that with you, though."

"Not everything," Tommy objected. He leaned closer and lowered his voice to a whisper. "How long does it take girls to start liking boys the way we like them?"

Jake looked at him with a thoughtful expression before answering. "Well, if we were talking about humans I'd say they start noticing the boys around the same time."

Tommy sighed. "That's not much help. I'm talking about Na'vi girls."

Jake grinned. "Yeah, I know. Your mother knows more about this than I do but I'm guessing you don't want to ask her."

Tommy felt warmth in his face and he shook his head. "I'd feel really uncomfortable."

"All right, but I can't promise you all of my information is solid. I'm still learning some of this stuff myself for when your sister comes of age and starts asking these awkward questions. From what your mother told me, it's different for every Na'vi girl. Some of them don't start feeling those urges until they're close to thirty and others get them around the age of eighteen. It also depends on the population. When a clan starts reaching a point where its numbers could put a strain on resources, women take longer to hit their peak and fewer kids are born. Your mother also told me a girl's personality can make a difference. The ones that really want a family start feeling the drive sooner than the ones that aren't in a rush."

Tommy groaned audibly before he could stop himself. Three years? He would have to wait _three whole years or longer_ before he could find out if Grace would choose him as a mate? "Isn't there any way to speed it up?"

Jake raised his eyebrows at him. "Not unless you want the wrath of your Uncle Norm on your head. Trust me, the man might be a lanky peace-keeper but when he wants to hit someone, he hits _hard_. Norm can kick some serious butt when he thinks it's justified. I saw him clock a trained marine in the jaw once, hard enough to knock out a tooth."

Tommy grimaced. No, he didn't want to make Norm or Ni'nat angry with him and he certainly didn't want to push Gracie. "I just can't stand not knowing. It isn't fair, Dad. I have all of these feelings and she might not have them for years. How do I cope with that?"

Jake thought about it for a second. "How much do you like Gracie?"

"A _lot_," Tommy answered with feeling. "I mean, a _whole lot_. She's the only one I want."

Jake's eyebrows went up for a second. "Okay, I hear what you're saying but you're a little too young to know that for sure."

Tommy shook his head stubbornly. "I mean it...as much as you meant it when you chose _Sa'nok_ and she chose you."

Jake measured him with his eyes, clearly doubtful. "I wasn't a teenager when I met your mother and there were a lot of girls I thought I was madly in love with, before her. I'm not saying your feelings for Gracie aren't real but—"

"Then stop," Tommy insisted. "Just stop now because she's the one for me and I know it."

Jake chuckled. "Slow down. I know better than to argue with a teenager that has his heart set on something. I've been there."

"So do you think Gracie will let me know when she's at the same place I am?"

Jake started to answer, hesitated and then sucked on his teeth in thought. "Let me tell you something about women, Tommy. They're as deep as the ocean. You can spend your whole life learning their ways and when you die, you're _still_ not going to know everything there is to know about them."

"That's really not very encouraging, _Sempul_." Tommy felt only dread in response to his father's piece of wisdom.

Jake laughed heartily. He reached out and clapped the teen on the shoulder, bringing his mirth under control after a moment. When he sobered, he gave Tommy a last bit of advice.

"If you're the one she wants, she's going to let you know it." Jake gave him a warning look. "Believe me; she'll make it good and clear."

Tommy wasn't sure whether his father's serious words made him feel encouraged or wary.

* * *

As life went on at Hometree, the children at Hell's Gate matured as well, learning their own life lessons. Savanna's artistic skills grew by the day and her dancing improved. A lot of people wondered why she didn't take a greater interest in science or technology like her parents, but Katherine and Sebastian were happy to let her grow into her own person, educating her without influencing her away from her chosen direction.

Dustin's skills on the flight simulator continued to improve and his understanding of science had Max excited. His parents tried not to push him in one direction or the other but they unconsciously managed to do so, despite all efforts not to. Dustin took after his mother in his strength of will and determination, but he took after his father in patience and intellect. He took everything in stride, doing his best to please both of his parents. He didn't mind that they never officially married. Their relationship worked fine for them and that was enough for him.

The one thing that did manage to stick in Dustin's craw was the way other people tended to treat his friend Savanna. Bigotry never sat well with him in the first place but hearing the names some of his schoolmates called the quiet, introverted hybrid tried his patience. The avatar kids of their generation tended not to pick on her the way the humans did, but neither did they offer assistance or associate with Savanna, save one. Unfortunately, Sheri was home with a stomach flu for the week and neither Andrew nor Dustin's classes synchronized well with Savanna's.

On his way out of the school building at the end of the week, Dustin came across a pair of guys his age in the hall and he overheard them talking about Savanna. She was up ahead, going toward the stairs to the bottom floor. They were eyeing her lewdly, in the way that some teen boys tended to do when girls walked past them. He recognized one of them as Kurt Palmer. The other one was unfamiliar to him. Both boys were older and bigger than he was, so confronting them might not be such a good idea. Dustin intended to ignore their inappropriate stares and catch up to his friend, to discourage other teens from picking on her as she left the building.

"Amazon hybrid freak."

Dustin stopped in his tracks and turned around slowly to look at the boy who made the comment. Kurt was bi-racial himself, with a Latino mother and a Caucasian father. His ginger-haired friend was grinning and nodding with agreement.

"Yeah, but I'll bet she's going to fill out nice in a couple of years—freak or not," said the redhead.

"I think you've both said enough," interrupted Dustin. He gave them both an unwavering, dark-eyed glare.

"What's your problem?" Kurt demanded.

Dustin was thankful that he had his shoulder-length curls tied back into a ponytail today, because he was sure his next words were going to result in a hallway skirmish. "You stand here calling Savanna a freak for her inheritance, when you're bi-racial yourself." Dustin was the product of mixed racial heritage as well—half of which he shared in common with Kurt.

"So? At least my parents are the same species."

Dustin ignored the way other kids stopped and stared at the rising confrontation. "So prejudice against people with mixed heritage is acceptable to you, as long as the recipient doesn't have two human parents?"

"Hey, we don't speak nerd-talk," the redhead snorted. "Speak English, dude."

"Species should stick to their own kind," said Kurt. He stepped closer to Dustin and invaded his personal space, bringing his face close to his. "Even the avatar kids know it. What's _your_ problem?"

Dustin was losing patience with the thick-witted hypocrite and now the taller boy was trying to intimidate him with a common bully tactic. Clearly, his father's way of reasoning with people wasn't going to work this time. Dustin chose to take a page from his mother's book and use a more direct approach. "If you're moving in for a kiss, I should tell you right now you aren't my type."

One of the girls in the audience snickered and the Kurt's face turned beet red. "What did you just say to me, fag?" He drew back with a disgusted look.

Dustin shrugged. "You're the one that likes to get in close. I'm just letting you know your affection isn't reciprocated."

The redhead stared at his companion. "Are you going to let him get away with calling you that?"

"I haven't called anyone anything," Dustin corrected, holding Kurt's gaze steadily, "but I'm advising you both now to stop calling my friend a 'freak'."

"Or what, brainiac?" challenged the brunet—though he refrained from using the "in your face" attempt at masculine intimidation again. "You'll pummel me with your encyclopedia?"

"No Kurt, I'll leave the consequences up to you," Dustin answered. "If you think fighting is the best way to resolve this, take a swing at me. Otherwise, shut that garbage chute you call a mouth and keep your bigoted thoughts about Savanna Thomas to yourself, from now on."

"I'm _so_ going to kick your ass," threatened Kurt.

"Thank you for the warning," Dustin replied. He stood relaxed, his mind quickly going over the combat moves his mother had drilled into him over the years. "Anytime you're ready."

Kurt growled and drew back his fist. Dustin prepared to avoid the blow if possible, but before the other boy could deliver his swing, a large cyan hand caught hold of his wrist. Kurt looked up at the owner and so did Dustin and every other kid in the hallway. It was one of the avatar operatives from Jackson's team—a scientist by the name of Neil Quinton. He was one of the people who had volunteered his services as an educator when the university was built.

"Mr. Quinton," Dustin greeted, swallowing to work some moisture into his mouth. His adrenaline was spiked and he couldn't determine whether he was relieved or disappointed by the intervention.

"Someone explain this," demanded the instructor, his amber eyes sweeping the gathered crowd of students. Kids ranging from grade school ages to teen attended their classes in the same building, so there was a gaggle of small children mixed in with the larger ones.

"Just a disagreement," Kurt said grudgingly, trying to free his wrist from the avatar teacher's grasp.

"Is it?" Mr. Quinton raised an eyebrow. "Because from where I was standing, it looked like you were about to hit Mr. Patel."

"He started it!"

The teacher looked to Dustin. "Is he telling the truth? Did you provoke him?"

Dustin thought it was best to speak the plain truth. "I heard him and his friend making racial slurs about a friend of mine, so I confronted them. I might have provoked him a little, since I offered him the choice of shutting up or fighting me. I had no intention to strike first. I left it up to him to decide what happened next."

"I see." Dustin couldn't be sure, but he thought the teacher looked impressed and slightly amused. "Well, there's a strict policy against students fighting on these grounds, as every attendant here knows." Mr. Quinton looked at Kurt. "Verbal abuse and harassment are also prohibited on this property. We have a melting pot of students here and in order for everyone to receive fair and equal education; all students are required to practice tolerance for one another—at least while on the school grounds. I have no choice but to notify you boys' parents and put this incident on your school records."

Dustin nodded, expecting no less. Odds were that he would get a small lecture from his Dad for provoking another kid but he was confident that the teacher would be sure to tell them why the incident occurred in the first place. Max and Trudy weren't likely to be too angry with him for defending his friend—especially since it never got physical.

"You're both dismissed," said Mr. Quinton. "Don't let me find out the two of you decided to finish this little fracas in the street. Go straight home from here."

"Yes sir," Dustin agreed amicably. Kurt and his friend grumbled under their breath but they didn't argue with the man.

Dustin found Savanna at the back of the dispersing crowd when he walked toward the stairs. She was nibbling her lower lip and waiting for him, leaning against the wall with her backpack clutched against her chest. He smiled at her a little self-consciously, guessing she'd seen the entire encounter.

"You didn't have to get into an argument for my sake," she murmured as the two of them walked down the steps together. "I hope you don't get in trouble, Dusty."

He shrugged. "Since a fight didn't actually happen, I don't think I will. Where's Andrew, anyway? He normally meets us in the hall when our last classes are over with."

"He went home early today," Savanna answered. "He started feeling sick in Geometry class, so the teacher sent him to the office to get a sick note. I think he might have caught that stomach bug that's going around."

"Hmm. Dad says it's just a Pandora version of a regular stomach virus, but they might have to shut the school down for a little while to keep it from spreading too much."

Savanna's unusual hazel eyes grew concerned as they walked through the main doors leading to outside. "You don't think it could turn into something serious, do you?"

Dustin shook his head. "No. The med staff is making up a vaccine for it now. Dr. Sully wanted to come and help, but Dad didn't want to risk exposing the Ikran clan to it, just in case the Na'vi don't have as strong a tolerance to it as the people here on base. He says they can give immunization to the Na'vi clans when they've finished the vaccine and tested it."

Savanna nodded. "I would have liked to see the twins again before the end of the year, but it's probably better that they don't come until the flu is gone."

Dustin gave her a knowing, sidelong grin. "I'll bet you're especially looking forward to seeing Kato again."

A pink flush blossomed over Savanna's cheekbones to blend charmingly with the soft blue skin and lilac stripes. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Dustin chuckled and shook his head. "It means you never blush like that over other guys. Come on; all it takes is mention of his name, these days."

True, she was only thirteen but she was developing the first signs of impending womanhood like many other girls her age. Being more knowledgeable in biology than most of his classmates his age, Dustin recognized the more subtle signs of puberty in his friend. Unlike Na'vi and avatar girls her age, Savanna had begun to notice boys and her interest in one particular boy was obvious to Dustin.

Savanna looked up, pretending interest in the enormous, transparent dome over their heads. "I'm only blushing because you're teasing me."

He took pity on her, not wanting to embarrass her further after she'd already been the subject of vile conversation in the hallway. "Okay, Sav. I won't mention it again."

* * *

A couple of months after Dustin's encounter with the boys in school, Kato and Karyu caused some mischief in the Ikran village.

Tom woke up with a frown when he heard a distant bang and an odd crackle. He sat up and looked around the darkened interior of the family tent, scratching his head. He listened for a moment, cocking his head to one side. When he didn't hear it again, he concluded that he must have been dreaming and he lay back down beside his mate with a tired yawn. He pushed the tiny button on the side of his wristwatch and checked the time on the illuminated face. It was four in the morning; he had roughly two hours before sunrise. He put an arm around Tanhi and shut his eyes again.

Just as he started to drift back to sleep, he heard the sound again. This time, he was sure it wasn't just in his head and another bang and crackle followed the second, less than a minute later. It almost sounded like thunder, except for the follow-up noise. There was something strangely familiar about the sounds and Tom got to his feet and reached for his t-shirt. The noise wasn't natural and he could think of nothing the Na'vi made that caused such sounds. He heard the soft, sleepy voices of other villagers outside the tent as he started toward the exit. It was then that his senses woke up enough for him to realize that both Kato and Karyu's sleeping pallets were empty.

Rockets...that was what the noise sounded like. A flash of fear made Tom move faster and he imagined a swarm of UN military operatives converging on the village to finish what Myers started, years ago. He shoved the entrance cover aside and ducked outside, hoping to find his kids standing nearby. He saw several other clan members standing outside their tents and staring up at the sky with slack jaws, but there was no sign of Karyu or Kato.

Something bright shot into the sky from the stretch of beach several kilometers north of the village and Tom squinted at it as it climbed into the night sky. It almost looked like a flare.

"Another shooting star, _Sa'nu_!" a small girl child exclaimed with delight.

"Stars do not shoot from the ground to the heavens," answered the mother warily, "and they do not explode."

With a distant boom, the flare burst over the seawater and the villagers gasped in awe as a shower of purple sparks blossomed from the explosion. They sparkled and crackled in the air for a moment before fading into the night.

"Fireworks?" Tom muttered to himself in confusion.

The only possible tactical reason he could think of for human invaders to present a fireworks display would be to wow the natives enough to distract them for the attack. It still made no sense, though. If the military intended to invade the village in the dark hours of morning, they certainly wouldn't have alerted the clan to their presence with a pretty display of lights. The only light show they'd be giving would be a destructive rain of napalm or missiles.

Two more fireworks arched over the water and exploded. One was red and the other was green. Now that his mind was fully awake, Tom began to piece things together and he had a sneaking suspicion that somehow, his kids were responsible for the dazzling little show. Where or how they could have gotten their hands on fireworks was up for debate but he wouldn't put it past them to have discovered a stash during their last visit to Hell's Gate and somehow pinched some of them to take home.

"Tom, what is happening?"

Tom turned around to see Tanhi ducking out of the tent. She straightened her halter garment and looked up as another firework launched. When it exploded in a shower of gold sparks, her eyes went round. "An attack?"

"No," Tom assured her, his eyes scanning the beach. He saw two forms moving about near the base of the sea cliff and though it was difficult to be sure at this distance, he was confident they were the twins. "It's our children. I'll take care of this."

"What are they doing?" Tanhi demanded. She flinched in superstitious confusion when another pair of fireworks exploded in the sky. "Tom, how are they doing this?"

Tom wished he had a logical answer for her. He could tell by her uncertain stance that she wanted to go with him but her instinctive fear of un-natural things was warring with her concern for her children. He gave her a reassuring smile and kissed her on the lips.

"It's okay. I'll go and find out."

Tanhi was too bewildered to answer him and he gave her a last, comforting pat on the arm before jogging toward the beach. He followed the shoreline in the direction where the flares were coming from and sure enough, he found the twins. He stopped and caught his breath as he took in the scene. Karyu was holding a smoldering firebrand that appeared to be fashioned from a thin stick coated with some kind of oil or sap. There were two arrows stuck into the sand and Kato bent over, plucked one out and fit it into his bow. Tom realized that the arrow had a tube made of thickly rolled leaves bound to it and he had his answer.

Somehow, his brilliant, reckless offspring had managed to construct their own fireworks and they were shooting them into the sky with their bows.

Tom tried to draw breath and shout for them to stop in time, but before he could do so, Karyu held her brand to the trailing length of fuse hanging down from the cylinder. Tom had no idea what the kids had made it from but the fuse reacted properly and began to spark after a moment. He gritted his teeth and watched as his son drew the bow, knowing that if he distracted the boy now it could cause an accident. Kato fired the arrow into the sky and the bursting charge—whatever _that_ was made of—ignited and created a flare. Tom breathed a sigh of relief when the firework ignited overhead, ending the peril.

"What in the hell are you kids doing?" Tom cried before either of them could reach for the last remaining arrow.

Both of them were so absorbed in their daredevil fun that they hadn't noticed his approach. The sudden outburst startled the twins so badly that they both jumped a couple of inches off the ground. Kato tried his best to look innocent but he just managed to look guiltier. Karyu smiled in that way she always did when she wanted to get away with something.

"We made fireworks," she said.

Tom sighed. "I can see that. How did you make them?"

"From things we found in the forests, caves and along the beach," added Kato.

"Well, we had to get some of it from around the purification factory," admitted Karyu.

Kato nodded. "The sulfur collected in the waste unit made up part of the catalyst."

"The minerals in the caves work just like coal," explained Karyu.

"So we blended them with the sulfur to make the explosive powder," finished Kato.

Tom stared back and forth between the two of them, ridiculously intrigued in spite of himself. "And the rest of it?"

Kato obliged him. "We worked out the compounds we could use here that were equivalent to Earth compounds used to make the colors."

"We got most of them from the caves too," Karyu added.

"Some of it, we had to dig for in the forest," finished Kato.

Karyu glanced down at the last firework. "The only problem we had was finding the right kind of leaf to make the shell with."

"Basting it with a thin clay mixture after we put it together reinforced the structure," Kato explained, "but we couldn't get enough lift without more firepower."

"I wanted to try using unobtanium flakes," Karyu informed.

Tom's eyes popped open wide. "Uh...unobtanium? Kids, that would have been a disaster."

Kato nodded. "That's what _I _said."

"So we decided to stick with what we had and find another way to get the lift we needed," Karyu said.

"That's where the arrows came in," Kato finished. He grinned. "Neat, huh?"

Tom inwardly agreed, but creating amateur explosives really wasn't something he wanted his kids getting into. "All right, I'm suitably impressed...but this was a dangerous thing for you to do. How long have you two been working on this behind our backs?"

"A few weeks," Karyu admitted.

"We perfected them a couple of days ago," Kato said, "but we wanted to see them in the dark, so we stashed them in a waterproofed hide in one of the caves and saved them for today."

"It's our birthday," Karyu reminded.

Tom sputtered and sighed. "Yes, today _is_ your birthday. I'll delay your punishment until later, on that note."

Karyu immediately objected. "Punishment for what, _Sempul_?"

"For playing with combustible materials without informing your parents or asking for supervision," Tom snapped. "You've got half the village thinking Eywa sent a bad omen and you had your mother and I scared for your safety!"

"We just wanted to celebrate our birthday," Kato defended. "We're turning fifteen now. In five years, we'll be starting our hunter's trials to become adults."

Tom's anger faded and a lump formed in his throat with the reminder. His children really weren't _children_ anymore. Kato started looking at girls differently two years ago and his sister might only have a couple of years before she began to feel those adult stirrings, too. If they were on Earth, the twins would be legally adults in three years—eligible to join the armed forces, go to college or get married without parental consent.

"Fifteen," Tom said when he regained control of his emotions. "That's a milestone."

Karyu nodded. "That's why we wanted to have fireworks. Don't we deserve something special this year, Father?"

Tom had already made special plans for the twins with Tanhi, but he didn't want to ruin the surprise. "Of course you do. But you should know better than to experiment with anything explosive, flammable, potentially toxic or dangerous without consulting me first."

"We thought you wouldn't let us do it if we told you," Kato said, lowering his eyes contritely.

Tom sighed. "You won't _always_ get permission to do everything you want, son. That's part of growing up. If your mother and I allowed you to do whatever you felt like, you'd suffer the delusion that things will always go your way and your lives aren't subject to rules. Karyu, you're going to lead this clan some day. You need to understand that life isn't always fair and you need to learn to adapt to it. Kato, the same goes for you. I don't want my kids getting hurt because I failed to teach them to think before acting. My job as your parent is to help prepare you for the reality of adulthood, understand?"

The twins sighed as one—a common response to lectures. Tom looked them both in the eye. "Have you listened to anything I've said to you?"

"Yes, _Sempul_," Kato answered contritely. "We know you just want us to grow up well. It's just that..."

Karyu looked at her brother and finished for him. "We're going to have more responsibilities now and we know it's just going to get worse. This was supposed to be a fun goodbye to childhood."

Tom's heart softened further and he drew them both to him for a hug. "I think I understand. Do _you_ understand that there will still be consequences later for your actions? I don't want to ruin your birthday, so we can decide on your restrictions after the weekend."

"What if mother disagrees?" Karyu asked uncertainly.

Tom smiled. "I think even your mother can make allowances for such a special occasion. Speaking of whom, we should go back to the village and show her that you two haven't blown yourselves up. She's worried about you."

"But Dad, there's still one more firework left," protested Kato.

"I think you've launched enough of them," Tom said.

The twins looked at the last flare and then back at him with hopeful expressions. "_Please_?"

Tom considered them quietly, losing his resolve. Karyu looked very much like her mother, with delicate bone structure, pouty lips and almond-shaped eyes. Her brow-line was shaped more like Tom's. Kato was the opposite, taking after his father in appearance in most ways except for the shape and size of his eyes. Like his cousin Tommy, he was a little heavier in build than other Na'vi boys his age, due to the human influence in his genetic makeup. Some day soon, they would both face the dangerous task of taming their own ikrans and if fate willed it, they would take mates and begin having children of their own.

He just couldn't bring himself to refuse their request. One day, he would look back on this moment with bittersweet nostalgia. "Okay, we'll shoot the last firework," he conceded, "but I'll be the one to do it."

Kato shrugged and handed his bow over before retrieving the arrow. Tom took the rigged projectile when he offered it to him and he hesitated when he fitted the arrow into the bow and his daughter approached with the ignition punk.

"If this goes off before I get it launched, you two are going to have to explain to your mother why her mate no longer has a face."

The twins rolled their eyes and Karyu lit the fuse. Tom took aim quickly and fired, swearing a little as one of the sparks landed on his forearm. The arrow climbed several feet before the firework began to combust and the explosion occurred just as the projectile reached its zenith. Silver-blue sparks blossomed out over the water, reflecting on the foamy surface.

Tom smiled a little as he watched it, impressed by his children's inventiveness. "All right, let's go back before your mother sends out the search parties."

* * *

Tanhi was angry at first when Tom explained what the twins had gotten up to, but he softly reminded her that it was their birthday and they were only a handful of years away from adulthood. She agreed to postpone their punishment until the next week. Once they had that settled, the couple revealed the twins' special birthday treat to them.

"We're going to take an unscheduled trip to the Omaticaya Hometree, so that you two can celebrate your birthday with your family and friends there and at Hell's Gate." Tom revealed.

Karyu and Kato high-fived each other and hooted, quite happy with the surprise. They never got to spend enough time with their cousins and friends so this extra visit was a treat for them. It would be especially nice to see Dustin, Savanna and some of the avatar kids they had befriended, since the kids on the base never got the opportunity to travel all the way to the Ikran village to visit them.

* * *

Tommy struck the ball with a loud "crack" when the opposing team's pitcher threw it his way. Jake blew a low whistle as the ball shot through the air toward the outfield. Tsu'tey took his cue and began running for the next base while Jake shouted encouragement to his sons and the avatar girl out on the field. From the shaded area where safely out of range, humans, Na'vi and avatars shouted to the team of their choice. Poor Ralu and Sylwanin were confused about whom they should cheer for, because Grace ended up on Karyu and Kato's team instead of Tsu'tey and Tommy's team. The little girls ended up just cheering for everyone instead of choosing sides.

Grace was manning third base and one of her teammates started throwing the ball to her when Tommy was halfway to the plate. Tommy tripped on something and stumbled at the last minute, slowing his momentum down. Grace caught the ball and tagged him out as he reached the base. He just smiled at her and shrugged good-naturedly, brushing his gloved hand against hers before walking off the field to sit with the audience until he was called in again. Jake shot him a suspicious look before returning his attention back to the game.

"You did that on purpose," Savanna accused in a whisper when Tommy sat down on the hide blanket beside her and Dustin.

Tommy took a drink from the water skin his mother offered to him and he glanced sidelong at the hybrid as he drank from it. When he quenched his thirst, he leaned closer to Savanna and Dustin. "What makes you think that?"

"You're not a natural klutz, for one thing," Dustin murmured. "And what was with the little hand-squeeze?"

"I'm just being a good sport." Tommy smirked and reached for his little sister, who was sitting on his other side. She shrieked and giggled as he tickled her.

Savanna was about to tell him he wasn't fooling anyone. Everyone close to them knew that Tommy was head over heels for Grace. Savanna might be the youngest of the teenaged group of friends but she was no fool. Before she could decide whether his chivalrous action was sweet or patronizing, Tom senior's shouts drew her attention. Savanna looked out at the field to see that Kato had caught the next ball and was throwing it to his sister on first base. She whooped in excitement without thinking and rather than follow the ball to see if Karyu succeeded in tagging the runner, her eyes stayed on the male twin.

"You're both hopeless," Dustin remarked with a smirk, looking between Tommy and Savanna.

Tommy grinned crookedly and shrugged, while Savanna blushed and tried to pretend not to hear the comment. She took off her sunhat and fanned herself with it, trying to make it appear as if the mid-day heat was the cause of her flush.

The game went on and Tommy returned to the play in the next inning. Kato and Karyu took a break from the game while the teams switched places and while Karyu went to speak with Tanhi, her brother made a beeline for Savanna and Dustin. Kato paused under the first tree he came to and bent over to pluck a wild pink flower blossom from the bush beneath the tree. Savanna grabbed the insulated thermos she had brought out with her and she got to her feet as Kato approached. She looked up at him with a shy smile as he put the flower in her hair, just over her right ear.

"Thank you, Kato. It's pretty," she said as she lightly touched the soft petals. "Here, I have some cold water for you if you're thirsty." She removed the cup from the top and unscrewed the cap before pouring some of the cool liquid for him. Kato took the cup and thanked her before drinking from it. He paused in surprise and looked at the beverage.

"That _is_ cold."

"I put ice in it," Savanna explained. "The thermos keeps it from getting warm. Is it too much?"

He shook his head. "No, it's great. I like it."

He drank until the cup was empty and she refilled it for him. Aside from the hair braided into his queue, Kato wore his hair loose and kept it trimmed so that it fell a few inches beneath his shoulders. He had it all pulled back and bound in a ponytail over his queue for the game, but a few locks had straggled free and they were damp with perspiration. Savanna watched his throat work as he drank with a sharp thirst. Her eyes fixated on a single drop of sweat that rolled down his neck and clavicle, disappearing under his baseball jersey.

Someone hit a home run and the cheer of the crowd startled Savanna out of her fascinated observations. Kato turned around and hollered to his teammates encouragingly as they took the bases. Savanna noticed Dustin giving her a sly little grin out the corner of her eye and she poked her tongue out at him childishly, tired of his teasing. So what if she liked looking at some boys? A lot of girls her age did and she wondered if Dustin was just immune to fluttery feelings for the opposite sex, or if he just hadn't reached that point yet.

Unfortunately, Savanna had the feeling Kato didn't notice her the way she noticed him. He always brought her flowers to put in her hair, so she didn't take it as a sign of more than friendly affection. Not that it would do her any good if he felt otherwise; her parents wouldn't let her date until she was sixteen and she didn't know the first thing about flirting with boys. Karyu came over to her side and squeezed her hand in greeting. Savanna returned the pressure and smiled at the taller girl. With a faint sense of mortification, the hybrid realized she hadn't given the twins a proper congratulation.

"Oh, I forgot. Happy birthday, you guys. I made presents for both of you."

"You didn't have to do that," Kato told her with a smile.

"It's a special birthday though," insisted Savanna. "You're fifteen now and I never get to give you two birthday presents. After the game, do you want to come to my house so I can give them to you? We can watch a movie too."

"That sounds fun," agreed Karyu.

"I'll go tell Mother now," Kato said.

* * *

On their way to the bio-dome where Savanna's apartment was located, they passed the prison facilities. Kato fell behind and paused to stare into the exercise yard through the chain-link fence. Savanna and Karyu stopped when they realized he was no longer with them and they turned to see him looking at the very spot where Phelps' fell, years ago. Savanna stayed where she was, watching Kato with sympathy as his sister approached him. She had been told that the twins witnessed the accident that led to the inmate's death, but she didn't know the details.

"Every time we come here, you stare at that spot," Karyu whispered as she stepped up beside her brother. "Why do you dwell on it?"

He didn't take his eyes off the spot. The blood had washed away but he could still see it, in his mind's eye. "We were only supposed to scare him."

"And that's all we did," insisted Karyu. "He's the one that tried to take the gun away from the guard."

Kato looked down at his hands and flexed his fingers. "But that dart might as well have been poisoned. That's why he did it. He was trying to get help."

"You feel sorry for a man that tried to rape and murder our mother?"

Kato shook his head. "No, but if I could do things differently, I would have waited until I was older and strong enough to challenge him myself. Mother was right; scaring someone to death isn't honorable."

"Well, we were small children and scaring him was the only thing we could do to make him pay for what he did. Besides, it was _my_ dart that made him snap. All you did was play mind games with him and accidentally hit a soldier in the eye with a nut."

Karyu sighed. "Sooner or later, one of us would have killed him. We swore to, Kato. It's probably a good thing that the _skxawng_ got himself shot because if you had killed him you'd feel even worse than you do now."

Kato forced his eyes away from the lat place Phelps stood alive and he looked over at Savanna. The young hybrid was watching them with concern in her eyes and the sunlight brought out the reddish highlights in her dark brown hair. He smiled for her benefit and when she smiled back, he felt the warmth of it to his toes.

"Don't tell me you're getting moon-eyed," Karyu whispered.

Kato raised his eyebrows at her. "I've got more sense than that. She's too young for me to get 'moon-eyed' over yet anyhow." It was true; Savanna would be fourteen in a few months and something just didn't feel quite right about admiring her developing curves the way he sometimes admired older girls.

Karyu smirked. "When she becomes more of a woman, I have a feeling you'll be panting after her the way our older cousin pants after Gracie."

"Hopefully by the time that happens, I can do something about it," Kato answered dryly. "I'd hate to be one of those males that's pining over a girl that isn't sexually receptive yet."

"Ugh...did you have to say it like _that_?" complained Karyu. "You sound like Father, giving one of his 'facts of life' lectures."

Kato rolled his eyes. Like most other Na'vi females her age, Karyu's body was ahead of her urges in regards to sexual maturity. He almost welcomed the day when he could speak to his twin about physical attraction without her pulling a face like that. "Come on; Savanna's waiting on us."

* * *

"Do you like them?" Savanna asked the question a tad nervously as the twins put on their gifts.

Karyu nodded and examined the beaded necklace she had just secured around her throat. "You're very good at making Na'vi jewelry, Savanna. I think you'd fit in well with the People."

"I don't know about that," the hybrid answered shyly. She saw that Kato was having difficulty tying off the bracelet she had designed for him and she went to his side. "Here, let me help."

Kato held his wrist out to allow her to secure the leather bindings and Savanna's face grew warm as she felt his eyes on her. She tightened the bracelet so that it wouldn't slip over his hand, without restricting his wrist movements. After doing that, she made some adjustments and showed him how to do so himself.

"There you go. Do you like it?" She looked up at him hopefully.

Kato examined the bracelet, turning his wrist over. He smiled and nodded at her. "It's a good gift. Thank you, Savanna."

Unnoticed by the two of them, Karyu shook her head and thanked Eywa she wasn't a victim of her hormones.

* * *

They stayed at Hell's Gate through the weekend and for a couple of days afterwards. The kids had a baseball game each day and the adults visited with each other when schedules allowed for it. Trudy got a kick out of hearing about the way the twins celebrated their birthday in the village and she warned Tom that they might have inherited his weird luck, to which he sighed and agreed. Considering the way Phelps went down, it was quite possible the twins had the odd tendency to affect possibilities around them.

Ramona and Lee watched some of the kids' baseball games and the zoologist was tickled when she noticed the way Tommy always gave quarter to Gracie in the games. He also kept establishing brief moments of physical contact with her, smiling at her or insisting she drink first when they took a break for water.

"And they called it 'puppy love'," Ramona sighed with a grin as she watched the final game with her boyfriend. "That was my mamma's favorite classical song from the sixties. That boy is so sweet on Normy's daughter I think he's going to give me a cavity."

Lee grinned and put an arm around her. He was in his avatar body and they made sort of an odd couple, with their size differences. "That's not 'puppy love'," he observed, watching as Tommy poured a cup of water for the lovely young huntress and handed it to her. "He's bound and determined to make her his."

Ramona scratched an itch on her shoulder. "He'd better watch out. It's sweet that he doesn't want to compete too hard against her and everything, but it's also a little insulting."

"He's just trying to be a gentleman," Lee protested. "That's what some of us guys do, when we're trying to show a woman we like her. It's better than picking on her."

Ramona snorted. "That's what _you_ think. To you it might be charming but to some of us, it's patronizing. You send a quiet little message that we're weaker than you are and have to be handled with care like a china doll. Personally, I'd rather a guy respect my ability to do some damage, you know?"

Lee considered this for a moment. "I...guess I can see where you're coming from. It doesn't mean a guy thinks that way about you when he does things like that, though. I don't hold doors open for you because I've got the idea you're so feeble you can't do it yourself, babe. I do it because I'm trying to treat you like a queen."

She chuckled and squeezed his knee. "That's really sweet, hunkilicious, but there's such a thing as overdoing it and I think Jake's boy is walking that line. Watch Gracie's face when Tommy's not looking. She's getting fed up with it."

Lee looked and when Tommy glanced at the activity on the field, Grace rolled her eyes. "Uh-oh. I think you're right, Mona."

The zoologist nodded sagely. "Uh-huh. He's got a case of 'nice guy' syndrome. I think it's time for some damage control. Look, Grace is going to talk to her parents. Now's your chance to warn Tommy about laying it on too thick."

Lee blinked at her. "Me? Why?"

"Because you're a dude and Jake's too busy coaching his team to notice that the kid's about to crash and burn, that's why. Now hurry up and talk to him."

"You're not the boss of me," Lee scoffed.

Ramona responded to his comment by reaching down behind him and slipping her fingers under the base of his tail—which was poking out of the hole in the back of his cargo pants and flicking lazily behind him on the blanket. She gave it a brief scratch and Lee jumped, immediately climbing to his feet.

"Okay, okay...I'm going," he said hastily, towering over her. "I'm never going to forgive Dr. Spellman for telling you about that spot."

Ramona grinned up at him. "I think your attitude's going to change when the game's finished and we go back to my lab quarters."

Lee cleared his throat, not bothering to argue with that. He approached Tommy and stalled him just as he was about to go to Grace's side. "Hey, do you have a minute?"

"Sure, Mr. Williams. What's up?"

"Just call me 'Lee'," replied the avatar driver. "I don't know how else to put this so I'm just going to come out and say it. You're trying a little too hard with your girl."

Tommy looked distinctly uncomfortable and he cast a glimpse over his shoulder at Grace. "Uh...okay. What am I doing wrong?"

"You're going too easy on her," advised Lee. "And you're crowding her a little. You need to play it a bit cooler or you could lose her interest and you should try to treat her more like an equal."

"But she _is_ an equal," Tommy murmured. "Gracie should know that."

"She's going to start wondering if you think so, if you keep holding back when you play against her. She knows what you're doing and I don't think she's impressed."

Tommy winced. "I thought she'd be flattered. Are you sure about this?"

Lee glanced over his shoulder, drawing attention to his lover. Ramona waved, smiling innocently. "I got my information straight from a woman, so it must be true. Apparently, it can be a big turn-off when men try too hard. Mona says it's patronizing and Na'vi women are proud."

Tommy considered this and nodded. "Okay. I'll tone it down a little. Lee, have you ever liked a girl so much, she's all you can think about?"

Lee chuckled and gave his girlfriend a rueful look. "Every day. Good luck, Tommy."

* * *

After being advised by Lee, Tommy changed his behavior towards Grace. He wasn't schooled in subtlety so rather than slack off gradually, he did a 180 and practically ignored her. He didn't realize that he was again trying too hard—but in the opposite direction. He discovered the truth of it when the game finished and Grace asked to talk to him alone behind the trees for a moment.

"Good game, Gracie," Tommy said when they had some privacy. "You aren't mad because my team won, are you?"

"Of course not," she assured him. "That isn't why I asked you to come and talk with me."

Tommy pulled his baseball cap off and loosened his hair a bit, letting the breeze cool his scalp. "What did you want to talk about, then?"

She hesitated, lowering her eyes. The dark sweep of her thick lashes fascinated Tommy and he almost missed it when she spoke in a soft, uncertain murmur. "Are you mad at me?"

It took him a moment to gather his wits. "What? No! Why would I be mad at you?"

"I don't know," she confessed, "but you've been acting strange during the last two innings."

Tommy wanted to bang his head against the trunk of a tree. He hadn't meant to come off as angry when he tried to adjust his tactics. "I'm not mad at you," he explained, choosing his words with care. "It just came to me that I was treating you differently than everyone else and I thought it was annoying you."

"So you chose to ignore me altogether?" Grace furrowed her brows. "Can't you do things with me without one extreme or the other?"

Tommy averted his eyes. "I don't know." He almost blurted out that he could hardly be near her without wanting to comb her hair or hold her hand or inhale the fragrant scent of her skin. Somehow, he reined his passions in and managed to sound casual.

Gracie was miffed. "Well when you figure it out, let me know. I know you're going through some things I'm not right now, but that's no excuse to give me the cold shoulder."

Tommy tried to reach for her when she turned to leave but she deftly avoided him. "Wait..."

"I'm going to get cleaned up and changed," she said without stopping or turning around. "You should probably do the same. Mother and Father told me we'll be leaving for home tomorrow morning."

Tommy sighed, remember what his father told him about women and the impossibility of ever fully understanding them. "I can't win," he grumbled.

* * *

When inevitable time for departure came, everyone said their goodbyes near the south gate. The kids exchanged hugs and promises of future visits and the adults did the same. Jake promised to get in touch when they arrived at Hometree so that nobody would worry, and Tom likewise made a promise to contact everyone when he and his family made it home to their village.

Kato hesitated the most when it was time to pass through the gates and call for the ikrans. He lagged behind, looking over his shoulder often at Savanna. The hybrid girl stood between her parents and watched all of her friends with sad eyes; but her gaze lingered the most on Kato. Tom noticed the exchange between the two and he patted his son on the shoulder.

"We'll be visiting here again in three months," he gently reminded the teen. "Your friends will still be here."

Kato sighed and nodded. Beside him, Karyu turned around to wave at Dustin, Savanna and the gaggle of human and avatar children that liked to hang out with them when they visited. The gates slid shut and the adults called out for their mounts. While they waited, Tsu'tey tried to cheer Kato up.

"Just think; in a few years we'll be adults with our own ikrans. We can all come visit whenever we want, then."

"You're right," Kato answered, perking up a little.

The adults climbed onto their mounts first before helping the kids join them. Tommy rode with one of the Omaticaya hunters that had flown with the party for added protection, while his siblings rode with their parents. No matter how often they rode the wind, the kids never tired of it and they called out and laughed with exuberance as they flew over the wild landscape. Ralu pointed out a flock of tetrapterons and Neytiri was forced to make a hasty grab for Sylwanin, who was seated before her and had leaned far over to see where her friend was pointing.

Jake saw the near-tumble and his heart leaped in his throat. When Neytiri had a firm hold on the little girl again, her eyes met Jake's over the distance and she gave him an exasperated grin. He grinned back, relieved that she was so alert and quick. Sylwanin's short life could have easily ended, if she'd fallen from her mother's ikran before Neytiri could secure her. Jake was glad that their youngest child was riding with her mother.

He noticed that Neytiri kept looking at him thoughtfully and when he glanced over at her again, her eyes swept over him before settling on his loincloth. Jake impulsively checked to see if it was loose and Neytiri grinned sharply at him. Remembering the time she decided to snatch him nude in mid-flight, Jake shook his head at her and gave her a wary look.

"Don't even think about it," he warned, pitching his voice over the wind so that she could hear him.

Neytiri laughed and Jake chuckled in reaction. Tsu'tey asked what they were laughing about and Jake told him he'd explain it when he was older.

Jake Sully finally felt like he could relax for a while and raise his family in peace. He looked over at Norm, then at his brother. He knew the tranquility wouldn't last forever. Even if the UNEC didn't start some kind of conflict down the road, there was bound to be some kind of crisis, sooner or later. Without a common enemy, the clans could easily slip back into competing with one another and small skirmishes could occur. A natural disaster could happen. Someone could get hurt while out hunting or gathering. No, humans weren't the only danger the Na'vi tribes faced from day to day. There were plenty of other risks associated with life on Pandora. Hopefully, the humans living at the second colony wouldn't add to that again.

Despite his unpleasant thoughts of everything that could go wrong, Jake smiled again. Peace and quiet was a gift that had to be appreciated when it could. He sighed, speaking under his breath to himself. "I'm going to enjoy it while it lasts."

* * *

-The End


End file.
